Ship Creek closes to all sport fishing Friday through July 13

Ship Creek closes to all sport fishing starting 6 a.m. Friday, July 3, and the closure runs through 11:59 p.m. Monday, July 13, cutting off Anchorage-area anglers from the creek for 10 days to protect king salmon and future fishing opportunities. The closure covers Ship Creek from its mouth upstream to a cable 100 feet downstream of the Chugach Power Plant Dam.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says stream surveys show king salmon returns are not tracking high enough to meet hatchery broodstock goals at the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery, and the shortfall carries consequences beyond Ship Creek itself. "Broodstock goals for Ship Creek include broodstock for other fisheries throughout Southcentral Alaska," Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth said. "While we are confident we have enough broodstock for Ship Creek, surveys do not indicate enough fish inriver to ensure adequate broodstock for other terminal fisheries that Ship Creek supports."

ADF&G's June 25 Anchorage Area Sport Fishing Report noted that king salmon were still being caught at Ship Creek at that point, but the run was beyond its peak and fishing had slowed. The Ship Creek closure is one of several king salmon restrictions ADF&G has put in place across the region in 2026. Emergency Order 2-KS-7-5-26 closes Upper Cook Inlet salt waters north of Bluff Point to king salmon sport fishing, including catch-and-release, from May 1 through Aug. 15, with incidentally caught kings required to be released immediately without removal from the water. Emergency Order 2-KS-2-2-26 closes the entire Eagle River drainage to king salmon sport fishing effective May 1. In the Campbell Creek drainage, retention of king salmon is prohibited and gear is restricted to a single unbaited artificial lure from June 15 through July 31.

When Ship Creek reopens at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, retention of king salmon remains prohibited. ADF&G staff will continue to monitor escapement as king salmon return to the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery and reopen the fishery if improvements are observed. Anglers with questions can reach Blain-Roth directly at [email protected] or (907) 267-2186, or contact the Anchorage Sport Fish Information Center at (907) 267-2218.