The first gillnet opening of the season targeting king salmon on the Kuskokwim River begins Tuesday, June 12 at 10 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m.
The 12-hour opening runs from the river’s mouth on the coast, to Aniak in federal waters inside the Yukon Delta National Refuge, and upstream in state waters to the Holitna River mouth.
In state waters outside the refuge, subsistence fishing with 6-inch mesh must use nets no deeper than 45 meshes and no more than 150 feet in length.
In federal waters inside the refuge, similar regulations apply, but nets can be longer from the Johnson River to the mouth of the Kuskowim. They can be up to 300 feet in length - a full shackle. Above the Johnson River, nets must be a half shackle or less. That’s 150 feet in length.
Federal management of the Kuskokwim River goes into effect on Tuesday and is expected to continue to July 15.