Wasilla man summoned for not logging salmon before leaving Kasilof beach

Alaska Wildlife Troopers summoned a Wasilla man Saturday at Kasilof North beach for leaving the personal-use fishing grounds without recording his salmon catch on his permit.

Eli Ickes, 29, was issued the summons for failure to log salmon on his Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use Permit before departing the beach on June 27, according to a Department of Public Safety report posted Sunday. Ickes is presumed innocent. The summons means the case will proceed through the court system.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is plain about the requirement: "All your personal use fish must be recorded on the permit and the tail fins clipped before leaving the designated personal use fishing area, or you may be subject to a fine," the agency states on its Kasilof fishery overview page. That rule applies to fish stored behind a tent or in a cooler, not just fish in hand at the water's edge.

Season Details and Enforcement

The Kasilof River personal-use dipnet season runs June 25 through August 7, open 24 hours a day. Thousands of Alaskans participate each summer, and Alaska Wildlife Troopers conduct seasonal enforcement on both the Kenai and Kasilof rivers when the beaches are at their busiest.

Some dipnetters have noted that on-site logging and fin-clipping requirements can be difficult to track during high-volume family harvests on crowded beaches, and that paperwork errors rather than intentional overharvest can lead to citations. Troopers are checking compliance early in the season.

No king salmon may be kept in the Kasilof personal-use fishery. Any king must be released immediately and may not be removed from the water. The season runs through August 7.