One-fish king limit holds in most Prince William Sound salt waters

Anglers heading out of Whittier, Valdez or Cordova are held to one king salmon, bag and possession, across most Prince William Sound salt water. The limit runs another 18 days, through Sept. 15.

The terminal harvest areas at Whittier, Cordova, Valdez and Chenega are the exception, with two fish in the bag, four in possession, any size. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game set the one-fish rule in February to hold down harvest on king stocks going through a stretch of low productivity, and applied it across Gulf of Alaska salt water as far as Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula. Coho, sockeye, pink and chum are unaffected.

A few kings are still turning up at Cape Cleare off Montague Island among anglers working for coho, and the best king catches are near Glacier Island in the northeast Sound. Both fall under the one-fish limit.

Coho are the better late-August target, spread through the Sound with schools near Goose and Glacier islands and fish pushing into Port Valdez. Cutthroat have been strong in Cordova-area lakes, with Eshamy the reliable one.

Shrimp stay closed. The noncommercial fishery shut down June 8 and will not reopen this year, with the department citing declining biomass.