Fish

Every week, Carp will pick his favorite reader-submitted fish pic! Send your best in to web@ktuu.com .

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says some Board of Fisheries changes approved in February will affect some Kenai Peninsula fisheries for the 2011 season. Some of the changes apply to all Kenai Peninsula freshwaters, the Kenai River Drainage and the Kasilof River drainage. From the Press Release (not a comprehensive regulation list): All Kenai Peninsula Freshwaters: Coho salmon may not be removed from the water prior to release. A coho removed from the water counts toward the bag limit of the person hooking it, and must be retained.

The Alaska Copper River commerical salmon season opener awaits fishermen in Cordova, poised to make a profit on the prized fish they're able to catch, beginning Thursday. It's the season many of the fishermen have been waiting months for, because Copper River salmon is prized by restaurant chefs and fish mongers as some of the best salmon in the world. "The Copper River is a very strong, powerful river, so these fish naturally have to be a stronger animal to fight these currents and get up to the spawning grounds," said Billy Green with Copper River Seafoods.

If you were one of those Alaskans who picked up a permit to shrimp in Prince William Sound, it's time to get those back to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Shrimping permits are due back to Fish and Game no later than Oct. 15 -- and they're due back whether you went shrimping or not. The information on those permits will help officials properly manage the resource, hopefully ensuring the popular seafood continues to be available to Alaskans for a long time to come.

Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, says the entire future of wild fish and fisheries is at stake in the fight against genetically engineered fish. Begich, who is chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, held a hearing on Thursday about the environmental risks. A Massachusetts company, AquaBounty Technologies, is asking the Food and Drug Administration to allow it to produce and sell a genetically engineered salmon that can grow to eight pounds in about 18 months.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is restricting the federal subsistence fishery for early-run king salmon in the Kenai River downstream from Skilak Lake, beginning Thursday, June 30 at 12:01 a.m. The restriction will be in place through Thursday, July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Anglers will be limited to using one single, unbaited hook and bag and possession limits are reduced to one per day and one in possession for fish less than 46 inches or...

State officials restored king salmon bag and possession limits in the Nushagak-Mulchatna River drainage Friday, as federal authorities extended the subsistence fishing schedule for the Copper River's Chitina subdistrict. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's restoration, effective Saturday, brings the Nushagak-Mulchatna bag and possession limits from one fish per day to two fish per day, one of which may be 28 inches or greater in length. Limits for king salmon less than 20 inches long remain at five per day and five in possession.

The Kenai Peninsula is a popular spot to head this weekend. Hundreds will spend the 4th of July weekend fishing, camping and enjoying the outdoors. But as cars zip down the highway, most will unknowingly pass up a free history lesson. If your sights are set on salmon, you won't see the K'Beq' Interpretive Site. Tucked away just across from the Russian River campground, it blends in with the rest of the Kenai Peninsula. But this site -- a partnership between the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and the Seward Ranger District -- is rich with more than fish.

Thursday late morning, a young black bear was spotted near the main entrance of the Alaska Native Medical Center. An ANMC spokesperson says people were outside near the bear trying to snap photos. One cab driver caught the whole thing from inside his car. “The security was screaming get inside, get inside! And everybody was excited with phones. They were trying to take a picture or record the black bear,” said Bardhul Muca. With people having more access to smart phones, Jessy Coltrane with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said people appear to be getting a lot closer to wildlife than they should be to take video and pictures.

by Jackie Bartz Thursday, May 27, 2010 SEWARD, Alaska -- Hundreds of military members competed in the fourth annual Armed Forces Fishing Combat Tournament Thursday in Seward. More than 30 local charters pitched in to make the event possible. The sun was out, the fish were biting, and for military members, it was an opportunity to unwind. The tournament drew more than 300 anglers, both seasoned and not. "It took a lot (to reel in), it was a lot more difficult than last year.

Two people aboard a 20-foot boat near Ketchikan had their voyage terminated by the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday, following the discovery of several safety and fishing violations aboard. U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley says the boat, which was conducting recreational fishing in Carroll Inlet, was boarded by Coast Guardsmen from a Station Ketchikan 25-foot response boat. “The station crew conducted the at-sea boarding and discovered life jackets missing, an expired Alaska state boat registration and several federal subsistence Halibut fishing violations including fishing in closed waters and using excess amounts of gear,” Mosley wrote in a Friday statement.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is issuing catch-and-release restrictions on Kenai River king salmon sport fishing, due to estimates that rank this year's preseason run as the lowest measured over the past 28 years. Fish and Game officials say the preseason estimate for 2013 indicates a total run of 5,300 kings -- a number which pales in comparison to runs from 1986 through 2012, which measured an average run of 14,000 fish, according to an ADFG report. “We're forecasting a well-below-average run for king salmon on the Kenai River," said Fish and Game biologist Tom Vania.

