Trollers begin chase for Chinook on July 1

Suspense can be felt on docks throughout Southeast Alaska as commercial troll fishermen gear up to chase Chinook salmon during the first general Chinook fishing opener of the summer season.

Trollers beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 1 can target a total of approximately 66,700 Chinook salmon in an opener that will be closed by emergency order when catch estimates approach that harvest target, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced last Thursday.

Fish and Game estimates that trollers will catch 66,700 Chinook in six to seven days.

Last year, Southeast trollers brought in about 8...