Federal Announcement: FSA-YD-25-01: Closures Starting June 1
Photo by Kimberly Jackson.
On May 12, 2025, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager, Spencer Rearden, issued Temporary Special Action (TSA) FSA-YD-25-01. This TSA announces closures in federal waters of the Kuskokwim River (from the mouth of the river to Aniak) starting June 1, 2025. This allows our YDNWR-KRITFC team to evaluate the Chinook, chum, and coho salmon runs as they come in and prioritize rural subsistence fishing opportunities.
The explanation included with FSA-YD-25-01 is as follows:
The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager has determined that Federal management is necessary for the conservation and the continuation of subsistence uses for Chinook, Chum, and Coho Salmon within the Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage in 2025. This action is based on the provisions of Title VIII of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) and delegation of authority letter from the Federal Subsistence Board. The Federal in-season manager intends to use an adaptive management approach to manage the salmon fishery from June 1st to August 31st, 2025. As part of this approach, the YDNWR will continue the partnership with the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (KRITFC) and will coordinate with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), and other local partners.
The details in the 2025 TSA, and the way in which this TSA sets the stage for the YDNWR-KRITFC co-management process, are very similar to past recent salmon seasons.
Read the full TSA here. In summary, as part of this TSA, unless otherwise announced, starting June 1:
The use of set and drift gillnets of all mesh sizes and lengths on the main stem Kuskokwim from the mouth of the river to Aniak, closes to fishing. People may fish with gillnets in the mainstem and any tributaries until June 1, 2025.
Salmon spawning tributaries (Eek, Kwethluk, Kasigluk, Kisaralik, Tuluksak, Aniak rivers) closes to fishing.
The Aniak Box area closes to fishing.
Non-salmon spawning tributaries (Pailleq Slough, Tagayaraq, Qinaq, Kialik, Johnson, Gweek) remain open to gillnet fishing 100 yards upstream from where they meet the Kuskokwim.
Federally qualified subsistence users (year-round residents of Kuskokwim communities) may use dip nets, beach seines, fish wheels, and rod/reel on the mainstem Kuskokwim throughout the season and retain all salmon species. Only sockeye salmon may be retained using these alternative gear in the tributaries.
Our Tribal-federal management team meets regularly before and during the salmon season. We anticipate fishing opportunities for federally qualified subsistence users (year-round residents of Kuskokwim communities) throughout the season. As these opportunities are announced, they will be distributed via:
Email and fax
KRITFC's weekly river-wide teleconference (Tuesdays @ 10am)
KYUK Fish Talk (Thursdays @ 1pm)
The YDNWR Fish Info phone line: 907-543-1008
For more information or with questions, please reach out to Kevin Whitworth, KRITFC Executive Director (kevinwhitworth@kritfc.org or 907-574-0388) or Spencer Rearden, YDNWR Manager (907-543-1023).