page_title: Hunting and fishing in Alaska
section_title: Fishing
hierarchical_section_title: Hunting and fishing in Alaska / Fishing
caption_attribution_description: English: The Pacific halibut, Hippoglossus stenolepis, is one of the largest flatfish - they can weigh up to 500 pounds and grow to over 8 feet long.
context_page_description: Hunting and fishing in Alaska are common both for recreation and subsistence.
context_section_description: With a land area of 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 km²), not counting the Aleutian islands, Alaska is one-fifth the size of lower 48 states, and as Ken Schultz  notes in his chapter on Alaska  "Alaska is a bounty of more than 3,000 rivers, more than 3 million lakes, and some 34,000 miles of coastal shoreline — numbers that stagger the imagination, underscore the wealth of opportunities for anglers, and translate into some of North America’s premier fishing." A greater percentage of Alaskans fish than residents of any other state.  Alaska features several different types of fishing.  The two most popular are salmon fishing and halibut fishing.  Homer claims the title of “halibut fishing capital of the world.” Other common types of fishing are deep sea fishing, fly fishing, and ice fishing.  Fishermen have a variety of fish that they can catch including: salmon, various species of trout, northern pike, arctic char, dolly varden, and grayling. Alaska Fishing Licenses are required by law in Alaska for both residents and non-residents.
caption: Alaskan halibut often weigh over 100 pounds (45 kg). Specimens under 20 pounds (9.1 kg) are often thrown back when caught.
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