Fish and Game issued sport and commercial closures for coho fishing beginning in late summer across the entire Susitna River drainage, northern Cook Inlet and Anchorage. There were also restrictions placed on Kenai Peninsula rivers and streams including the Kenai, Kasilof and the lower Cook Inlet systems. Just last week, on the Kenai River, managers removed the option of sport fishing with bait and reduced the bag limit to one coho.

With a bleak salmon return this year in Northwest Alaska, a lifelong fisherman reflects on a season marked by empty nets and big questions.

Orcas are starting to show new feeding behaviors around large trawler nets. They’re trying to steal fish caught in nets that are typically being hauled back. Scientists aren’t sure why orcas are doing this, but it’s dangerous for them because it increases their chances of getting caught in the net and dying.The problem is so bad that some fishermen have decided to skip fishing for black cod this year.