2017 Yukon River Fall Salmon Fishery News Release # 53 Porcupine River Subsistence Fishing

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon Area

The abundance of fall chum salmon in the upper Porcupine River has been low in recent years when compared to other stocks in the Yukon River drainage. Fall chum salmon escapements into the Canadian Fishing Branch River, a tributary of the Porcupine River, have fallen short of meeting the escapement objective agreed upon by U.S. and Canadian representatives in 5 of the last 10 years despite other Yukon River stocks meeting or exceeding their escapement goals or objectives. Similar to the action taken last year, in an attempt to improve fall chum escapement to the spawning grounds in Canada, subsistence salmon fishing restrictions in the Alaska portion of the mainstem Porcupine River is being implemented. Managers will closely monitor fall chum escapement into the Fishing Branch River throughout the season. If inseason information from the mainstem Porcupine River sonar and from the Fishing Branch River escapement monitoring projects indicates the fall chum salmon goal will be met, the department may relax subsistence fishing restrictions.

09/06/2017
Last edited 01/25/2022
Contact Information

Jeff Estensen, Area Management Biologist
Christy Gleason, Asst. Area Management Biologist 
Phone: (907) 459-7217

Currently subsistence salmon fishing is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Alaska portion of the Porcupine River drainage. Effective Monday, September 4, the following management action will occur in mainstem Porcupine River:

Porcupine River:

Effective 12:00 noon, Monday, September 4, subsistence salmon fishing will be open on a 96-hour per week fishing schedule from 12:00 noon Mondays to 12:00 noon Fridays in the Porcupine River. This includes those portions of the mainstem Yukon River around the 3 mouths of the Porcupine River (see attached map). Subsistence fishermen may use 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels during the fishing periods. During the closures, fishermen may fish for non-salmon species using gillnet gear with a mesh size of 4 inches or less. Subsistence salmon fishing in tributaries such as the Sheenjek, Black, Coleen, and Salmon Trout rivers remains open 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

Recorded fishery announcements and updates are available 24 hours a day at 1-866-479-7387 (toll free). If you have any questions regarding this report, please call the Fairbanks ADF&G office at (907) 459-7274 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Fairbanks at (907) 455-1845.

This has been an announcement by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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