2018 Yukon River Fall Salmon Fishery News Release # 56 - Porcupine River Subsistence Fishing Schedule

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 despite other Yukon River stocks meeting or exceeding their escapement goals or objectives. Like the action taken last year, to improve fall chum salmon escapement to the spawning grounds in Canada, a subsistence salmon fishing schedule in the Alaska portion of the mainstem Porcupine River is being implemented. Managers will closely monitor fall chum salmon 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.

09/05/2018
Last edited 01/25/2022
Contact Information

Jeff Estensen, Area Management Biologist

Christy Gleason, Asst. Area Management Biologist

Upper Yukon Area Office

(907) 459-7274

Fred Bue, Yukon Area Inseason Manager

Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office

(907) 455-1849 or (800) 267-3997

Toll free fishing schedule hotline: (866) 479-7387

Fishing schedule hotline in Fairbanks: 459-7387

Porcupine River:

Currently subsistence salmon fishing is open seven days per week, 24 hours per day. Effective 12:00 noon, Thursday, September 6, subsistence salmon fishing will begin a 96-hour per week fishing schedule from 12:00 noon Thursdays to 12:00 noon Mondays 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 will remain 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.


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Map showing the areas of the Porcupine River affected by the subsistence salmon fishing schedule, its confluence with the Yukon River.

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