A federal official has closed subsistence fishing for king salmon on the Stikine River near Wrangell. That closure lasts from May 15th to June 20th.
Bob Dalrymple is Wrangell’s Forest Service District Ranger and in-season manager for the fishery. Based on Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Chinook forecast, Dalrymple says this is the right conservation measure to take.
“The preseason forecasts were extremely small. They were only 6900 fish expected. That’s well below the escapements 14,000 to 28,000 that’s kind of what in the normal years would be expected.”
Last year’s fishery was closed due to similar concerns, even though the forecast for last year was more than double expected for this year. The closure impacts locals in Petersburg and Wrangell.
The state has closed Chinook sport fishing at the mouth of the Stikine. And Southeast’s commercial troll fishery is limited this spring season to hatchery sites and the outer coast.
The closure will not impact sockeye or coho season on the river.
