2020 Yukon River Salmon Summer Fishery Announcement #27 District 4 and Koyukuk River Subsistence Fishing Schedule

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon Area

By this time, the majority of the Chinook salmon run has entered the river, and the drainage-wide run size is projected to be around 150,000 fish. A run of this size should meet escapement goals, but surplus for harvest is limited, so fishermen should adjust their Chinook salmon goals to about half of what they harvested last year. Due to unseasonably high water, early closures, and poor weather, fishing effort and catch efficiency has been reported as very low for most of the season. Therefore, in order to allow fishermen opportunity to catch some Chinook salmon in the presence of large numbers of chum salmon, gillnet restrictions are being relaxed to a maximum mesh size of 7.5-inch or smaller mesh. Subsistence fishing will remain on the half regulatory schedule of two 24-hour periods per week.

07/06/2020
Last edited 01/25/2022
Contact Information

Holly Carroll, Area Management Biologist

(907) 267-2385

Toll free fishing schedule and counts: (866) 479-7387
In Fairbanks fishing schedule hotline: 459-7387

Subsistence fishermen may continue to use fish wheels, dipnets, and beach seines during gillnet openings and all salmon may be retained. During subsistence fishing closures, fishermen may use 4-inch or smaller mesh gillnets to target non-salmon.

Subsistence Management Actions

Subdistrict 4-A Lower (from ¾ of a mile downstream from Old Paradise Village upstream to Stink Creek including the communities of Grayling and Anvik):

Subsistence fishing is currently closed.

Subsistence fishing will open for one more 24-hour period with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh from 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 5.

Effective 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 7, subsistence fishing will open with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels on a schedule of two 24-hour periods per week from:

6 p.m. Tuesdays to 6 p.m. Wednesdays 6 p.m. Saturdays to 6 p.m. Sundays

Subdistricts 4-A Upper, 4-B and 4-C (from Stink Creek upstream to Illinois Creek, including the communities of Kaltag, Nulato, Koyukuk, Galena, and Ruby):

Subsistence fishing is currently closed.

Subsistence fishing will open for two more 24-hour periods with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh from 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 5, and from 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 7 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 8.

Effective 6 p.m. Saturday, July 11, subsistence fishing will open with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels on a schedule of two 24-hour periods per week from:

6 p.m. Saturdays to 6 p.m. Sundays

6 p.m. Tuesdays to 6 p.m. Wednesdays

Koyukuk River (Huslia, Hughes, Alatna, Allakaket, and Bettles):

Subsistence fishing is currently open 24-hours per day, 7 days per week with 6-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels.

Effective 6 p.m. Saturday, July 11, fishermen may use 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels.

A subsistence fishing permit is required for all species in the Koyukuk River above Bettles including the community of Wiseman.

This is an announcement by the ADF&G in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To reach the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Fairbanks call 456-0406.

Announcements will be shared on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YukonRiverFishingADFG

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