Alaska: No Emergency For Copper River King Salmon

FAIRBANKS — Alaska’s Board of Fisheries voted not to take emergency action Wednesday afternoon to further restrict the commercial king salmon fleet at the mouth of the Copper River.

Biologists predict the worst king run in 20 years on the river, and the weak forecast triggered fishing restrictions in the river and in the ocean where the commercial fleet fishes. If new rules had been passed, they could have affected the commercial opening today. 

The Fairbanks Fish and Game Advisory Committee asked the state fish board to tighten rules for the commercial fleet because the Fairbanks committee members felt the commercial fishery hadn’t taken its share of the fishing restrictions compared to upriver fishermen. 

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