Fishing Report: Silver Salmon update including 5 new emergency orders in Southcentral Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After a solid — at times — start to the fishing season, the silver salmon are tardy to the party.

The fourth annual Coho Rodeo hosted by the Bait Shack at Ship Creek, originally scheduled for July 27, was postponed until Aug. 10 before having to be canceled altogether.

“One of the most important things for the Coho Rodeo — we’ve got to have some cohos,” Dustin Slinker, owner of the Bait Shack said.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have released five new emergency orders this week related to Coho salmon:

• Anchorage Bowl Coho Limits Reduced to One Fish and Bait Prohibited
• Susitna River Drainage Closed to Sport Fishing for Coho Salmon
• Little Susitna River and Knik River Drainage Closed to Coho Salmon Fishing
• Eklutna Tailrace Fisher Expansion Rescinded
• Single-hook Only in the Kenai River

But why is it that we may be seeing lower — and later — numbers this year?

“In some trends we’ve seen, that maybe even years, we’re seeing a bit of a lower return of coho salmon in some areas,” Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Brittany Blain-Roth said. “Both coho and pink salmon, they only spend about 16 to 18 months in the saltwater so there could be something in the ocean conditions that are affecting their returns this year.

“Sometimes, depending on water conditions, they can hold off, come in a little bit later, so that is what I think a lot of anglers are hoping for.”

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