Kuskokwim River Fishery Announcement #3

Emergency Order #3-S-WR-03-24

This is an announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in Bethel for subsistence fishermen in the Kuskokwim River.

Subsistence Sections 4 and 5: From a line between the regulatory markers at the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge boundary near Aniak upriver to the headwaters:

Currently fishing with gillnets is closed and Chinook salmon must be released alive from fishwheels, dipnets, beach seines, and hook and line gear:

Effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, June 12, subsistence fishing with set or drift gillnets will open. Gillnets shall be 6-inch or less mesh and must not exceed 25 fathoms in length and 45 meshes in depth.
Effective 12:01 a.m., Thursday, June 12, all salmon species may be retained in all legal subsistence gear, which include gillnets, fish wheels, dip nets, beach seines, and hook and line.

In the Aniak River: In state waters from the confluence of the Aniak River with the Kuskokwim River upstream to the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge boundary and from the Refuge boundary near the Buckstock River upstream to the headwaters:

As previously announced, the following subsistence management actions will remain in effect until further notice:

Subsistence gillnet fishing (drift and set) is closed.

Subsistence fishing with hook and line for Chinook salmon is closed. Any Chinook salmon caught must be returned alive to the water. All other fish species may be retained.
Subsistence fishing with fish wheels for all fish species except Chinook salmon will be allowed until further notice. Fish wheels are required to have a live box with no less than 45 cubic feet of water, must be checked at least every 6 hours. Fish wheels may be equipped with a chute and must be closely attended while in operation. All Chinook salmon must be returned to the water alive and all other fish species may be retained.
Subsistence fishing with beach seines and dipnets will be allowed until further notice. All Chinook salmon must be returned to the water alive and all other fish species may be retained.

In the Aniak Box: The state waters of the Kuskokwim River near Aniak, from a line formed between two points (lat 61° 35.264ʹ N, long 159° 33.459ʹ W) and (lat 61° 35.611ʹ N, long 159° 33.260ʹ W) upstream to a line formed between two points lat 61° 35.308ʹ N, long 159° 29.167ʹ W and lat 61° 34.731ʹ N, long 159° 28.939ʹ W (Figure 1).

Effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, June 12, 2025, subsistence fishing with gillnets will close until further notice. These closed waters are in place to provide protection for Chinook salmon bound for the Aniak River Drainage.
Subsistence gillnet fishing (drift and set) is closed. Subsistence fishing with hook and line for Chinook salmon is closed. Any Chinook salmon caught must be returned alive to the water. All other fish species may be retained.
Subsistence fishing with fish wheels for all fish species except Chinook salmon will be allowed until further notice. Fish wheels are required to have a live box with no less than 45 cubic feet of water, must be checked at least every 6 hours. Fish wheels may be equipped with a chute and must be closely attended while in operation. All Chinook salmon must be returned to the water alive and all other fish species may be retained.
Subsistence fishing with beach seines and dipnets will be allowed until further notice. All Chinook salmon must be returned to the water alive and all other fish species may be retained.

Figure 1. State waters of the Aniak River Box.

The department manages Kuskokwim River salmon fisheries as directed by the Alaska Board of Fisheries under 5 AAC 07.365 Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Plan. The plan provides management direction to achieve salmon run abundance large enough to meet escapement goals and provide for sustainable fishing in the long-term. The department uses the best available data, including preseason run projections, test fishing indices, age and sex composition, harvest reports, sonar estimates, and recognized data uncertainty, to assess run abundance for the purpose of implementing the plan. Kuskokwim River salmon stocks shall be managed in a conservative manner consistent with the Policy for the Management of Sustainable Salmon Fisheries under 5 AAC 39.222 to meet escapement goals and the subsistence harvest priority on the identified surplus.

The preseason forecast of Kuskokwim River Chinook salmon is for a range of 136,000 to 217,000 fish. Current assessment and harvest reports indicate that the Chinook salmon run is beginning to build in the lower Kuskokwim River. The first Chinook salmon was caught at the Aniak Test Fishery on June 2. As of June 9, the cumulative Chinook salmon passage at the Kusko River sonar was about 12,000 Chinook salmon, which was above the average cumulative passage of about 5,900 Chinook salmon (years 2018-2024).

In Subsistence Sections 4 and 5 of the Kuskokwim River, the annual harvest of Chinook salmon in 2024 was about 2,400 fish. Given the current assessment of the Chinook salmon run, and the ability to provide for the additional harvesting of non-salmon species, providing Chinook salmon fishing opportunity in Subsistence Sections 4 and 5 is warranted.

Kuskokwim River Salmon Working Group:

The next Working Group meeting is scheduled for June 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., by teleconference or in-person, at the Bethel ADF&G office. This meeting is open to the public. Please call 1-800-315-6338, passcode: 58756#, to attend via teleconference.

Further announcements will be made from the Bethel Fish and Game office, on the State of Alaska web site (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main), local radio stations, and Kuskokwim River Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/KuskoRiverFishingADFG/). Advisory Announcements will be faxed

to area villages. For additional information or questions regarding Kuskokwim Area fisheries, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office in Bethel at 543-2433 or toll free at 1-855-933-2433.

For information regarding federal subsistence fishing regulations and any announcements, please contact the Yukon Delta NWR at (907) 543-3151 or (907) 543-1021.

For additional information concerning this advisory announcement:

ADF&G: Sam Decker 907-459-7295 or Madison Hardwig 907-459-7213