Low Salmon Run Hits Home for Anchorage Anglers

Beginning July 1, Ship Creek will be closed to king salmon sport fishing

Tools

By KTVA CBS 11 News
Bio

Story Created: Jun 28, 2012 at 2:18 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jun 28, 2012 at 2:18 PM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - Ship Creek has become the latest casualty of low salmon runs this year: Department of Fish and Game officials today announced plans to close the creek to sport fishing.

The closure, which covers creek waters below the Chugach Power Plant dam, will take effect July 1 and remain in place through July 13. Ship Creek king salmon are used by the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery to stock streams and rivers throughout Southcentral Alaska, and 750 adult fish are necessary to meet the program's needs.

But so far this year, at a time when biologists expect roughly 40 percent of king salmon have escaped the fishery, they said they haven't seen any adult salmon upriver of the hatchery facility. Additionally, high water levels in the creek have prevented the department from conducting escapement surveys.

State biologists said they will continue to moniter escapement numbers throughout the closure as water conditions improve.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KTVA CBS 11 | Anchorage, Alaska News and Weather and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.