Sport Fishing for King Salmon Reopens for Nonresident Anglers in Southeast Alaska

Information provided by ADFG

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is announcing a change to the Southeast Alaska marine sport fishery regulations for king salmon. The following regulations will be effective 12:01 a.m. Monday, August 4 through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, April 30, 2026.  

• The nonresident bag and possession limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• The nonresident annual limit is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• Immediately upon landing and retaining a king salmon a nonresident must enter the species, date and location on the back of their sport fishing license or on a nontransferable harvest record.

  No change has been made to regulations for Alaska residents fishing within state waters. The regulations for Alaska residents continue to be:  

• Bag and possession limit of one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length;
• From October 1 through March 31, a resident angler may use two rods when fishing for king salmon, a person using two rods under this regulation may only retain salmon.

  The sport fishery is being managed to achieve but not exceed the 2025 sport allocation of 28,264 king salmon. The nonresident fishery was closed on July 7 to keep the sport fishery within its allocation. This closure was effective at reducing harvest in the sport fishery and there is sufficient allocation remaining to provide additional harvest opportunity. The sport harvest of king salmon will continue to be monitored and additional action may be required to keep the sport fishery within allocation.   When fishing in the exclusive economic zone (between 3-200 nautical miles from shore), all anglers must comply with the regulations established for nonresident anglers.   In areas where special regulations have been issued to provide opportunity for Alaska hatchery-produced king salmon (Juneau designated saltwater hatchery area, Blind Slough/Wrangell Narrows terminal harvest area near Petersburg, and Herring Bay near Ketchikan) special regulations continue to apply.   For further information concerning this announcement please contact Acting Southeast Alaska Management Coordinator, Troy Tydingco at (907) 747-5355.