Days after lifting restrictions on one river in the Susitna drainage, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is shutting down king salmon fishing entirely on another. On Wednesday, a Fish and Game emergency order states that, starting at 12:01 am on Friday, the Little Susitna River south of the Parks Highway bridge will be completely closed for kings.
According to Fish and Game, only nineteen king salmon have passed the counting weir, and about 200 kings have been harvested. Fish and Game says that low water levels are causing the fish to stay further downriver, which makes them more vulnerable to being caught. The low end of the escapement goal for the Little Su is 900 kings.
A complete list of fishing restrictions can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website.
