Prince William Sound king salmon limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15

Prince William Sound king salmon limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15

Anglers trolling Prince William Sound this weekend may keep one king salmon unless they are fishing inside one of four terminal harvest areas. Emergency Order 2-KS-6-15-26 holds the king salmon bag and possession limit at one fish in the salt waters of the Prince William Sound Management Area through Sept. 15, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's July 31 fishing report. The Whittier, Cordova, Valdez, and Chenega Terminal Harvest Areas are excluded, keeping a two-fish bag limit and a four-fish possession limit.

The restriction lands in the middle of active fishing; the department reports good catch rates in the northeast portion of the Sound, particularly near Glacier Island. The one-fish limit came out of a Gulf-wide alignment ADF&G announced February 9, covering salt waters of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, and Prince William Sound from April 1 through September 15, to "reduce harvest of king salmon stocks that are experiencing a period of low productivity."

My read is that the stocks are weak and the operators absorbing the correction get the least warning; those are not opposite sides. ADF&G directs anglers to review the order in full. A 2026 sport fishing license and king stamp are required; the Anchorage office can be reached at 907-267-2218.