Hunting & Fishing

Federal managers have announced a set gillnet opportunity for Saturday, June 1 to give subsistence users a taste of king salmon. The 12-hour opening runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. within the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, from the Kuskokwim River mouth upstream to the refuge boundary at Aniak.

These restrictions apply to users fishing from Yukon Delta boundary at Kuskokwim River mouth to ADF&G regulatory marker ½ mile above Tuluksak River:

• May 28 – June 1, 2019: 6 inch or less gillnets for federally qualified users.
  • When using 6 inch or smaller mesh, gillnet depth may not be more than 45 meshes deep. Also, net length may not exceed 50 fathoms (300 feet). 
• June 1 – June 11, 2019: Harvest of Chinook Salmon allowable with Dip Nets, Beach Seines, Fish Wheels & Rod and Reel in mainstem Kuskokwim River.
  • **Gillnets in mainstem not allowed until announced**
  • **Gillnets and all other methods in salmon spawning tributaries not allowed for Chinook Salmon**
  • **Gillnets in non-salmon spawning tributaries allowed above 100 yards**
    

Fishing opportunities from Yukon Delta NWR boundary at Kuskokwim River mouth to ½ mile above Tuluksak River:

• May 28:  Fishing closed to non-Federally qualified subsistence users
• May 28 - May 31, 2019: Gill net drift and set net fishing is open with 6-inch or less gillnets for federally qualified subsistence users
• June 1 - June 11, 2019: Openers are to be determined, Refuge will match State of Alaska 4-inch openers with a 6-inch opener. Estimated openers are for 1 or 2 during this time
• June 1, 2019 (time to be announced by Alaska Department of Fish and Game): 12-hour set-net fishing with 6-inch or less gillnets
• June 12, 15, and 19, 2019 (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.):  Fishing is open with 6” mesh or less. 150 feet in length above Johnson River, 300 feet or less below the Johnson River
• June 20: Openers to be determined
  

Geese, ducks, and swans are flocking to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta to nest and raise their young. To allow the birds time to lay their eggs, waterfowl hunting will close for the following month. The shutdown begins May 28, 2019 and lasts through June 28, 2019. For black brant geese, the closure will extend through July 10, 2019 to give the young birds time to fledge, or grow feathers strong enough to fly.

Salmon are expected to show up in the Yukon River in just a few weeks, and biologists say that fishermen can expect a similar or slightly higher number of kings in the river than last year. They predict a run size of 168,000 to 241,000 kings this summer.

“This current outlook is similar to last year,” said Holly Carroll, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's manager of the Yukon River’s summer king and chum runs. “The midpoint for this year is about 204,000. So if it comes in at the low end, it will be similar to last year.”

This year, like last year, there will be severe restrictions on the number of king salmon harvested out of the Kuskokwim River. Aaron Tiernan manages the Kuskokwim fisheries for the state. He says that biologists are predicting that 132,000 kings will swim up the river this summer, about the same number as last year. 

“There’s still going to be restrictions. Doesn’t matter who the lead agency is, there’s still going to be some sort of restrictions on subsistence fishery. We still need to achieve escapement goals and we still need to think about the future,” said Tiernan.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking hunters to avoid harvesting moose wearing radio collars in Game Unit 18 along the Yukon River. The department is conducting a study of moose in the area, and biologists will be tranquilizing a portion of the animals to attach tracking collars. The sedatives used to immobilize the moose may remain in the meat for up to 30 days, and that meat should not be consumed.