Fish Facts & Family Fun-Ship Creek

Length: 182 miles (includes forks and major tributaries)

Watershed: 123 square miles

Dams: 4

Annual fish catch: 3,700 chinook, 10,500 coho. Hatchery supported fishery (ADF&G)

Ship Creek originates in the wildlands of Chugach State Park and winds its way through two military bases, Fort Richardson Army Base and Elmendorf Air Force Base. The creek then flows through a heavily industrialized area adjacent to downtown Anchorage before ending its long journey past the Port of Anchorage and into the marine waters of Cook Inlet.

The history of Anchorage began near the mouth of Ship Creek in March of 1914 with the building of a railroad from Seward to Fairbanks. The following summer Anchorage was created as a railroad construction town. Thousands of railroad workers set up camp on the plateaus to the north and south of Ship Creek where downtown Anchorage and the Government Hill neighborhoods stand today. Before railroad construction began the area was inhabited by the Dena’ina Indians who depended on Ship Creek for its healthy runs of salmon.

Ship Creek is famous for its excellent salmon fishing and its close proximity to downtown Anchorage. Each summer the creek is home to high profile salmon derbies that attract local sponsors and provide support to local charities. The Alaska Department of Fish & Game estimates the value of Ship Creek’s fisheries to the State's economy to be $7.3 million annually. Nowhere else in the world is there fishing of this caliber in an urban setting. There were close to 40,000 angler hours on Ship Creek in 2004.

Fishing and Fish Viewing