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Seward Salmon Derby Rules

  • General Rules

    You MUST register BEFORE you fish!

    Registration for the day you’re fishing must be purchased by 9 a.m. online and by 1 p.m. in-person at the derby booth. 

    Anglers may only fish one group division category per daily pass, i.e. fishing boat, shore, kayak, or sailboat.

    You must be present to weigh your fish when meeting with the weigh-in official.

    Derby Booth and weigh-in station are open daily from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m., except on the last day of the derby when we finish at noon.

    All anglers participating in the derby must have registered. 

    There are no refunds for any reason (including weather, charter cancellations, or fishing success).

     

     

  • BOATS

    All participating vessels must depart from and return to Resurrection Bay on the same voyage (overnight trips are eligible provided they start from and terminate in Resurrection Bay, even if the vessel docks elsewhere during the course of the multi-day voyage). Participating anglers may fish inside or outside of Resurrection Bay, but because the bag and possession limits differ inside and outside of the bay, participants must carefully adhere to Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations applicable to each area.

  • TACKLE

    Silver salmon to be entered in the derby must be caught on a sport-fish rod and reel. Entrants may have only one line in the water at a time. Entrants shall hook and reel up their fish unassisted. Assistance may be provided only to safely bring the fish aboard the vessel. Violation of these rules will permanently disqualify any individual on a boat along with all the boat’s occupants, or any individual on shore.

  • JUDGING STANDARDS

    All fish must be hooked in the mouth. Only silver salmon weighing three pounds or more can be entered. Prizes are awarded by weight (heaviest fish receives first-place prize). Any fish weighed at the derby headquarters are considered derby entries and become the property of the Seward Silver Salmon Derby (all proceeds from fish sales are used to support Resurrection Bay Fish Enhancement efforts and approved programs).

  • WEIGH-IN PROCEDURES

    All fish to be weighed and entered must be presented in the round (fresh, whole and uncut) at the judge’s stand at the derby headquarters in the Seward Boat Harbor. The derby headquarters will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily except for the final Sunday (6 a.m. to noon).

    All weighed fish become property of the Seward Silver Salmon Derby. An entrant must show identification at the time of weighing in of fish. All fish may be opened and checked.

    All fish weighing 16 pounds or more or those eligible for placement in the top ten heaviest fish are eligible to be checked by a derby judge. If a snag mark is found on any fish, the fish is not eligible for any prizes. Any evidence of fish tampering will result in permanent disqualification. Adult participants weighing fish must possess a valid ADF&G sport fishing license.

    Participants may buy their fish back for $5 at the time of weigh-in only. Only the entrant who actually caught the fish may buy it back. It is illegal in Alaska to sell the fish to another party. This law is enforced and violators may be subject to a monetary fine by the State of Alaska.

    Your $5 goes towards local salmon restoration efforts in Resurrection Bay. Fish today, restore for tomorrow: your participation helps sustain vibrant salmon runs for future generations.

  • FINAL DECISIONS

    Judges shall be appointed by the Seward Chamber and contacted as needed by the chamber employee on site at derby headquarters. Weigh-in officials, recorders, and booth operators are volunteers coordinated by the Chamber. The derby judges’ decision(s) and rules of the derby herein described shall be considered final and binding upon both participant and sponsor(s), except that the Seward Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has the power to make decisions in all matters pertaining to the derby, including eligibility, weights, time limits, fishing limits, right to receive awards and all matters relative to participation in and conduct of the derby.

    Judges may disqualify a fish or angler for any reason and decisions of judges on all matters pertaining to this contest shall be final. Should there be doubt as to the weigh-in official or judge’s decision regarding whether or not an entrant’s fish is a silver salmon, it will be weighed in and an Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist will render the decision. If it is not a silver salmon, it will be disqualified.

