Bob Thorstenson Jr., a former executive director of Southeast Alaska Seiners Association, was commercial fishing Sunday in Crawfish Inlet when wildlife troopers say he came within 200 yards of a stream.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game area biologist Eric Coonradt told CoastAlaska that drought conditions have made the native pink salmon especially vulnerable near freshwater streams. “The vast majority of the run is sitting in salt water in basically one giant school,” the Sitka-based fisheries manager said Thursday. “And anybody coming in there with a seine could easily mop up 90% of the run for the year for that stream.”

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