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Charter boat captains, now putting their boats in the water, have a lot to worry about this season.

Ever-rising diesel prices will eat an ever-bigger chunk of income. A downturn in the economy plus higher airfares may mean fewer clients with less to spend. And new or proposed regulations in king salmon and halibut may further limit the available catch.

The captains, though, say they'll adapt.

"I'm concerned," said Dean Murayama, who runs the 16-person Anchor Point lodge on Shelter Island. "But I'm still very optimistic about the summer."

There is one piece of good news. It is, at least, better news than last month.

Last week, the state Board of Fisheries revised regulations it made earlier this year on king salmon sport fishing. Charter captains are back to six lines per boat instead of four. That "saved everybody's bacon," according to Rick Bierman, Whales' Eye Lodge operator on Shelter Island and a spokesman for Juneau charter captains.

"The fuel prices are so high that by taking two people off the boats it was really hurting us," Bierman said.

The compromise was that nonresident anglers can't take fish smaller than 48 inches after July 15. Fish that large are rarely caught in Juneau. But by that time, Bierman said, other salmon will be on their way in.

The limit will affect the charters, Bierman said.

"But it's conservation," he said. "We have to take some cuts."

A remaining unknown is whether the charters will be restricted to a bag limit of one fish per customer, which captains have said will hurt their businesses substantially. The decision from the U.S. Secretary of Commerce is overdue and expected any day.

"They whacked us all at once," Larry McQuarrie, owner of Sportsman's Cove, said. "It's going to be a tough season."

Adaptation to high costs comes in various forms.

Eager out-of-state anglers may pay $1,000 a day at McQuarrie's lodge, 35 miles west of Ketchikan. It's one of the largest lodges in Southeast Alaska. Yet this year he shortened his season to 97 days from the usual 120, because the shoulder season is no longer profitable, he said.

"We will probably squeeze through the year, but only because we're already pretty well booked," he said.

Next year, though, he might need a line of credit for the first time in 20 years, McQuarrie said.

The price of diesel is forcing lodge owner Murayama to plan his trips more carefully these days.

"We can't spend 6 gallons in fuel to get a head of lettuce," he said.

Menus could change if specialty items end up being too expensive.

Whether it's the economy or just a late year, Bierman said he hasn't yet filled up his lodge for the season. As in past years, he'll fill any other slots on the fishing boat with cruise ship traffic.

Judgment day doesn't come until the end of the season, when "we pile our money on one side and the bills on the other," Bierman said.

"You've kind of got to be in this game because you love it," Bierman said. "The money isn't that good."

• Contact reporter Kate Golden at 523-2276 or e-mail kate.golden@juneauempire.com.