Salmon News Super Site Devoted To Pacific Salmon News

Districts Affected: Upper Yukon River
The 2009 Yukon River fall chum run has been assessed to be poor. Similar to other districts, a management action was taken in Subdistricts 5A, 5B, and 5C that reduced subsistence fishing in an effort to lower harvest and provide adequate abundance for escapement needs during the peak of the fall chum salmon run. Since the majority of the fall chum salmon run in Subdistricts 5A, 5B, and 5C has now passed upriver, the reduced subsistence salmon fishing time is being returned to the 5-day per week schedule to provide opportunity to harvest lower concentrations of fall chum salmon and available non-salmon species. Similar actions can be anticipated as fall chum salmon continue their migration upstream.

In Subdistricts 5A, 5B, and 5C, subsistence salmon fishing will be open 5 days a week beginning Tuesday, September 15. Subsistence fishing periods will be open weekly from 6:00 p.m. Tuesdays until 6:00 p.m. Sundays.

All subsistence fishing for salmon must be stopped during subsistence salmon fishing closures. Subsistence fishing for non-salmon species is open 7 days per week 24 hours per day throughout the drainage. During subsistence salmon fishing closures, gillnets used for harvesting non-salmon species are restricted to a maximum mesh size of 4-inches and 60 feet in length and fish wheels may not be used.

For a recording of the current fishing schedule for your area call 1-866-479-7387. If you have any questions regarding this report, please call the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks at 459-7274 or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Fairbanks at 455-1849.

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