Districts Affected: Unalakleet, Southern Norton Sound
Commercial salmon fishing will be permitted in the Shaktoolik and Unalakleet Subdistricts for one 48-hour period from 6:00 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 28. Permit holders are limited to 100 fathoms of net in aggregate length and gillnets are restricted to a mesh size of 6 inches or less.
The ADF&G Unalakleet River test net is averaging 24 chums a day since July 19. Test fishery catches and catch per unit effort are above average for the third week of July. Commercial catches from the July 22 opener are 1,229 chums, 321 silvers, 5 sockeyes, and 200 pinks by 14 permit holders in Shaktoolik, and 1,688 chums, 536 silvers, 9 sockeyes, 5 kings, and 1,048 pinks by 13 permit holders in Unalakleet. Commercial chum salmon catches were slightly below average for July 22, but catch per unit of effort was well above average. Silver salmon catches from the July 22 opener were nearly double the catch from the July 19 opener. The July 26 opener will provide opportunity to target chum salmon surpluses for commercial use and provide another index of silver salmon abundance. Both test and commercial fisheries catches of silver salmon are expected to increase in the coming days.
This is a directed chum salmon period, but silver salmon catches are steadily increasing. Silver salmon catches are expected to equal or surpass chum catches by the end of this week. The department will evaluate coho salmon commercial catch and escapement indices to determine if further commercial salmon fishing is warranted.
For any questions regarding fishing please call Fish & Game in Nome at 443-5167 or 
1-800-560-2271
, or the Unalakleet office at 624-3921.
1-800-560-2271, or the Unalakleet office at 624-3921.
