KYUK AM

Hunting & Fishing

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

Only Fish On Friday If You Need To, Urge Kuskokwim Fishermen As King Salmon Harvests Rise

By • Jun 28, 2018
Fishermen soak a gillnet targeting salmon in the Kuskokwim River near Napaskiak during a subsistence fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

The federal waters of the lower Kuskokwim River will have a six-hour subsistence fishing opening on Friday. Openings have been limited and heavily restricted this season to conserve low king salmon stocks, and Friday’s opening will mark only the fourth opportunity to target salmon in the lower river this season. Amid conservation concerns, Kuskokwim residents are urging fellow fishermen to only fish during Friday’s opening if they need to. 

Kuskokwim Federal Waters Opening To Gillnets For Six Hours On Friday, June 29

By • Jun 27, 2018
Katie Basile / KYUK

The escapement goal set at the beginning of the season for Kuskokwim River king salmon appears unlikely to be met, and another federal fishing opening has been scheduled, which will take more kings out of the water.

King Salmon Permit Fishery In Kuskokwim State Waters Closes

By • Jun 27, 2018
Gillnet fishing on the Kuskokwim River near Aniak.
Dave Cannon

This season, the state of Alaska offered permits to harvest king salmon in the middle and upper Kuskokwim River during fishing closures. This was the first year the permits have been available, and they allow each household to harvest a total of 10 kings for the length of the closures. On Tuesday at 1 p.m., that permit fishery ended.

Yukon Chums Plentiful, But Kings Scarce On Yukon River

By Johanna Eurich • Jun 25, 2018
Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Commercial fishing for summer chum salmon continues on the Yukon River with commercial openings for dip nets and beach seines in both Districts 1 and 2. The gear is designed to let as many kings swim by as possible. There is also restricted subsistence fishing this summer. 

Upper Kuskokwim River Opens To Gillnets

By • Jun 25, 2018
Napaskiak fishermen pull a gillnet out of the Kuskokwim River during a fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

The Kuskokwim River from the bluffs below Lower Kalskag upstream to the headwaters have opened 24/7 to gillnets until further notice.

Kuskokwim Federal Waters Opening To Gillnets For 12 Hours On June 24

By • Jun 22, 2018
A gillnet soaks in the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opener on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

Federal waters of the Kuskokwim River will open to gillnets on Sunday, June 24 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River upstream to Aniak.

Yukon River King Salmon Run Slows

By Johanna Eurich • Jun 21, 2018

Last year may have been a good year for king salmon on the Yukon, but there are a lot fewer of them so far this year. Not only was the predicted return smaller, but now biologists on the Yukon river are watching to see if king salmon are coming back as abundantly as originally projected.

Kuskokwim State Waters Tentatively Planned To Open To Gillnets 24/7

By • Jun 21, 2018
A gillnet soaks in the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opener on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

State waters of the Kuskokwim River could open 24/7 to gillnets beginning Tuesday, June 26th. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game made the recommendation to the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group in response to reports of low fishing harvests in the upper river due to high water.


A Series Of Recent Deaths Puts An Entire Village Behind On Subsistence Fishing

By • Jun 21, 2018
Cassandra Tinker, age 23, of Kasigluk was killed in a hit-and-run car accident while crossing a street in Anchorage around 3 a.m. on June 16, 2018.
Courtesy of Mary Alice Tinker

For many residents of the Kuskokwim River, June is the most important month for subsistence salmon fishing. But in a small community, death can put a hold on that essential practice. A series of recent deaths in Kasigluk means that many families have barely begun putting away fish for the season.


Kalskag Receives Extension During Gillnet Openings To Accommodate Fishing Challenges

By • Jun 20, 2018
Dave Cannon

The Kalskag area will now operate under different rules from the rest of the federal waters of the Kuskokwim River during subsistence gillnet openings. For the remaining fishing season, openings along the Kalskag area will last 12 hours longer than the rest of the lower river. This extension will apply from just downstream of Lower Kalskag up to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge boundary at Aniak, encompassing around 50 miles of the Kuskokwim River. 


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