Region 2-Southcentral News Release
(Released: June 02, 2005)
Contact:
Bob Lafferty
Fisheries Biologist
Phone: (907) 267-2889
June 02, 2005
The 2005 Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use Salmon permits are now available at over 60 license vendors in the Southcentral area and at Fish and Game offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, Palmer, and Soldotna. Locations of license vendors issuing permits are listed on the ADF&G web site at www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us under “Licenses and Permits.”
Alaskan residents qualify for personal use salmon permits by possessing a 2005 resident Alaska sport fishing license, or ADF&G senior license or ADF&G Disabled Veteran’s license. Each permit is a household harvest recording document that must be in possession while fishing or while transporting personal use-caught fish.
All fish harvested under personal use regulations must be recorded immediately on the permit and the tail fins must be clipped before concealing the fish from plain view or transporting the fish from the fishing site.
Only one Cook Inlet permit per household is allowed, and all household members should be listed on the permit. A household with more than one Cook Inlet permit is in violation and is subject to investigation by the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement, and fines.
The fish limit is a seasonal limit for the Kenai River dipnet, Kasilof River dipnet and gillnet, and Fish Creek dipnet fisheries, not a limit for each fishery. The permit holder is allowed 25 salmon and each additional household member is allowed 10 additional salmon. Beginning in 2005, each Cook Inlet household permit is allowed to harvest up to 10 flounders.
By signing the permit, the permit holder understands and agrees to return the permit to the Department when fishing is completed, or after the closure of the fisheries. All Cook Inlet permits must be returned to the Department by August 15, 2005, even if you did not fish, and even if no fish were caught. To improve harvest reporting, the Department will send a reminder to delinquent permit holders; however, failure to return your permit is a violation and subject to a $200 fine and loss of your future personal use fishing privileges.
General personal use regulations for Cook Inlet are summarized on pages 16-17 of the 2005 Southcentral Alaska regulation booklet. Detailed dipnet and gillnet fishery regulations for the Kenai, Kasilof, and Fish Creek personal use fisheries are on page 18 of the regulation booklet. Recall that the Fish Creek personal use fishery is open only by emergency order after the sockeye salmon escapement goal is projected to be exceeded. Based on pre-season projections, the Fish Creek personal use fishery will likely not open this season.
