Valley fishing industry prepares for 2-king limit

MAT-SU — Some of the most significant restrictions on king salmon fishing in the Northern Cook Inlet won’t take effect until May 15, but some local sport fishing-related businesses report already feeling a pinch.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Sport Fish announced an annual limit of two king salmon 20 inches or longer for the Little Susitna River fishery in March, and detailed those restrictions in an emergency order issued May 1.

The annual limit of kings taken from fresh waters of the Northern Cook Inlet area other than the Little Su drainage remains at five, the division says in a press release accompanying the emergency order. Any kings caught in the affected area before May 15 won’t count against the two-fish restriction, but will against the five-fish limit. The only exception to the limit is Eklutna Tailrace, which is exempt from all restrictions.

The limit has prompted at least one customer to cancel a scheduled charter trip with Fishtale River Guides, said owner Andy Couch.

“The move to a two-fish limit affects people who go fishing a lot, but it doesn’t affect people who don’t go fishing much at all,” he said. “From a business standpoint, I lost a group I had booked for five days. They wanted to come out for five days and wanted to fish every day for five days. That group had been going with me for years.”

Because they could only keep two kings over a five-day period, they decided to fish another area of the state, said Couch, who’s also a member of the Mat-Su Mayor’s blue Ribbon Sportsmen’s Committee. On longer charters like that, the lure for many is to be able to keep a fish each day.

While catch-and-release is still allowed, the restrictions also include a stipulation that harvesting kings is prohibited on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from May 15 to the July 13 end of season, Couch said. That means those two kings can only be kept if caught Friday through Monday.

As a businessman, Couch said he’s hoping to get a jump on booking some shorter trips to make up for the restrictions.

“For the average guy, they may not go fishing anymore (with a charter),” he said. “But for the charter business, if we can’t make up what we lost, it will reduce overall the amount of fish harvested.”

That’s the point, said Sam Ivey, Palmer area management biologist for the Division of Sport Fish. By reducing the limit from five to two kings over the course of the entire season, the overall harvest will be reduced by about half. That means the state likely won’t have to issue future emergency orders closing the season early.

The move was prompted by the area missing king salmon escapement goals in 2008 and 2009 and projections of a lukewarm escapement this year, Ivey said. The goal is 13,000 to 28,000 on the Deshka River, and 900 to 1,800 on the Little Su. Overall, of 27 Northern Cook Inlet streams, goals were met on only five last year, he said. To meet its goal last year, the division had to close the king fishery on the Little Su halfway through the season.

“With these restrictions in place, we’re hoping to cut harvest by half throughout the season, and by doing so we anticipate we can make the majority of our goals,” Ivey said.

Protecting the resource should always be the No. 1 goal, but restrictions like this year’s are expected to affect tourism-related businesses in the Valley, said Tom Hilty, a pro staff employee at 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla. Because some tourists will likely choose to fish elsewhere in the state where the limits are greater, it will mean less tackle sales for local shops like 3 Rivers, he said. It also will affect locals who may not want to venture out for such a small limit.

“It’ll decrease our business a little bit because a lot of people don’t like to catch and release,” he said. “You’ll get some people who’ll do it no matter what, like a tourist or something. But some won’t. For me, some fishing’s better than no fishing. Personally, I only keep one or two kings anyhow. If I feel like catching them (after that), I can still catch and release.”

Restrictions for the Little Susitna River king salmon fishery, May 15 through July 13 include:

• Annual limit of two king salmon 20 inches or longer. Limit remains five for kings taken from fresh waters of Cook Inlet, but no more than two may be taken from the Little Susitna River. Kings harvested before May 15 don’t count against the two-fish limit, but do against the five-fish limit.

• Only one unbaited single-hook artificial lure is allowed in the restriction area.

• Harvest is allowed only on Friday through Monday, which Monday through Thursday is catch-and-release only.

• Eklutna Tailrace is excluded from all restrictions.

While the decision, which includes curtailing commercial fishing from 12 hours a day to six, can affect a business’ bottom line, it’s necessary for the state to put the resource above economic concerns, Couch said.

“Really, we’ve gone quite a long time without too many restrictions,” he said. “We have not had this severe a restriction for king salmon since I’ve been in business (about 30 years), and it’s widespread. It’s affecting every fishery in the Mat-Su except for the Eklutna Tailrace.”

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