Alaska Fishing

To protect its source of king salmon eggs, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will close Alaska's most popular urban salmon fishery to all sport fishing beginning Monday.

On Friday, Fish and Game biologists conducted a stream survey and counted only 250 kings in Ship Creek -- far fewer than the average of 782 kings by this time of year that they'd expect to have survived ocean perils and a gantlet of anglers to reproduce.

"There are a few fish up there, but nothing like you normally see," area biologist Dan Bosch said Friday. "It's pretty devoid of fish."

On Friday afternoon, there weren't many anglers, either. Small clusters drifted flies and Spin-N-Glos as low tide approached, but vast tracks of creek bank were deserted.

Rolando Delacruz, 44, of Anchorage said he saw a handful of fish -- including one 20-pounder -- caught Friday morning, but in general fishing has been slow since early June.

"Real slow," said Delacruz, who said he caught his last Ship Creek king on June 12. "I think there must be something wrong in the ocean. These are hatchery fish. They should be coming back."

Anchorage angler Edwin Barrios was a little luckier than Delacruz. Over the past three days, he'd caught one king and a couple of jacks that he'd released.

"A couple of days ago, they were catching a lot all over with the incoming tide," he said.

Returning kings produce the brood stock biologists collect upstream to raise in the state hatchery. Biologists want about 800 kings to spawn, ensuring a strong brood stock. The smolt produced from their eggs grow to help reduce angling pressure on wild stocks.

On July 14, the section of Ship Creek below the Chugach Power Plant dam will reopen for the popular silver salmon fishery.

Fish and Game said that over the past five years, some 40 percent of its escapement has reached upriver waters closed to salmon fishing by June 23.

Increasing worry this year is "an increase in illegal harvest of adult king and coho salmon in sections of the creek normally closed to salmon fishing," according to a department press release.

"This is probably the most important brood stock source we have, and this year is even more important, because the king runs across Southcentral are so depressed," Bosch said.

Many rivers are experiencing weak king runs, with closures ranging from the Deshka River to Kodiak Island in an effort to protect the fragile returns.

Friday's order closes Ship Creek to all sport fishing from Fish and Game markers 100 feet upstream of the Chugach Power Plant dam to the upstream side of the Reeve Boulevard bridge through Sept. 30.

The area above the dam is open only to Dolly Varden fishing and catch-and-release rainbow trout.

"We have issues with a very high mortality on the brood stock that has snagging wounds or are too exhausted after catch and release," Bosch said, adding that poaching above the dam was a problem too. As a result, brood stock was dying.

"That's why we closed everything above the dam," he said

Bosch said he sees all variety of poachers. Some of the people he checks don't have IDs. Some are with their kids.

"I have seen some pretty ingenious snagging rigs," he said. "I confiscated one that was made of parachute cord, a weighted treble hook, and it has some rocks tied on as a trailer for extra weight."

Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.

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