KYUK AM

Hunting & Fishing

Stories related to subsistence/commercial/sport hunting, fishing, gathering activities.

Kuskokwim Moose Hunt Numbers

By • Oct 9, 2019
National Park Service

Moose season along the Kuskokwim River closed at the end of September, and the number of moose harvested is still being totaled. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Patrick Jones says that his office has received reports of 220 moose harvested in the Kuskokwim RM-615 hunt. 

Private Plane Heavy With Muskox Meat Crashes On Nunivak Island; Passengers Unharmed

By • Sep 9, 2019

Two brothers were unharmed after their plane crashed on Nunivak Island on Sept. 7. The brothers live in Bethel, and were leaving the island in a private plane loaded with just-harvested muskox meat. 

Elders Rescued Moose Hunters. Now Hunters Are Looking For Them To Say 'Thank You'

By • Sep 6, 2019
Two Elders rescued Jason Jarrett (pictured here) along with his friend and teenage son when their boat capsized on the Kuskokwim River a mile from Bethel on Sept. 3, 2019. Jarrett didn't get the Elders' names and would like to contact them to say thank yo
Gabby Salgado / KYUK

An elderly couple rescued three moose hunters when their boat capsized on the Kuskokwim River. Caught in the moment, the hunters didn’t get the Elders’ names. Now the hunters are looking for the couple so that they can thank them.


Moose Season Is Here

By Johanna Eurich and Peter Atchak • Aug 30, 2019
Karen Laubenstein / USFWS

On Sunday, it begins. Hunters will be out looking for moose along the Kuskokwim River. In Zone 1 of Unit 18, the season is a week long. It starts Sunday, Sept. 1 and ends Saturday, September 7.

Area Subsistence Moose Hunt Open To All

By Johanna Eurich • Aug 22, 2019
Karen Laubenstein / USFWS

This year's Unit 18 September subsistence moose hunt on the Kanektok River will be open to all qualified state subsistence hunters, even inside the federally managed wildlife refuge lands. 

Whitefish Commercial Fishery Opening Early On Yukon

By • Aug 17, 2019
Fishermen boat across the Yukon River near Emmonak during the final summer chum commercial opening of the season on July 15, 2019.
Anna Rose MacArthur / KYUK

The whitefish commercial fishery opens Monday on the Yukon River, two weeks ahead of when it usually opens in September. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game calls the timing “experimental" in a press release. 

Scientists Need Help Studying Dead Salmon In Yukon Area

By • Jul 26, 2019
Courtesy of ADF&G

Dead chum salmon are lining the banks of one of the Yukon River’s largest tributaries. Koyukuk River residents and scientists alike suspect the deaths are related to the river’s warm water. A team of scientists headed to the river on July 26 to gather data. 


On Yukon, Late Salmon Run Means Month-And-A-Half Fishery Reduced To Less Than Two Weeks

By • Jul 26, 2019
Kwik'Pak Fisheries in Emmonak, Alaska on July 15, 2019.
Anna Rose MacArthur / KYUK

The lower Yukon River, one of the nation’s poorest regions, has one major industry: chum salmon fishing. The summer fishery usually opens at the beginning of June, but this year it didn’t open until July. KYUK visited Kwik'Pak Fisheries in Emmonak, the only company buying lower Yukon salmon, to talk with people about the late season’s economic impact.


Any Mesh Gillnet Can Now Be Used On Kuskokwim Mainstem

By • Jul 22, 2019
Salmon are harvested from the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

Fishing restrictions are loosening along the Kuskokwim River. Beginning Monday, June 22, subsistence users can use any size mesh along the river’s mainstem, and those nets can stretch a maximum of 50 fathoms in length. The closed waters around the mouth of the Aniak River will also open on Monday.

Record Warm Water Likely Gave Kuskokwim Salmon Heart Attacks

By • Jul 12, 2019
Katie Basile / KYUK

As record high temperatures swept Alaska, many people said that the heat was killing them. For Kuskokwim salmon, it was actually true. Never before seen temperatures in the Kuskokwim River likely sent salmon into cardiac arrest.

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