Federal managers have announced the final gillnet salmon fishing opportunity of the 2024 salmon fishing season on the Kuskokwim River.
Gillnet (36-hour drift and/or set)
- Thursday, Aug. 15 at 11:59 a.m. to Friday, Aug. 16 at 11:59 p.m.
This opportunity is open to federally qualified subsistence users and applies to the area downstream of the Kalskag Line to the mouth of the Kuskokwim River at the lower boundary of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. All species of salmon may be retained.
Below the Johnson River, gillnets are restricted to 6-inch or less mesh and may not exceed 45 meshes in depth and 50 fathoms (300 feet) in combined drift and set net length. Above the Johnson River, nets are restricted to 25 fathoms (150 feet) in combined length. Tributaries and the Aniak Box will remain closed to gillnet fishing during the opener.
Following the opener, all previous restrictions within the refuge boundaries will be rescinded and management of the river and its tributaries will be handed over to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The move comes following discussions between the refuge and the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, which concluded that federal management for the conservation of chinook, chum, and coho salmon is no longer needed for the remainder of 2024.
The state also does not currently have any salmon conservation concerns on the Kuskokwim, and does not plan to implement any subsistence gear or harvest restrictions when it assumes control on Aug. 17, according to Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist Sam Decker.
According to the federal announcement, limited opportunities to harvest coho in early August have ensured that adequate numbers are able to reach upriver communities and spawning tributaries. While federal managers say that this year’s coho run is weaker than the 2023 run, they also say that it is likely stronger than numbers recorded in the prior five years.
The announcement also notes that salmon subsistence needs on the Kuskokwim River were likely not fulfilled in 2024 due to the relatively low abundance and restrictions.
