A king salmon is laid out for inspection by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at the Mike Pusich Douglas Harbor during the Golden North Salmon Derby on Aug. 25, 2019.

Similarly, the Kenai River’s early-run king salmon forecast is only 1,531 large kings, far short of the optimum escapement goal of 3,900-6,600.

The new plan sets an escapement goal of 15,000-30,000 large king salmon — fish at least 75 centimeters from mid-eye to tail fork — to help the stock recover.