Anglers fishing for hatchery kings in the saltwater south of Petersburg will only be able to keep one fish starting June 15. The state Department of Fish and Game made the announcement June 13. The reduced bag limit for the Wrangell Narrows and Blind Slough Terminal Harvest Area is in response to low projected returns.
The sport fishery opened on June 1 with a limit of two large and two smaller king salmon per person – both residents and non-residents. Since then, the state has been collecting data to estimate the size of the run. Jeff Rice is the state management biologist for Petersburg and Wrangell.
“We just started into the season, we’re dealing with the lowest forecast in recent history, if not all of time,” he said. “And so we’re going to be very conservative with it. And the information we have so far suggests that it’s not a strong run.”
The king salmon swim two miles up Blind Slough through a section of rapids to Crystal Lake Hatchery. Each year the hatchery needs a specific number of returning kings, or broodstock, in order to raise fish for future salmon runs. The hatchery has not met the goal in the last three to five years. Rice says that broodstock is a priority.
“It’s the data that’s making the decision,” he said. “It’s taking a look at everything that we have and making the most responsible decision to do our best to ensure that broodstock gets back to the hatchery.”
Earlier this year the state estimated a return of 1400 king salmon. That triggered the closure of the fishery in the slough’s freshwater. The closure angered some local sport fishermen who saw it as inequitable, since the saltwater fishery near the mouth of the slough wasn’t affected. State regulations close freshwater king fishing if the projected returns dip below 2,000 fish. If it gets worse, to 1,000 fish, saltwater fishing for kings is also automatically closed.
