We provide and protect the salmon resource of the Cook Inlet and Kenai Peninsula
So there will be enough for all
Salmon return to Bear Creek Weir. Kendra Krasin
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News and Events
Delight Lake Weir Is Key to Sockeye Management
The Kenai Mountains surround Delight Lake. Jacob Lohraff, CIAA The Delight Lake Weir, operated by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA), is located on the outer coast of the Kenai Peninsula within the Kenai Fjords National Park boundaries. Seasonal weir...
Cook Inlet setnetter looks back on four decades of fishing
Page Herring is a longtime setnetter and commercial fishing advocate. “Taking care of people and taking care of fish are two of my favorite things to do!” says setnetter Page Herring. These motivations are what make Page a valued member of the Cook Inlet Aquaculture...
Atlantic and Pacific salmon: What’s the difference?
Atlantic and Pacific sockeye salmon have different body characteristics. Atlantic salmon are more closely related to trout than Pacific salmon. Adobe Stock Since before Alaska was even a state, marketers have sung the praises of wild-caught Pacific salmon over the...
Northern pike: The Arctic’s prize catch is Southcentral’s predator
This small pike was harvested with a belly full of juvenile salmon. CIAA Subsistence and sports fishermen across much of Alaska prize the northern pike. But in Southcentral Alaska, pike are a threat to salmon populations. The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA)...
Growing Up at Trail Lakes Hatchery
From left to right: Rose (holding Corey) and Jeff Hetrick (holding Teal), and Rosemary and Jim Deering (holding Willow) in front of Upper Trail Lake. Courtesy of Willow Hetrick Willow Hetrick and her siblings had a front row seat to salmon aquaculture when they were...
Fertilizing Lakes Is a Little Like Gardening
CIAA fisheries technicians collect a sample of water from Leisure Lake. The technicians transport the samples to the ADF&G laboratory in Soldotna for filtering and further analysis. The fertilization program relies on a robust monitoring program. Lisa Ka’aihue,...
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Hatchery born.
Ocean raised.
The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association is a private, non-profit corporation that engages in salmon enhancement and habitat work throughout the Cook Inlet region for the benefit of commercial, subsistence, sport, and personal use fishing.
We provide hatchery-born, ocean-raised, wild salmon harvest through science, data, and community involvement.
Hatcheries
CIAA maintains four hatcheries that enhance the wild salmon runs of the Cook Inlet region.
HABITAT
CIAA conducts numerous restoration and monitoring projects each year.
Education and Outreach
CIAA shares its knowledge and resources with the community through tours and school visits.
Salmon meals provided by Alaska hatcheries in 2018
DOLLARS ALASKA HATCHERIES INJECT INTO THE LABOR FORCE
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CIAA has been a great partner! In my over 10 years of working with them, CIAA has, and continues to be very engaged and committed in their support of salmon habitat conservation in the Mat-Su.
One small association
makes a huge impact
As a private, non-profit corporation organized under the laws of the State of Alaska, CIAA engages in salmon enhancement and habitat work throughout the Cook Inlet region. This region includes waters of Alaska in Cook Inlet and Resurrection Bay north of Cape Douglas and west of Cape Fairfield including the Barren Islands and all the region’s freshwater drainages.
- The Cook Inlet area is 192 miles long with more than 8,000 square miles of saltwater.
- The area stretches 430 miles from north to south and 220 miles from east to west. It drains 39,000 square miles, about the size of Virginia.
- The area includes the Kenai River, Kasilof River, Susitna River, Little Susitna River, Matanuska River, Resurrection River, and the outer Kenai Peninsula coast.
- Over half of Alaska’s population live in the area—around 460,000 residents.
- The most popular and accessible fisheries in Alaska are located in the Cook Inlet area, Resurrection Bay, and the outer Kenai Peninsula coast.
Board affiliations
The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association board includes members of the following municipalities and organizations
- Cook Inlet Fishermans’ Fund
- Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
- Cook Inlet Seiners Association
- Kenai Peninsula Fishermen’s Association
- North Pacific Fisheries Association
- Northern District Set Netters of Cook Inlet
- United Cook Inlet Drift Association
- Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Municipality of Anchorage
- City of Homer
- City of Kachemak
- City of Seward
- Port Graham/Nanwalek
- Representatives of inlet-wide commercial fishermen and processors