KYUK AM

Hunting & Fishing

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

Early June Kuskokwim River Salmon Regulations And Openings

By • May 22, 2020
A fisherman pulls a king salmon from the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

Regulations for the Kuskokwim River salmon fishery will look similar to recent years.

Special Permit Hunt Opens For Two Muskox Stranded On Island Off Nunivak Coast

By • May 22, 2020
Jim Dau / Alaska Department of Fish and Game

A special hunt has opened for two muskoxen stranded on a barren island. The unnamed island is located less than a mile south of Nunivak Island.

Smelts Arrive At Bethel, Beginning Summer Fishing Season

By • May 19, 2020
Gabby Salgado / KYUK

Bethel will smell like fried smelt tonight, Tuesday, May 19. The smelt began passing Bethel, traveling up the Kuskokwim River on Tuesday morning. Families and subsistence users headed to the seawall with long nets, dragging them through the water and lifting out the smelts’ narrow, silver bodies. 

What To Expect From The ONC Salmon Monitoring And Fish Distribution Program

By & • May 19, 2020
Salmon drying on a Kuskokwim fish rack.
Shane Iverson / KYUK

It takes more than a pandemic to stop fishing. The salmon are on the way, and fishermen will be out on the Kuskokwim River this summer. With them will be biologists and harvest monitors. Orutsararmiut Native Council biologists and staff, among others, are getting ready to survey the salmon catch.

Coffee@KYUK, May 15: Subsistence Salmon Monitoring

By • May 15, 2020
Yukon River salmon strips.
ADF&G

Boats are on the water again, and salmon fishing is right around the corner. Biologists will be monitoring subsistence catches to give them a picture of how many and what kinds of salmon are returning to the Kuskokwim, and how many of those fish are being harvested. These monitoring programs have been occurring for many seasons, and social distancing precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic mean that they will look a little different this year. Orutsararmiut Native Council Biologist Janessa Esquible-Hussion outlines what Bethel-area subsistence families can expect this summer.


COVID-19 Strains Management Of Yukon River Salmon

By • May 12, 2020
Salmon caught during a rare gillnet opening on the Kuskokwim River on June 24, 2017.
Teresa Cotsirilos / KYUK

Management of the Yukon River summer salmon season is in flux. Some of that is normal. No one ever knows whether the fish will show up in the numbers predicted. But there is a new factor. This year, the state and the river communities are looking at how best to monitor salmon, while at the same time keeping local people safe from the coronavirus pandemic. 


Fish Buying Will Proceed In Emmonak With No Contact

By • May 10, 2020
Katie Basile

There will be commercial chum salmon fishing in the Yukon River this year. KwikPak is going to buy and process fish this summer for its Emmonak plant. But this year, the operation will have a whole lot less interaction with the community. 


Sport Fishing Season Open, But With Limitations

By • Apr 14, 2020
Quinhagak, Alaska
Krysti Shallenberger / KYUK

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, sport fishing is still allowed across the state, but participants must adhere to current health restrictions.

For Some, It's Not Too Late To Get Another Moose

By johanna Eurich • Mar 20, 2020
National Park Service

If you haven’t gotten a moose this winter, there’s still time for some hunters.

Future Of Salmon In A Warming World - Part 1

By Johanna Eurich • Feb 7, 2020
U.S. Geological Survey

Recent research indicates that extremely warm temperatures can turn Alaska’s salmon streams into unfriendly, even lethal habitats. While Alaskan scientists are just beginning to study the impact of warmer temperatures on salmon streams, it is already a familiar reality for many Canadian fish biologists.

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