Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 14 opens commercial salmon fishing with set gillnets in the Kenai, Kasilof, and East Foreland sections of the Upper Subdistrict from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight on Saturday, July 16, 2016.
Drift gillnetting will be opened in the Expanded Kenai and Expanded Kasilof sections of the Upper Subdistrict and in the Anchor Point Section of the Lower Subdistrict from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2016.
The passage rate of sockeye salmon into the Kenai and Kasilof rivers is proceeding at a rate greater than that needed to assure optimum escapement levels. In order to reduce the rate of passage and harvest surplus sockeye salmon bound for the Kenai and Kasilof rivers, additional fishing time in the above-described area is warranted.
5 AAC 21.360 Kenai River Late-Run Sockeye Salmon Management Plan states that the Upper Subdistrict set gillnet fishery is restricted to no more than 84-hours of additional fishing time per week beginning on July 8. With this fishing