Upper Cook Inlet reopens to a one-king limit after a spring closure

Anglers in Upper Cook Inlet salt waters north of Bluff Point may keep one king salmon of any size beginning Aug. 16, when the closure that has run since May 1 expires. The one-fish limit holds through Sept. 15.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game had closed those waters to all king fishing, including catch-and-release, to protect Cook Inlet king stocks going through what it called "a period of low productivity." The closure did not affect fishing for other species, including halibut.

Guides face a separate rule that does not lift Aug. 16. In the Cook Inlet saltwater king management area, guides may not sport fish from April 1 through Aug. 31 while a client is aboard, except when helping a client with a disability. For charter operators north of Bluff Point, that limits their own fishing even after recreational anglers get their one king back.

The closure traces to forecasts showing king runs on the Kenai, Anchor and Deshka rivers coming in below the low end of their escapement goals. The Deshka and Kenai goals have been missed in four of the last five years, and the Board of Fisheries has designated Kenai River late-run kings a stock of management concern. Under the management plan, the saltwater closure returns each year until the stock recovers. Alaska News has covered the parallel Kenai River king closure, which also runs through Aug. 15.