Deshka closed for kings; numbers down

MAT-SU — Fishing for king salmon on the Deshka River will close at 6 a.m. on Saturday for the remainder of the season or until further notice.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game made the announcement today, citing low escapement numbers. According to its press release, only 865 kings passed the weir at river mile 7 as of June 10. This is well below the average returns from 1997 to 2008 of 5,450 kings by this date.

The escapement goals for kings in the Deshka River is 13,000 to 28,00 fish, Fish and Game said. Based on the early season numbers, only 5,623 fish are projected to reach the spawning grounds this year. Fish and Game officials said if the numbers improve and projected returns fall into the escapement goal range, the fishery could reopen.

The final two regularly scheduled Mondays of commercial fishing for kings in the Northern District have also been canceled.

See Friday’s edition of the Frontiersman for more on this story.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or (907) 352-2252.