Sockeye limit soars in China Poot Bay

A strong red salmon return to China Poot Bay, about four miles southeast of Homer Spit across Kachemak Bay, has allowed state biologists to boost the limit in the personal-use dipnet fishery four-fold.

The limit, once six fish, will be 25 from Friday through Aug. 14.

An Aug. 1 stream survey by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in the area open to dipnetters counted some 700 sockeye.

"To maximize harvest opportunity of stocked sockeye salmon while minimally impacting wild pink salmon, it is justified to increase the bag and possession limit," said a Fish and Game press release.

The stocked red salmon come from the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association and are largely harvested by commercial fishermen.

Any pink, king, chum or silver salmon caught must be immediately released unharmed.

Ecological atlas unveiled

An ecological atlas of the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska's coastline will be unveiled 6-8 p.m. Friday at the 49^th State Brewing Company in Anchorage.

Included in the atlas, sponsored by the Anchorage Audubon Society, are more than 100 maps of the Arctic focused on marine mammals, seabirds, sea ice, subsistence and other topics.

The event is free, and light refreshments will be provided.

Denali goes to seed

Denali National Park and Preserve will be a seedy place Saturday. That's when it hosts a "need-for-seed" volunteer event 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The idea is to collect seeds of native plants to be used for future re-vegetation projects in the park.

Volunteers will walk several hundred feet to two miles across flat terrain collecting native seeds. No special skills or tools are required, and instruction on how to identify native plants will be provided.

Bring a daypack with water, lunch and rain gear. Volunteers will earn a gift that includes a bus voucher for a future trip on Denali Park Road that will also cover the park entrance fee.

The session is part of a push by the park during its centennial promoting volunteerism across Alaska.

"Whether a volunteer donates his time to his local school or a volunteer lends a hand in her national park, both places are enriched," Denali's volunteer program manager Kathleen Kelly said in a press release.

Youth-only fishing in Homer on Saturday

Young anglers in Homer get a final opportunity to boot old anglers from much of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on Saturday during the final youth-only fishery of the season.

The area open only to anglers ages 15 and younger will be posted. The rest of the lagoon will be open to anglers of all ages.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game staffers will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to offer advice on catching silver salmon. Some fishing rods and reels will be available.

Instruction will include how to tie egg loops and fishing knots, as well as methods of releasing fish.