Chinook salmon

Federal Announcement: FSA-YD-25-01: Closures Starting June 1

Federal Announcement: FSA-YD-25-01: Closures Starting June 1

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. 

Kuskokwim River Mainstem Fishing Opportunities

Kuskokwim River Mainstem Fishing Opportunities

Pursuant to authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager, as In-Season Manager, hereby announces five gillnet fishing opportunities for Federally qualified subsistence users within the Federal waters of the YDNWR in the Kuskokwim River mainstem.

Kuskokwim Temporary Special Action: Federal Waters Closed to Gillnets and Chinook, Chum, and Coho Harvests

Kuskokwim Temporary Special Action: Federal Waters Closed to Gillnets and Chinook, Chum, and Coho Harvests

The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR) Manager 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.

Public Hearing for 2024 Federal Salmon Management Announced

Public Hearing for 2024 Federal Salmon Management Announced

The Fisheries Manager at the at Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR), in coordination with the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (KRITFC), proposes to close Federal public waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage to the harvest of Chinook, Chum, and Coho Salmon by all users starting June 1, 2024. A public hearing to receive testimony on the proposed special action is scheduled for May 15, 2024.

2023 NOAA Arctic Report Card Features Western Alaska Salmon Crisis

2023 NOAA Arctic Report Card Features Western Alaska Salmon Crisis

The collapses of Western Alaska salmon runs have been among the most consequential climate change impacts in the rapidly warming Arctic over the past two years, according to an annual report assembled by a federal agency.