ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — King salmon fisheries in major Alaska watersheds have been declared failures by the U.S. Department of Commerce, making commercial fishermen eligible for disaster relief.

Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank announced the disaster declaration Thursday for the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, which flow into the Bering Sea, and for Cook Inlet region south of Anchorage, which includes the Kenai River.

Recommended Stories

California splits the salmon

Tiny minnow is first fish taken off endangered list

An expansive, informative history of fishing in California