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First Igushik opening scheduled for Monday

KDLG News

Igushik Section set-netters will get the first west side opener of the commercial fishing season on Monday. 

Igushik Section set-netters can wet their nets today in the first west side opener of the commercial fishing season. 

Fish and Game Westside manager Tim Sands said the department is opening the section after hearing that Trident - one of two buyers there - was ready for fish.

"They said they’d be ready to buy on Monday, and so we like to get things started down there when they’re ready to buy just to get people ramped up," Sands said. "It’s kind of a gradual process getting people involved. They don’t start out going full speed so it’s kind of a good little test fishery for us to see what’s going on and start getting some information."

The Igushik tower is supposed to start counting about June 24 to give more information about what's happening in the section. 

Sands said on Friday that there have been some fish reported in the area.

“Got a report, couple different reports yesterday, of some fish. Didn’t really have much in the way of volume. People are starting to catch subsistence fish over there. Could have been a function of the weather too, it blew pretty good yesterday, or it could be fish are just showing up," he said.

Sands says a June 13 start is earlier than last year, but still in the normal range.

"I’d say it’s a little bit early," he said. "We were on the 18th last year, maybe the 15th the year before. So it kinda varies, but the 13th is a good time."

The fishery has eight-hour openers are scheduled Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, starting at 8, 8:30 and 9 a.m. respectively.

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