Federal Subsistence Board News

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaDistrict 1 Commercial Fishing:Commercial fishing will be open for one period in District 1, from 12:00 p.m. noon until 8:00 p.m. Monday, August 19. This will be an 8-hour commercial fishing period with the use of gillnets 6- inch or smaller mesh size. Chinook salmon may be sold during this commercial opening. All Chinook salmon sold or retained for subsistence during commercial openings must be recorded on a fish ticket.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaDistrict 2 Commercial Fishing:Commercial fishing will be open for one period in District 2, from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Sunday, August 18. This will be a 4-hour commercial fishing period with the use of gillnets 6-inch or smaller mesh size. Chinook salmon may be sold during this commercial opening. All Chinook salmon sold or retained for subsistence during commercial openings must be recorded on a fish ticket.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe Department is announcing an extension to the commercial whitefish fishery. Typically, whitefish are commercially harvested starting in September. At the request of the processor, commercial fishing for whitefish will begin in August. The timing of the fishery this year is experimental, to see if some harvest can occur during lulls in salmon passage. Fishermen must have a 2019 F04B (Fresh Water Fish Set gillnet) permit to participate in the commercial whitefish fishery. The 2019 harvest quota for whitefish (Bering and least cisco) is 35,000 fish. Due to the shore-based nature of fishing for whitefish, longer fishing periods are required in order to catch fish on tides. Therefore, commercial whitefish fishing will be conducted concurrent with subsistence fishing openings but will be closed during commercial salmon periods.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, is a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. Adjusting for the overlap of summer chum salmon into the fall season, the fall chum salmon run through August 14 is estimated to be 330,000 fish and appears to be near the historical median.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, is a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. Adjusting for the overlap of summer chum salmon into the fall season, the fall chum salmon run is estimated to be 307,000 through August 12 which appears to be near the historical median.

SITKA, Alaska – Sitka District Ranger Perry Edwards, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is closing the Bear Mountain Zone in Unit 4 to the harvest of mountain goats. The closure will be effective Thursday, August 15, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect through the rest of the 2019 season which ends December 31. 

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, is a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. The first fall chum salmon pulse entered the Yukon River between July 31 and August 5 and the estimated abundance was 180,000 fish. Adjusting for the overlap of summer chum salmon into the fall season, the fall chum salmon run is estimated to be 300,000 through August 10 which appears to be near the historical median.

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, has been revised to a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. The first fall chum salmon pulse began entering the Yukon River on August 3 and is continuing to pass the mainstem sonar near the community of Pilot Station. The fall chum salmon that entered in the first pulse are anticipated to reach Stevens Village beginning August 27, Fort Yukon beginning September 2, Circle beginning September 4, and the Canadian Border beginning September 12.

Districts Affected: Lower Yukon AreaThe 2019 fall chum salmon preseason projection, based on the summer chum to fall chum salmon relationship, has been revised to a range of 700,000-800,000 fish. Run sizes within this range are expected to provide for escapement, subsistence needs, and a limited commercial fishery. Fall chum salmon passage at the mainstem sonar near the community of Pilot Station is above the historical median level.

The 2019−2021 Federal subsistence fish and shellfish regulations book is now available online at https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries. The regulations book contains the Federal subsistence seasons, harvest limits, permit requirements, customary and traditional use determinations, and methods and means of taking fish and shellfish from Federal public waters in Alaska.