Seward Lagoon youth-only king salmon fishery closes Friday night

Anglers 15 and younger have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to fish for king salmon at Seward Lagoon, and then the water closes to king fishing for the season. That is when Emergency Order 2-KS-8-34-26 expires and both the lagoon and its outfall stream shut to king salmon fishing. The order, effective July 1, kept the youth-only fishery open through July 31 for anglers under 16.

Background on the youth-only season

The lagoon and the waters draining from it are closed to sport fishing generally; the youth season is carved out by regulation and has been stretched by emergency order in consecutive years. In an Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) notice announcing the 2025 extension, Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth said, "King salmon returning to the lagoon are not needed for broodstock, so we hope kids can make the most out of this extension and catch these fish stocked with the intention of sport harvest opportunity." Alaska News has also covered ADF&G's use of youth-only openings elsewhere on the Kenai Peninsula, and the coho counterpart at Seward Lagoon ran through Sept. 30 last year under a separate order.

The closure takes effect on the calendar date set by the emergency order rather than by a count of returning fish. Before heading out, anglers can verify current rules through ADF&G's sport fishing regulations and emergency orders. Questions can go to Blain-Roth at 907-267-2186.