Wrangell Sentinel -

Higher-than-expected sportfishing catch rates for Southeast king salmon have prompted the state to cut back on the catch limit for residents and non-residents.

Without the reduction, the Southeast sport fishery was expected to have exceeded its allocation of 37,120 fish for the year by 3,460 to 12,650 kings, the Department of Fish and Game reported last Thursday.

“This is basically what we’ve been doing the past few years,”Patrick Fowler, Petersburg/Wrangell fisheries biologist, said Monday. The department usually has enough of an indication of harvest numbers by June 15 to adjust its...