Fishing Prince of Wales for kings? The nonresident limit just dropped.

If you're a nonresident heading to Prince of Wales Island for king salmon, your annual limit got tighter on July 1 — and it's worth pinning down the exact number before you keep a fish.

The number is a little muddy right now. The island's June 29 fishing report, from area biologist Craig Schwanke, puts the new nonresident annual limit at two kings over 28 inches. But the official 2026 Southeast Alaska and Yakutat king regulations set it lower — one fish from July 1 through December 31, with any king you already kept earlier this year counting against it. The two don't match, so before you retain a king on Prince of Wales, confirm the binding annual limit with ADF&G.

The daily bag is unchanged: one king over 28 inches for nonresidents. Residents aren't affected — their daily limit stays at two.

This isn't a sudden emergency closure. It's part of the island's planned 2026 Chinook rules, and it lands in a season Schwanke describes as poor to fair for kings on both coasts.

One more thing for boat anglers running into Craig or Klawock: creel technicians are working the docks this summer, and your lingcod, nonpelagic rockfish, and king and coho salmon have to stay whole — no filleting, de-heading, or otherwise mutilating them at sea — until you're tied up, unless you eat or preserve them aboard.