Cook Inlet Personal Use Herring and Hooligan Fisheries
Permits & Regulations

Permit

  • No permit is required, just a resident Alaska sport fishing license (or ADF&G senior license or ADF&G Disabled Veteran's license).

Open season

  • In salt waters, hooligan may be taken from April 1 through May 31.
  • In fresh waters, hooligan may be taken from April 1 through June 15.

Limits

  • There are no bag or possession limits.

Gear

  • Hooligan may be taken by dipnet or by drift gillnet. Dipnets may be used in any waters, fresh or salt.
  • If taken by drift gillnet, the drift gillnet may be used only in the Kenai River, and only from April 1 through June 15 as follows:
    • A drift gillnet may be used only in the Kenai River downstream of an ADF&G regulatory marker at Cunningham Park;
    • A drift gillnet may not be more than 20 feet in length, four feet in depth, and one and one-half inches in mesh size; and
    • A drift gillnet must be attended by the person operating the gillnet at all times that the net is fishing.

General run timing and peak harvest times

  • Federal research shows hooligan runs are highly erratic in terms of when they begin to return. Typically, hooligan are in the Southcentral Alaska rivers by the second week of May.

Cook Inlet Herring Personal Use Fisheries

Permit

  • No permit is required, just a resident Alaska sport fishing license (or ADF&G senior license or ADF&G Disabled Veteran's license).

Open season

  • In Cook Inlet north of Anchor Point herring may be taken April 1 through May 31.
  • In Cook Inlet south of Anchor Point, including Resurrection Bay, and in the North Gulf Coast, herring may be taken year-round.

Limits

  • There are no bag or possession limits.

Gear

  • Herring may be taken with dipnets or gillnets, except that gillnets may not be used in Turnagain Arm east of a line from Point Possession to point Campbell.
  • No gillnet may exceed 20 feet in length and two inches in mesh size, except south of Anchor Point, no gillnet may exceed 50 feet in length and two inches in mesh size.
  • Each gillnet must be attended by the fisherman at all times when it is being used to take fish.

General run timing and peak harvest times

Herring are highly erratic in terms of when they begin to return. Typically, herring are in nearshore Southcentral Alaska salt waters by the second week of May.