Hunting & Fishing

Friday's gillnet opening in the lower Kuskokwim River may not be the last one. The Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group is recommending that the community of Kasigluk receive additional fishing hours this season after recent deaths limited the community’s ability to subsistence fish.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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

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.