There will be three drift gillnet openings along the Kuskokwim River, from the mouth to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge boundary at Aniak. Each opening will last 12 hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The openings are on June 12, June 15, and June 18.
During these openings, only rural residents of the Kuskokwim River area can retain king salmon for harvest. Regulations for the rest of the river, from the refuge boundary at Aniak upstream to the headwaters, will be different. Beginning June 12, this upper section will open to gillnets full time, until further notice.
Drift gillnets must be 6-inch mesh or less, and may not exceed 45 meshes in depth. Upstream of the Johnson River, nets may not exceed 150 feet in length. Downstream of the Johnson River, nets may not exceed 300 feet in length.
When the river is closed, subsistence users can still fish, but with limited gear, using rod and reel, dipnets, beach seines, and fish wheels. Any king salmon caught with these methods downstream of the refuge boundary can be kept for harvest by rural residents of the Kuskokwim River area.
View map of drift gillnet openings
Read the USFWS Drift Gillnet Openings Regulations
Read the ADF&G Drift Gillnet Openings Regulations
Read the ADF&G Regulations for the Middle and Upper Kuskokwim River after June 12
