Southeast trollers got ten more days, and a smaller fleet to fish them with

Southeast and Yakutat trollers got ten more days. Fish and Game extended the summer troll fishery through Sept. 30 for every salmon species but Chinook, and the season had been set to close Sept. 20.

More days will not mean many more fish. The department says weekly wild coho catch rates in the troll fishery have run below the 20-year average all summer, while drift gillnet rates climbed to near or above their 10-year average. Factoring in what it calls substantially reduced troll fleet effort, it expects this year's cumulative wild coho troll harvest to come in below the five-year average and below the record lows of 2018 through 2025.

The extension is about escapement rather than abundance. The department projects regional coho escapement goals will be met, leaving fish beyond spawning needs in select waters.

Not everywhere reopens. Districts 11, 14 and 15 still close Sept. 20, as do District 12 waters north of 57°41.65' N. The high-abundance king areas, the general closures and the Yakutat area closure in place since June all stay shut.

Anita Bay remains open to troll gear for all salmon including kings through Nov. 10. Neets Bay opens Sept. 18 through Oct. 10, no kings. Winter troll starts Oct. 11, and every summer fish has to be offloaded before a boat joins it.