Fishing on the Kenai and Russian rivers opened June 11, but as of the previous evening only one sockeye salmon had been counted at the Russian River weir—compared to more than 700 at this time last year.

The State Department of Fish and Game has closed king salmon fishing on the Kenai River and surrounding Cook Inlet areas for the third consecutive year due to alarmingly low forecast returns.

As king salmon decline in the Bristol Bay region, changes to king salmon harvest include reduced bag limits, area closures, as well as the introduction of youth-only fisheries in the Naknek River.

The booming Bristol Bay salmon run has broken the record set just last year, while on the Yukon River, Chinook are too scarce to harvest.

Since Les Anderson landed a 97-pound Kenai king in 1985, the prized fish has been harder to find and smaller. Is there something we all can do to help reverse the trend?