The state Department of Fish and Game has virtually ended king salmon fishing in the Ayakulik and Karluk rivers due to low returns.
The Kodiak Daily Mirror reports the agency closed subsistence and sport fishing for king salmon on the Karluk River and restricted king salmon fishing on the Ayakulik River to catch-and-release.
Nearly 1,600 kings were counted in the Karluk and about 1,900 in the Ayakulik through Saturday. Data from historic runs suggest the numbers in each river are likely to finish below goals for the year.
The Karluk has seen one of the most dramatic drops in king salmon returns over the last decade in Alaska. Once a hot spot for sport fishermen, overfishing and environmental factors took a toll. Numbers hit a record low in 2008.