The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Sport Fish announced on Monday a new wave of fisheries closures for the Kenai Peninsula in response to continued low king salmon runs. The closures affect fisheries in Ninilchik, Kasilof and Cook Inlet beginning this week.

In announcing the closures, the Division of Sport Fish said that king salmon runs are not showing signs of improvement and that conservative measures are needed to ensure future fishing opportunities.

“Early king salmon runs across the Kenai Peninsula are near or at record low levels,” Area Management Biologist Colton Lipka is quoted as saying in releases from the division.

In addition to the closures announced Monday, the Kenai River’s early-run king salmon sport fishery is closed from the mouth of the river to Skilak Lake between June 8 and June 30.

For the duration of July, king salmon fishing will remain closed in Kenai River waters from an ADF&G regulatory marker located about 300 yards downstream from the mouth of Slikok Creek upstream to the outlet of Skilak Lake. The closure prohibits all sport king salmon fishing, including catch and release fishing.

Ninilchik River closed to sport fishing

The Ninilchik River is closed to all sport fishing starting June 16 through July 15 to protect returning king salmon and ensure future sport fishing opportunities, the division said.

Just over 180 naturally produced king salmon have been counted at the lower Ninilchik River weir as of June 12. The 2022 escapement is expected to be less than 500 king salmon, which is significantly lower than the 1,100 needed at the weir to achieve the sustainable escapement goal and the 750 to 1,300 needed for the broodstock collection goal, the division said.

The Ninilchik River’s king salmon counts have improved from last week, but continue to lag behind what is needed, Area Management Biologist Mike Booz said in a division release.

Kasilof River closed to king salmon sport fishing

The Kasilof River from its mouth to the outlet of Tustumena Lake is closed to king salmon sport fishing starting June 15 through July 15 to conserve king salmon in the river, the division said. During the closure, all king salmon fishing is prohibited. Any king salmon caught cannot be removed from the water and must be released immediately. While fishing for other species, anglers may use only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure.

From July 16 to July 31, the late-run king salmon fishery will open to catch and release fishing from the river mouth to the Sterling Highway Bridge. During the closure, any king salmon caught cannot be removed from the water and must be released immediately. Anglers may only use one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure.

A division release says that the Kasilof River’s early-run king salmon sport fishery is managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to achieve an escapement goal of between 700 and 1,400 naturally produced king salmon as monitored through a weir on Crooked Creek.

King salmon in Crooked Creek, the division said, are used to supplement king salmon stocking programs in other parts of Southcentral Alaska.

Cook Inlet Saltwaters closed to king salmon sport fishing

Cook Inlet salt waters north of Bluff Point (between Anchor Point and Homer) are closed to king salmon sport fishing, including catch and release, starting June 15 through July 15. The closure does not affect fishing for other species, such as halibut. Any king salmon caught cannot be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

The closure was called a “conservative approach” to maximizing local king salmon escapement goals according to Booz. Booz is quoted in a division release as saying that Cook Inlet king salmon runs are “projecting to be the lowest escapement we’ve seen in all of the Kenai Peninsula streams.”

Kasilof River personal use gillnet fishery hours reduced

Beginning Wednesday, the Kasilof River’s personal use set gillnet fishery will close daily at 5 p.m. to protect king salmon bound for the Kasilof River, the division said. Between June 15 and June 24, the fishery will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The closure goes a step further than the closure announced by the division on June 8, which reduced the number of hours the fishery is open daily from 17 hours to 12 hours.

More information about fishing in the Northern Kenai area can be found at adfg.alaska.gov.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.