Emergency Order affecting one of Alaska's most popular fisheries, the Ship Creek king fishery in the Anchorage metro area. Something for those living or visiting the area to take note upon!


ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Frank Rue, Commissioner

DIVISION OF SPORT FISH
Kelly Hepler, Director

Contact: Barry Stratton, Area Management Biologist
(907) 267-2398
Dan Bosch, Assistant Area Biologist
(907) 267-2153

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2001

**DAYTIME-ONLY FISHING ON SHIP CREEK TO START MAY 30**

Beginning Wed., May 30, Ship Creek, Anchorage, Alaska, will be closed to fishing for salmon from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. every day through the remainder of the king salmon season (July 13).

Ship Creek has become one of the more popular king salmon sport fisheries in the state. This run, a product of hatchery enhancement, provides anglers with an opportunity to harvest a king salmon in downtown Anchorage. Anglers have harvested an average of 3,800 kings every season in the past five years, and only about 500 adult fish have made it through this intense fishery and into the stream.

In order to sustain this hatchery-enhanced run, more adult fish need to escape the sport fishery to meet the natural spawning goal (250) and to fulfill hatchery egg take requirements (500). The Department has not achieved its total egg take goal in five of the past six years, nor its Ship Creek egg take goal in three of the past six years. The Department will manage this and future runs with a target of 750 kings above the dam. This number of fish should allow achievement of both the natural spawning goal and hatchery egg take goals, which in turn will result in more fish available for sport harvest in the future.

The midpoint of the escapement through the dam is typically June 21. At that time, about 1/2 of the escapement has been realized. In past years, we have aimed for 200-250 though the dam by June 21. To meet current egg take needs and natural spawning goals, we now need 325-375 fish through the dam by June 21, an increase of 125-175 fish.

In order to fulfill our management plan, the sport fishery must be
restricted at this time to reduce harvest potential. The most effective way to get more fish above the dam is to reduce the amount of time the creek is open. Nighttime closures have been proven to be an effective method to increase escapement levels in other Northern Cook Inlet streams, and also proved to be effective in Ship Creek in 2000. While we did not meet our egg take goals for Ship Creek in 2000, we were much closer than years past due to an increase in available fish.

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Thanks for the info Bob, ship creek isn't quite my flavor, but I do like to go down and watch the show. Kinda reminds me of a blooper show on fishing sometimes.