For the portion of the Kuskokwim River managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which spans from near Aniak to the headwaters (Subsistence Sections 4 and 5), fishing will open 24 hours a day beginning June 12. Both set and drift nets must be 6-inch or less mesh and not exceed 150 feet in length and 45 meshes in depth. King salmon may be retained while subsistence fishing if caught with fish wheels, dip nets, beach seines, and hook and line beginning June 12 until further notice.
But the area known as the Aniak Box, stretching from the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge boundary at Aniak to the mouth of the Aniak River, will remain closed to subsistence fishing with gillnets until further notice. Hook and line, fish wheels equipped with a live box or chute, beach seines, and dip nets will be allowed, though king salmon caught must be returned to the water alive.
From June 7 to June 11 in state waters, subsistence fishing is restricted to 6-inch or less mesh set gillnets that may not exceed 60 feet in length and 45 meshes in depth and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark.
As a reminder, upcoming gillnet openings in federally managed portions of the Kuskokwim River below Aniak include:
- Set net opener on Friday, June 9 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Drift net and set net opener on Monday, June 12 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Drift net and set net opener on Saturday, June 17 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Drift net regulations:
Drift gillnets must be 6-inch or less mesh and no more than 45 meshes in depth. Gillnets may not exceed 150 feet in length upstream of the Johnson River and 300 feet in length downstream of the Johnson River.
Set net regulations:
Set nets are restricted to 6-inch or less mesh, 60 feet or less in length, and may not exceed 45 meshes in depth. Set nets must lie perpendicular to the river and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. They must be spaced 150 feet apart from other set nets.
