Alaska fisheries officials have boosted the 2026 preseason all-gear catch limit for Southeast Alaska (SEAK) to 207,400 treaty Chinook salmon, up from 133,500 kings a year ago.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) announced on Tuesday, March 31, that the target will be 205,300 kings, compared with 130,840 kings in 2025.
The 2026 target includes a 1 percent reduction from the treaty catch limit that will serve as a buffer to avoid exceeding the all-gear limit and payback provisions of the treaty.
The SEAK all-gear catch limit is based on measures of Chinook abundance using the abundance index output from the Pacific Salmon Commission Chinook model, as required by the treaty.
The overall status of SEAK Chinooks has been characterized by ADF&G by a long-term decline in abundance, with many wild stocks classified as stocks of concern due to their inability to meet escapement goals. While hatchery produced fish provide some harvest opportunities wild stocks face significant pressure, prompting strict, fluctuating management regulations. Many Chinook salmon caught in this area are not native to Alaska, requiring complex, internationally managed quotas.
ADF&G said its scientists will continue to pursue alternative models and methods for setting SEAK catch limits in future years.
The SEAK Chinook salmon all-gear catch limit is distributed among commercial and sport fisheries under management plans specified by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. The plans allocate 8,800 kings to the commercial purse seine fleet, 5,900 to the commercial drift gillnetters, 1,000 to the commercial set gillnetters, 146,000 for commercial trollers and 43,600 for sport harvesters.
ADF&G noted that while several stocks showed signs of improvement in 2024 and 2025 that recent production has been poor in this region. Some SEAK stocks have either been recently removed or adopted as stocks of management concern. Management will continue to be consistent with provisions of the Alaska Board of Fisheries action plans, the agency said.
The 2025 regulations applied a new, revised allocation split for the remaining quota after net fisheries (purse seine, drift/set gillnet) were subtracted, dividing the rest between 77 percent for troll (and 23 percent for sport gear).
