Kenai River late run king salmon are now officially designated a stock of concern, which means a host of changes in the management plan. Sockeye bag limits in the river are up, and commercial setnet fishing is likely to be closed for the foreseeable future.
New management policies for Kenai River king salmon mean that sockeye bag limits in the river are up, and commercial setnet fishing is likely to be closed for the foreseeable future.
King salmon in general have been in trouble across coastal Alaska. The Kenai River run of kings has been declining for more than a decade, with increasing restrictions on sportfishing and commercial fishing in the area. Commercial setnet fishermen, who fish off the beach on the east side of Cook Inlet, were closed entirely in 2023, while sportfishing for kings was entirely closed because of low returns.
The main issue in Cook Inlet is the complex web of different user types and how they affect the kings making their way upriver. The Kenai River is one of the most heavily fished systems in Alaska, with drift gillnetters fishing in Cook Inlet, setnetters fishing the beaches up and down the Kenai Peninsula, personal use dipnetters fishing the mouth of the Kenai in July, and sportfishermen lining nearly all 87 miles of the Kenai River.
Commercial setnet changes are significantly more restrictive. Because setnetters fish on the shore and have historically caught more king salmon than other commercial fishermen, they have been significantly limited by Fish and Game since kings started declining. In 2023, they were closed entirely because of a low king salmon forecast; in 2022, they fished for about five days before being completely closed.
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