  • PRIZES

    With the exception of tagged fish, all prizes will be awarded within 21 days of the close of the derby. Prizes are based on weight of fish at time of entry. Ties for any place will be broken by the flip of a coin. The loser will be entitled to the next prize in line. Those entrants awarded a total of $600 or more from all awarded categories must complete IRS paperwork prior to receiving their prize(s). (See “taxes” below.) No merchandise prizes may be redeemed for cash. No prizes may be exchanged.

    Winners need not be present to win. Locals’ prizes must be claimed in Seward within 30 days after the prize list is made public by the Seward Chamber of Commerce while non-local anglers’ prizes will be mailed out. Final prize list is binding and no other prize lists are valid. All unclaimed prizes become the property of the Seward Chamber of Commerce. The value shown on the prize list is set by the sponsors. The Seward Chamber will not be responsible if any prize proves to be of less value than what is shown in the sponsor’s estimates.

    DAILY PRIZES

    Various daily prizes are offered for men, women and youth. Daily prizes are awarded based on weight or randomly, depending on the conditions associated with the specific prize. Each fish entered increases a participant’s chances to win the daily random drawing, which is drawn from the weigh-in tickets turned in each day.

    SIDE POTS

    Side pots are a way to increase your winnings for catching a big silver salmon! You can enter any of the 6 side betting pools for $10, $25, $50, $100, $150, or $250. Each participant is betting that they will catch the heaviest silver out of every other derby participant entered in that pool. Each angler’s largest fish will count towards the side pots, meaning angler’s will only have one fish in each side pot (i.e. you can’t win first and second place in a side pot). The Chamber will take 20% of the money pool to cover derby costs and the remainder of each pool will be split between the top three heaviest fish, with first, second and third taking 50%, 30%, and 20% respectively. Registrants must enter their Side Pot bet at time of registration OR until midnight August 9th if registered prior to the Derby start. All participants in the side bet pools must also be registered for the Seward Silver Salmon Derby. Must be 18 years of age or older to participate in side bets.

    Participants may also enter a $15 raffle for the chance to win Alaska Airlines tickets. By participating in this raffle, entrants confirm that they have reviewed and understand the applicable gaming laws and regulations in their respective city and state. Participation is only permitted where legally authorized. The Seward Chamber of Commerce shall not be held liable for any individual who enters the raffle in violation of local, state, or federal laws.

    Guess the weight of the heaviest salmon of the derby and win.

    For this category, both non-anglers and anglers are allowed to bet in this pool. Not fishing but want to place a bet for this category? Simply register online and click “Guess the weight for the biggest fish $5” and checkout. Winner of this side bet will win 80% of the pot, while the Seward Chamber of Commerce will collect 20% of the funds. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

    Note: This is the only betting pool non-anglers are allowed to participate in. 

  • TAGGED FISH

    There are a total of 10 prizes for tagged fish, the largest is a $20,000 cash prize. Prizes are assigned randomly, using a double-blind method. The associated value of each fish tag is unknown until the entrant opens the sealed envelope that contains the prize amount. All tagged fish caught will be worth $100 if presented to a derby official for verification prior to the start of the derby or through Sept. 30 of the derby year the fish was tagged. Envelopes for tag numbers caught prior to the derby, caught by non-entrants, or disqualified from the derby will not be opened.

  • Any taxes on cash or other prizes are the responsibility of the individual winner. Certain prize winners will be asked to provide their tax ID number on an official IRS form. Failure to do so will result in the chamber involuntarily withholding 30 percent of the prize amount prior to award as per federal income tax regulations.

  • WAIVER OF LIABILITY

    Registering for the Seward Silver Salmon Derby constitutes a waiver of liability absolving the Seward Chamber of Commerce, its officers, directors, staff, and sponsors of any and all damages or liability, which may occur after entering the derby. Contact the Seward Chamber of Commerce for more information at 907-224-8051.

  • Anglers are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner at all times. Harassment, abusive behavior, and discriminatory remarks or actions toward other anglers, volunteers, or staff will not be tolerated and may result in immediate disqualification in the Derby. In the case of disqualification, angler forfeits all fees and prize eligibility. The Chamber reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, what constitutes a violation of these standards.