KYUK AM

Hunting & Fishing

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

State Liberalizes Kuskokwim Fishery, Lifts Multiple Restrictions With Kings Reaching Escapement

By • Jul 26, 2018
Napaskiak fishermen pull a gillnet out of the Kuskokwim River during a fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

Multiple fishing restrictions are being lifted on the Kuskokwim River at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, July 26. Kuskokwim tributaries are meeting their state-issued escapement goals for king salmon, and the state estimates that 99 percent of the species has moved out of the lower river. As a result, the state says that the situation no longer warrants conservation measures for kings in the lower waters.


Kuskokwim Weir Data Shows Number Of Kings Reaching Spawning Grounds

By • Jul 19, 2018
Petra Harpak / KYUK

We’re beginning to get a look at the number of king salmon that are reaching their spawning grounds in Kuskokwim river tributaries. The data comes after another summer of conservation restrictions on king salmon fishing. The numbers allow subsistence families to see the results of their sacrifices and for fishery managers to gauge the effects of their decisions.


Yukon Kings Meet Predicted Low Return

By • Jul 17, 2018

Enough kings made it into the Yukon River to meet the predicted minimum this season. Now that most of the kings are headed well up the waterway, the data indicates that the run, after struggling, came in at 74,000. This is just above the minimum preseason prediction of 71,000. There were fewer older fish than predicted with the 5 to 7-year fish numbers low, but the proportion of 4 to 6-year kings were above average. The proportion of females in the run was well above average at 51 percent.

Bethel ADF&G Fish Bin Returns

By • Jul 16, 2018

You can once again get salmon from the Bethel fish bin, located by Corina’s Groceries along Brown’s Slough. The green bin was replaced Sunday afternoon after being thrown into the slough last week.

Bethel ADF&G Fish Bin Vandalized, But You Can Still Call To Request Fish

By • Jul 13, 2018
Katie Basile / KYUK

You won’t be able to find Bethel’s free fish bin this weekend, but there is still a way to get salmon caught in the state's test fishery.

Drying Fish And Having Trouble With Flies? A Local Biologist Wants To Help.

By • Jul 11, 2018
John McIntyre

As fishing restrictions push salmon harvests on the Kuskokwim River later into the wet part of summer, families are seeking new ways to dry their fish and keep bugs away. A local fish biologist has a possible solution and is seeking volunteers to test it out.


Salmon Ready For Pick Up At ADF&G Bethel Fish Bin

By • Jul 10, 2018

More salmon are now available at the Bethel fish bin, operated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Fish from the Bethel Test Fishery have been deposited there since last week. Now, fish caught at the Bethel sonar site will also be added to the cache.

Fewer Summer Chum And Kings In Yukon Than Predicted

By • Jul 10, 2018
Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Fewer summer chum and king salmon swam up the Yukon River than expected this season, although high water and debris made it tough to catch and count the salmon swimming by. 

Kuskokwim River Opens 24/7 To Subsistence Gillnet Fishing

By • Jul 6, 2018
A gillnet soaks in the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opener on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in consultation with the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, lifted its federal restrictions Friday, July 6, beginning at 3 p.m.

Kuskokwim Federal Waters Opening To Gillnets For 12 Hours On July 5

By • Jul 3, 2018
A gillnet drifts in the lower waters of the Kuskokwim River during a subsistence fishing opening on June 12, 2018.
Katie Basile / KYUK

The federal waters of the Kuskokwim River will have a 12-hour subsistence gillnet opening from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 5. Standard net restrictions apply.

The opening comes as chum and red salmon have become increasingly more abundant relative to king salmon in the lower river. At the state-run Bethel Test Fishery, for every 31.2 chum and reds caught on Monday, there was one king salmon harvested. This species ratio is much larger than during the previous gillnet opening last week, when 8.7 chum and reds for every king were caught at the test fishery.

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