Upper Chilkat Inlet king salmon retention returns Oct. 1 after summer sanctuary

King salmon retention is back on the table in upper Chilkat Inlet. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Emergency Order 1-KS-F-22-26, issued July 13, 2026, in Haines, barred retention of king salmon in marine waters of upper Chilkat Inlet north of the latitude of Letnikof Cove Light from July 16 through Sept. 30. Unless a later emergency order said otherwise, retention under existing sport fishing regulations reopened Oct. 1, 2026.

Managers put the summer sanctuary in place near the mouth of the Chilkat River after in-season surveys suggested the 2026 Chilkat king escapement might only reach the lower end of the biological goal, or fall slightly short. The preseason forecast had put in-river abundance of large kings at about 2,650 fish inside the 1,850–3,600 goal range. The order left some harvest opportunity south of that line while protecting fish near the river mouth.

Anglers should confirm current Southeast Alaska king salmon bag, possession, and annual limits, and any newer emergency orders, before they keep a fish. This is the expiration of the upper-inlet non-retention window, not a new bag rewrite for all of District 15.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: ADF&G Sport Fish Emergency Order 1-KS-F-22-26 (PDF) (issued July 13, 2026; non-retention through Sept. 30, 2026).