Christmas thoughts and fishery news

This Sunday is Christmas Day, 2022. The recent snow and very cold temperatures may have put a damper on your Christmas shopping this season. Of course, there’s always the online shopping if you couldn’t or wouldn’t go out in these tough Alaska weather conditions. I hope you’ve set some time aside to think about why we even celebrate Christmas.

We celebrate Christmas Day to acknowledge that the Savior of all mankind was sent by His Father and born into human form on this day to redeem man from his sinful ways. Without His obeying His Father’s wishes and suffering an unbelievably horrible death to atone for all our sins, we would have had no hope of spending eternity with God in heaven. Give some thought and a prayer of thanks to Jesus Christ for what he willingly did to redeem us.

Fish and Game has been busy with emails this morning about fisheries situations in the Valley and down along the Kenai Peninsula. I’ll be quoting from the emails to share the information.

First, “Five lakes — Leech, Summit, Zero, Kings, and Anderson Lakes — were added to the stocking program in the Northern Cook Inlet management area in June 2020. Leech Lake is part of the Matanuska Lakes Complex and is accessible by foot from the Matanuska Lake trailhead and is stocked with 500 catchable rainbow trout. Summit Lake is in Hatcher Pass and is stocked with 500 catchable rainbow trout. Zero Lake is in the Houston area and is stocked with 4,000 fingerling rainbow trout. Northern pike were eradicated from Kings and Anderson lakes in 2020. Both lakes are stocked annually with 11,000 rainbow trout fingerlings stocked into Anderson Lake and 3,000 rainbow trout catchables stocked into Kings Lake. This stocking practice is scheduled in the Statewide Stocking Plan on an annual basis.”

For additional information, please review page 39 and 88 & 89 of the 2022 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet or contact the ADF&G Palmer office at HYPERLINK “callto:(907)%20746-6300” (907) 746-6300.

Second, “To protect Arctic char/Dolly Varden and ensure fishing opportunities in the future, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is implementing the following sport fishing regulation for the Fish Creek (Big Lake) drainage effective 12:01 a.m. Sunday, January 1 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 31, 2023. The retention of Arctic char/Dolly Varden is prohibited (catch-and-release only) in the Fish Creek (Big Lake) drainage. All Arctic char/Dolly Varden caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed. Popular lakes effected by this regulatory change include Big, Flat, and Mirror lakes.”

Continuing, “‘Big Lake produces a population of native lake dwelling Arctic char/Dolly Varden uncommon in Southcentral Alaska and a unique opportunity for anglers to catch large trophy-sized char of brilliant coloration close to a major population center, particularly during the ice-covered months,’ stated Area Management Biologist Sam Ivey. ‘Catch and harvest data indicates a decline in the overall abundance of char, particularly for fish larger than 20 inches in length. Protection through nonretention, while still allowing fishing opportunity, will maximize the number of fish entering into mature age classes and the number of times a fish may spawn as an adult, providing a means of recovery from the present state of decline. It is prudent to provide this level of protection until this stock can be further evaluated ‘.”

“Anglers are encouraged to follow best release practices by releasing a fish as quickly as possible. Only handle fish with wet bare hands; handling a fish with gloves or placing a fish on the ice can cause scale loss and can remove the protective slime layer.”

All other regulations governing Big Lake remain in place. For additional information, please contact Area Management Biologist Sam Ivey at HYPERLINK “callto:(907)%20746-6300” (907) 746-6300.

And finally, “The sport and personal use razor clam fisheries on east Cook Inlet beaches, from the mouth of the Kenai River to the tip of the Homer Spit, will remain closed in 2023. The most recent abundance surveys conducted in spring 2022 at Ninilchik and Clam Gulch beaches found the adult abundance estimates were below the threshold that would allow a harvest opportunity to occur. Razor clam abundance surveys will be conducted in those areas again in April and May 2023.”

“’Unfortunately, the number of adult clams in Ninilchik and Clam Gulch were not sufficient to support harvest opportunity,’ said Lower Cook Inlet Area Management Biologist Mike Booz. ‘Below average growth and very high natural mortality rates resulted in fewer than expected adult clams for both areas’.”