Harvest numbers are in from the June 1 set net fishing opening on the Kuskokwim River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service estimates that 190 king salmon were taken, along with 250 non-salmon species: sheefish and other whitefish. No other salmon species, like reds or chums, were harvested.
Federal managers estimate 92 set nets were used during the opening. Drift nets were prohibited, but nine were seen in the water. Federal managers have talked with the community where the drift nets were observed to explain the regulations.
More kings are expected to be in the river during the Saturday, June 8 opening. The 12-hour subsistence fishing opening lasts from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is for set nets only. No gillnets are allowed in the water. The opening stretches along the Kuskokwim mainstem from the Kuskokwim River mouth to the Holitna River mouth.
Set nets on the Kuskokwim River mainstem must be attached to the bank and oriented perpendicular to the river. From the Kuskokwim River mouth to Aniak, the nets must be 6-inch or less mesh, may not exceed 45 meshes in depth, or 60 feet in length in the water, and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. From Aniak to the Holitna River mouth, the nets must be 4-inch or less mesh, may not exceed 45 meshes in depth, or 60 feet in length in the water, and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark.
