Fish

A capsized fishing vessel's crew was rescued by good Samaritans near Sitka after it rolled while pulling in loaded salmon nets, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard Sector Juneau was informed at about 7:45 a.m. that the 50-foot seiner Evening Star sank in about 300 feet of water in Slocum Arm, 40 miles northwest of Sitka. All five crewmen aboard were rescued in good condition by the fishing vessel Chickamene, which took them to Sitka. About 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel were still aboard the Evening Star when it sank.

Hard-hit setnet fishermen in Kenai are sitting on pins and needles Wednesday, as the state's fisheries board voted to wait and reassess daily whether to allow setnetters to put their equipment into the water. As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the board had not approved setnet fishing Thursday, a delay that has the setnetters on edge. A poor king salmon run has drastically cut the income of more than 400 licensed setnetters in Kenai. If they don't get permission to catch other types of salmon before the season runs out, this summer will amount to a near-total loss.

Kenai and Kasilof River king salmon fishing will close Thursday, with closures also affecting parts of Cook Inlet, in the latest and most drastic example of numerous fishing restrictions imposed by state officials this year to protect low salmon runs. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the Kenai River closure, which will go into effect with the others at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, was triggered by projections that show fewer than a threshold number of 17,800 kings will escape the fishery this year.

State biologists are imposing new restrictions on Chignik and Ninilchik River king salmon fishing set to take effect over the next few days, and extending an existing restriction on retaining kings caught in much of Cook Inlet as low salmon runs continue statewide. An Alaska Department of Fish and Game order for the Chignik River sport fishery bars retaining kings 20 inches and over effective Sunday, restricting fishing to catch-and-release using single unbaited hooks. Bag and possession limits for kings under 20 inches remain at 10 each, with no annual limit.

Alaska Native storytellers are trying to modernize their tales and teach them to a new generation, keeping their traditions alive into the future. Whether it's the story of how your parents met, a fairy tale about three bears and a little blonde girl, or the legend of how Raven brought water to the earth, every society and every family has its stories.  For most of us, we grew up hearing stories from our parents or grandparents. As children they seem like adventurous tales.

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.

State biologists have closed the English Bay River drainage and Port Graham subdistrict to sport fishing for sockeye salmon effective Wednesday, in conjunction with an existing subsistence closure of the fishery. Changes have also been made to previous king salmon restrictions in the Nushagak-Mulchatna River drainage. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the English Bay River closure, which will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. on Independence Day through the end of the month, is necessary after only 1,909 sockeyes had passed through the English Bay weir as of July 1. The escapement goal for the region is 4,018 sockeyes, with 66 percent of the run already complete by July 1 according to historic run timing.

Several lower Cook Inlet streams, as well as offshore fishing in some areas of the inlet, will fall under sport-fishing bans and bait restrictions effective Sunday, as state officials continue to respond to shortages in king salmon runs statewide. According to a Monday emergency order from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Anchor and Ninilchik rivers will close to sport fishing effective from 12:01 a.m. Sunday, July 1 through 11:59 p.m. July 15. The sport fishing ban will be followed by a ban on using bait and multiple hooks on the rivers, set to take effect from 12:01 a.m. July 16 through 11:59 p.m. July 31. A separate ban on bait and multiple hooks will affect Deep and Stariski creeks throughout the month of July.

The Susitna River drainage became the latest area of Alaska to be targeted for a king salmon closure Friday, as the state Department of Fish and Game banned sport fishing for kings in the region effective Monday morning. During the closure, effective from 6 a.m. June 25 through July 13, kings may not be targeted for any type of fishing, including catch-and-release fishing. Kings may not be retained, and any kings caught while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be immediately released.

Federal and state authorities emphatically denied claims by Southwest Alaska residents Thursday that officials were confiscating fish from subsistence fishing camps, as decreased salmon runs statewide have led to fishing bans deeply unpopular with rural Alaskans. Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Tim DeSpain denied rumors that troopers were entering subsistence fish camps and taking fish, or seizing boats believed to be involved in illegal fishing. "No, absolutely not,” DeSpain said.