ADF&G Fishery Announcement #5: River to close for the protection of coho

Photo: Terese Vicente/KRITFC

Kuskokwim River Salmon Fishery Announcement #5

Emergency Order #3-S-WR-04-26

For Immediate Release: August 6, 2026

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Contact: Sam Decker, Madison Hardwig, Kuskokwim Area Management Biologists – (907) 543-2433, (907) 459-7295

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

As of August 5th, cumulative coho salmon passage at the Kuskokwim River sonar is approximately 43,000 fish, which is below the average passage of approximately 106,500 fish for this date. The Kogrukluk weir is operating and has a sustainable escapement goal of 13,000-28,000 coho salmon; however, the coho salmon have not yet reached the weir. The amount necessary for subsistence, as determined by the Board of Fisheries and the public process, is 27,400 to 57,600 coho salmon.

Given the current lack of escapement information and the well-below average coho salmon passage at the Kuskokwim River sonar, it is warranted to take action to limit subsistence harvest of coho salmon until a greater portion of the run has been assessed.

Assessment projects will continue operating through August and ADF&G will continue to evaluate the coho salmon run and seek consultation from the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group. Subsistence fishers should stand by for further announcements as the coho salmon run develops. If abundances increase to levels likely to achieve escapement goals, then limited subsistence harvest opportunities are expected.

In Subsistence Sections 1-3: from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River to the village of Aniak

Effective 4:00 p.m. Friday, August 7th, subsistence fishing for coho will close until further notice.

  • Subsistence fishing with gillnets (set or drift), fishwheels, beach seines, and dip nets in the flowing waters of the Kuskokwim River and the Kuskokwim drainage tributaries will be closed.

  • Subsistence fishing with hook and line will remain open for targeting fish other than coho salmon. Any coho salmon caught while fishing for other salmon and non-salmon fish species must be returned alive to the water.

  • Subsistence fishing with gillnets (set or drift), fishwheels, beach seines, and dip nets will remain open in non-flowing waters which includes lakes, ponds, backwaters, and oxbow lakes of the Kuskokwim River and Kuskokwim River tributaries from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River upstream to the boundary between Sections 3 and 4 at Aniak. Subsistence fishing in these areas should target whitefish, pike and other non-coho salmon species.

  • Subsistence fishing with gillnets (set or drift), fishwheels, beach seines, and dip nets will remain open in the Gweek, Johnson, Kialiq, Kinak, Tagayarak, and Eenayarak rivers 100-yards upstream from their confluence with the Kuskokwim River.

ADF&G 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.. 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.

Kuskokwim River Salmon Working Group:

The next Working Group meeting will be held Wednesday August 12th at 10:00 am and meetings are open to the public. Please call 1-888-788-0099, meeting ID 816 6267 8969, passcode: 849016, to attend via teleconference or visit our office at 570 4th Avenue, Bethel, Alaska.

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), and local radio stations. 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 the Bethel at 543-2433 or toll free at 1-855-933-2433.

For additional information concerning this advisory announcement:

ADF&G: Sam Decker 907-459-7295 or 907-543-2433