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.
On April 2, 3, and 4, Commissioners from 18 of our Member Tribes gathered in Anchorage for our 2024 Annual Meeting and elections. It was powerful and good to meet after the long winter, as it is every year, and to discuss how we can work together in the upcoming year to restore our salmon and our traditional ways of life.
We are launching a drone educational program to provide training for local Kuskokwim community members to obtain a commercial drone license for fisheries research purposes.
On Friday, March 29, 2024, the Federal District Court for the District Court of Alaska took an important step forward in protecting Alaska Native and rural Alaskan subsistence rights by ruling in favor of the United States, KRITFC, and other Alaska Native subsistence rights advocates by rejecting the State of Alaska’s attack on federally-protected subsistence rights. The federal court permanently enjoined the State of Alaska from repeating its recent unlawful actions on the Kuskokwim River.
On Friday, March 29, 2024, the Federal District Court for the District Court of Alaska took an important step forward in protecting Alaska Native and rural Alaskan subsistence rights by ruling in favor of the United States, KRITFC, and other Alaska Native subsistence rights advocates by rejecting the State of Alaska’s attack on federally-protected subsistence rights. The federal court permanently enjoined the State of Alaska from repeating its recent unlawful actions on the Kuskokwim River.
The Fisheries Management staff 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, 2023. Harvest opportunities for Federally qualified subsistence users may be announced during this closure. The public is encouraged to provide comments to the Federal Manager on the proposed closure.
After consultation and consensus with KRITFC’s In-Season Managers, the Yukon Delta NWR Federal In-Season Manager announced the following subsistence fishing opportunities via emergency special action (ESA) 3-KS-05-22. Ultimately, our goal is balancing salmon conservation for future generations with our current needs for fish.
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022, the Federal in-season manager at Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, in consultation with KRITFC, released emergency special action 3-KS-04-22. This special action opens fishing with rod and reel in the Aniak Box Closure Area starting June 29, 2022, at 6:00 am until further notice, with a bag limit for Chinook salmon and mandatory release for chum salmon. This fishing opportunity is only for Federally qualified subsistence users.
Our Federal-Tribal management team decided on another Federal subsistence fishing opportunity on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, from 6:00am to 6:00pm, using the same gear restrictions as previous harvest opportunities. In addition, the line at the Kalskag bluffs will open on June 22, 2022, at 12:01am, for fishing at any time with the same Federal gear restrictions.
In 2021, KRITFC and Orutsararmiut Native Council Fisheries, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and independent contractors, collected and processed data to produce in-season subsistence salmon harvest and effort estimates from a lower river portion of the mainstem Kuskokwim River.
