SouthEast Alaska King Salmon Sport Fishing Regulations for 2008

[NewsBot]

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Denby S. Lloyd, Commissioner

DIVISION OF SPORT FISH
Charles O. Swanton, Director

Contact: Bob Chadwick,
Regional Management Coordinator
(907) 747-5551

April 8, 2008

SOUTHEAST ALASKA KING SALMON SPORT FISHING REGULATIONS FOR 2008

Juneau-
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is announcing today the 2008 sport fishing bag and possession limits for king salmon in Southeast Alaska and Yakutat which will become effective 12:01 A.M. April 9, 2008. The regulations are:

- The bag and possession limit for king salmon is 1 fish 20 inches or greater in length for all anglers.

- Nonresident harvest limit:

* From January 1 through June 30, a nonresident's harvest limit is three king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
* From July 1 through July 15, a nonresident's harvest limit is two king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through June 30 will apply toward the two fish harvest limit;
* From July 16 through December 31, a nonresident's harvest limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length, and any king salmon 28 inches or greater in length harvested by the nonresident from January 1 through July 15 will apply toward the one fish harvest limit;
* Nonresident anglers must record all king salmon harvested, in ink, either on the back of their sport fishing license, or on a nontransferable harvest record immediately.

- From May 1 through June 30 the maximum number of lines that may be fished from a charter vessel engaged in sport fishing charter activities is four lines;

- From August 1 through September 30, the retention of king salmon less than 48 inches in length is prohibited by resident and nonresident anglers, except that from August 15 through August 25, an angler is allowed a bag and possession limit of one king salmon 28 inches or greater in length, in the following areas (see map): [Editor's Note: Map omitted due to illegible graphic.]

* Lynn Canal north of a line from Point Couverden to Point Lizard Head to a line from Point Bridget to Point Whidby;
* Taku Inlet west of a line from Cooper Point to Greely Point;
* Stephens Passage north of a line from Gwen Point to Point Styleman.

The Southeast Alaska king salmon sport fishery is managed under the directives of the Southeast Alaska King Salmon Management Plan (5 AAC 47.055). This plan prescribes management measures implemented by the department for the king salmon sport fishery based upon the preseason abundance index determined by the Chinook Technical Committee of the Pacific Salmon Commission. The preseason abundance index for the 2008 season is 1.07 which equates to 31,350 king salmon allocated to the sport fishery. This is a 48 % reduction in the number of king salmon allocated to the sport fishery in 2007. The department must enact all prescribed management measures for abundance indices below 1.1 and above 1.0 to satisfy the mandates of the plan. These regulations are anticipated to be in effect for the remainder of the 2008 season.
For further information regarding sport fisheries in Southeast Alaska, contact the nearest ADF&G office or visit:
ADF&G - Sport Fish Emergency Orders and News Releases

END

[chocoguy]

You mean that catching those salmon is just a sport in your country.

I thought that you are going to eat them!

[CanCanCase]

Originally Posted by chocoguy

You mean that catching those salmon is just a sport in your country.

I thought that you are going to eat them!

We do... and so do my clients who pay to come on our boat and catch them... catching is half the fun, eating them is the other half. ;-)

-Case

[berlinlife06]

OK, here's a question. When you go out fishing with a client, the licence for fishing is YOUR client's right? Because otherwise, you'd be doing something ellegal if you filled up your "quota" for the season? Or am I thinking totally crazy stuff here?

[CanCanCase]

When I take a client fishing on my boat, it is no different than if the client had gone fishing themselves. The client must have a valid fishing license (theirs), they catch a fish that belongs to them, and may only 1) release the fish unharmed or 2) take it home and eat it.

Most of the time if I have a few folks fishing from my boat, I am NOT ALLOWED to fish myself. I see all of these happy sports-men and women taking the fish they caught home, and I get paid to drive the boat, and clean up the mess when they're done. ;-)

-Case

[debrajean]

O.k. why aren't you allowed to fish? Is it b/c you're the guide?

[CanCanCase]

Originally Posted by debrajean

O.k. why aren't you allowed to fish? Is it b/c you're the guide?

Even if it was allowed, it's a moral thing for me... how would you feel if you'd spent $1000 or more to come fishing with me, and I caught the only fish, or the biggest fish, and you got nothing? When I'm out with clients, I have plenty of fun helping other folks catch THEIR fish. If I need to fill my freezer with fish at home, I'll plan a trip for myself and my crew to go without clients... then we can catch all we want (within legal limits, of course!)

-Case

[Oigen]

That makes sense. Plus, I bet it's loads of fun teaching someone to fish.