Businesses to feel pinch from Little Su king salmon restriction

WASILLA — The Mat-Su is open for business.

That’s the message many seasonal operators of fishing charters, lodges and other outdoors-related industries are stressing in the wake of the closing of the Little Susitna River to king salmon fishing.

The move, announced early last week, took effect 11 p.m., Friday, and throws a monkey wrench into the financial plans of many businesses that depend on revenue from fishing and the tourism the sport generates.

But while closing the Little Su to king salmon fishing is a setback, it doesn’t mean the rest of the Valley or fishing for other species has been suspended as well, said Mike Hudson, owner of 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla.

“This will definitely have an effect on our business and for others, but what we have to make very clear about this is the closure is only the Little Susitna River,” Hudson said. “In years past, what has had more of an impact (than the actual closing of a river) were headlines saying, ‘king salmon fishing close in the Valley.’”

While the Little Su is now closed to king fishing, the Deshka and Talkeetna rivers, along with many streams and tributaries, are still prime for fishing, he said.

“They’re still catching kings on all the other creeks, they’re still catching them in the Deshka,” said Hudson, who’s operating 3 Rivers for 17 years. “If reds (salmon) start showing up in there or silvers start sneaking up, you can catch them. All the closure means is if you catch a king, you have to give it back.”

The action by the state Department of Fish and Game came as a result of low numbers of kings in the Little Su, based on information gathered from fish taken from the river.

“Since the beginning of the season, we’ve been watching the harvest counts come in,” said Sam Ivey, area management biologist for the Department of Fish and Game. “It gets to the point that if we don’t make a management decision, it gets too late in the season to make a meaningful savings.”

By closing the river to king fishing, the department hopes to make its escapement goal for the river. Last season, the river was closed July 2 and escapement was still far below the goal, and the numbers so far this season are below this time last year.

The closure prohibits all king salmon fishing, including catch-and-release, according to an ADF&G press release, and includes all waters of the Little Su from its confluence with Cook Inlet upstream to the Parks Highway bridge. Anglers may continue to fish for species other than king salmon downstream of the Parks Highway.

What that means for businesses like Hudson’s that depend heavily on the king salmon season is some frustration, but also understanding that the state needs to protect its natural resources.

“I always, always, always support erring on the side of caution when it comes to protecting a resource,” Hudson said. “I don’t know anybody who’s an avid angler who doesn’t support that. They might be disappointed, but they understand.”

What damages businesses as much — if not more than — the closure is the message it sends to local and tourists who may change their plans based on that.

“It can definitely be a turnoff and will make some people not come to Alaska,” he said. “I have a number of people, nonresidents, who come here every spring and ask what the forecast is for the kings. Just that (bad) forecast can cost us money, and is costing us money. The condition of the king salmon runs dictates almost on its own how my June sales go.”

A poor forecast has “made me see as much as a 50 percent drop,” Hudson said.

Even businesses closer to the Deshka River, which is still open, will feel a financial pinch from the closing of the Little Su, said Heather Henneous, co-owner of Deshka Landing Charters and Lodge.

“It definitely kind of just shuts us down,” she said of the closing. “That’s the main draw out here in the summer, the fishing. It’s awful, actually. Right now, the fishing’s good and our customers are happy, but the message people are going to get is the fishing’s no good.”

Although this past week’s state action hasn’t prompted any cancellations for Deshka Landing, they may come, Henneous said.

“I have had people cancel trips for that reason before,” she said. “Basically, we’ve got three more really good weeks of king fishing and that just takes the wind out of our sails. People spend a lot of money to get here, and if they get here and there’s no fishing, chances are they may not come back the next year.”

Coupled with a weak economy the past several years and gas prices in Alaska now near the highest in the nation, seasonal businesses are also taking a hit by having fewer local customers as well.

“It’s been a rough couple of years, but we still get a lot of calls,” she said. “Most of our king season business comes from locals.”

And because the Deshka River is still open for king salmon fishing, there are still options for anglers, she said.

“The Deshka is really good right now, but the closure of the Little Su could make the business come out here,” Henneous said, adding she’s keeping her fingers crossed. “Wow, if they closed the Deshka, too, that would make us kind of dead in the water.”

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.