A skipper of a King Cove fishing boat was found dead in the water near Belkofski Friday around noon, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers identified 46-year-old Marvin H. Love as the skipper of the fishing vessel Taurus. A crew member of the vessel woke up around 5:50 a.m. and reported Love missing. The King Cove Police Department notified troopers of the missing skipper and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded. Around 11:54 a.m., the Amanda Dawn, a Good Samaritan vessel, reported finding a body about a mile from where the Taurus was moored near Belkofski.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued a stream of emergency orders Thursday restricting sport fishing in many areas of Southcentral Alaska, following low statewide salmon runs in 2012 and similar state action. In a statement summarizing most of the orders, Fish and Game said they were issued in response to “low king salmon abundance over recent years, a below-average outlook for the upcoming season, and uncertainty over how quickly king salmon abundance may rebound.” Last year, the state imposed a series of restrictions on fishing due to lower-than-expected salmon runs across Alaska.

For years, poor king salmon returns have forced the closures of subsistence, commercial and sport fishing across the state, with many fishermen blaming bycatch as the reason for the poor runs. Along the Yukon River, 68-year-old Nick Tucker of Emmonak, says king salmon has drastically declined since 2007, and fears the 2013 season could be the worst return yet. “If there are any evidence that any bycatch is being caught,” said Tucker.  “I think we should do everything we can to put a stop to that, particularly when we cannot fish our own.” Commercial fishermen claim there is no way to completely avoid catching kings while fishing for reds.  One Seattle-based organization wants to make sure the valuable fish doesn't go to waste.

When it comes to eating fish, there's a good chance that you don't know exactly what's on your plate. From 2010 to 2012, ocean conservation group “Oceana” tested 1,215 fish samples from more than 650 retail outlets in 21 states across the country. Oceana officials say that DNA testing confirmed that one-third of all seafood was mislabeled, meaning what was ordered wasn't what was served. “Consumers have a right to know what they're eating, what they're buying and that they're getting the value that they think they're getting,” said Susan Murray, Oceana Deputy Vice President, Pacific.  “Fish is a wonderful healthy think to eat and you want to know that the choice that you make is what's going in your mouth.” The Oceana study also revealed that sushi bars were the worst culprits, mislabeling their seafood 74-percent of the time, with snapper being the number one mislabeled fish across the board.

Garrett Turner joined the Channel 2 News family in January of 2013 with previous print, radio and on-air experience, as well as a Masters in Broadcast Journalism. Garrett assumes the role of Reporter/Multi-Media Journalist & fill-in Anchor at KTUU. Garrett comes to Channel 2 News with great passion for reporting and has proven himself as a  "one-man-band" - reporting and producing news, politics and sports - on television, cable, radio, online and print. In the year prior to joining KTUU, Garrett covered the Super Bowl and Iowa Caucus for Emerson College's AP Award-winning TV station WEBN.

A fish processing ship sitting in the Kodiak harbor, spilled an estimated 150 gallons of diesel fuel on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard's Marine Safety Detachment responded to the leak from the vessel Pacific Producer. Officials with the Kodiak harbormaster, Kodiak Fire Department and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation were also part of the response. Petty Officer Guy Hughey said the fuel leaked inside of the ship before a portion of it was pumped into the harbor.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has a website for anyone who wants to know more about Santa's reindeer. Accoridng to Fish and Game, the reindeer go by the semi-scientific name of saintnicolas magicalus. Mr. and Mrs. Claus, as well as a few specially trained elves, care for the nine reindeer at the North Pole. ADFG says even though there are only nine reindeer, they are not listed as a threatened or endangered species, because their life expectancy is infinite. The nine reindeer are named: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph.

Experts in Yup'ik Eskimo culture will be allowed to testify in the cases of 21 Bethel area residents arrested last summer for illegally fishing during a poor salmon run, their attorney said after a Friday status hearing. James J. Davis, Jr. had asked to consolidate the cases so the experts would only be required to testify once. Davis said Judge Bruce Ward did not rule on the consolidation; instead, he said the experts could testify at the first trial and their testimony could be re-used in all the others.