Federal management of the Kuskokwim is continuing into July out of concern for Chinook salmon conservation. The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in consultation with KRITFC In-Season Managers is announcing the following subsistence harvest opportunities for Federally qualified subsistence users on the Federal waters of the Kuskokwim main stem (ESA 3-KS-03-21):

Drift or set gillnet opportunities:

Friday, July 2 (TOMORROW) from 6:00am to 3:00pm (9-hour opportunity)
Friday, July 9 from 6:00am to 6:00pm (12-hour opportunity)
Friday, July 16 from 6:00am to 6:00pm (12-hour opportunity)

*Nets must be 6-inches or less, 300 feet or less below the Johnson, 150 feet or less above the Johnson, and 45 meshes or less.

Set gillnet opportunities (beginning NEXT weekend):

Saturday, July 10 starting at 12:01am through Sunday, July 11, 2021 at 11:59pm
Saturday, July 17 starting at 12:01am through Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 11:59pm

*Nets must be 6-inches or less, 100 feet or less, and 45 meshes or less, and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. Please write your name, phone number, and address on your set net buoy.

Outside of these dates and times, subsistence fishermen and women can harvest fish by:

Fishing on non-salmon spawning tributaries, such as the Pailleq Slough and Tuntutuliak, Johnson, and Gweek Rivers.
Fishing in the Kuskokwim Bay or above the Kalskag line.
Using alternative means and methods, which are dip nets, fish wheels with live release boxes, beach seines, and hook and line. (Note: All king salmon caught using these gear types must be returned to the water alive.)

During the entire season under Federal management, salmon-bearing tributaries listed in ESA 3-KS-01-21 will remain closed to gillnets and to the harvest of Chinook salmon using alternative methods and means.

Please contact the Refuge at 543-3151 with questions or visit the KRITFC and Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge’s Facebook pages for more information. Quyana, Tsen’ahn, Thank you!