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Districts Affected: Lower Yukon River
The 2009 Yukon River fall chum run has been assessed to be poor. However, the coho run is tracking above average. Since the majority of the fall chum run has now passed upriver for escapement and subsistence use, the department is announcing a commercial fishing period in District Y-1 to harvest an identified surplus of coho salmon. Additional commercial fishing may be allowed in Districts 1 and 2 after assessing the results of this fishing period.

District Y-1
District Y-1, including the Set Net Only Area, will be open to commercial salmon fishing Sunday, September 6, from 12:00 noon. until 6:00 p.m.. This will be a 6-hour commercial salmon fishing period with gillnets restricted to six- inch or smaller mesh.

Subsistence fishing is currently open 7 days per week in Districts 1, 2, and 3 except for closures 12 hours before, during, and 12 hours after commercial fishing periods.

In District Y-1, subsistence salmon fishing will close at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, September 6 and reopen at 6:00 a.m. Monday, September 7.

Commercial fishermen are reminded that after initial registration is completed; those fishermen intending to transfer between Districts Y-1 and Y-2 are required by regulation to wait 72 hours before fishing. The waiting period begins once you have notified the department in Emmonak of your intentions to transfer.

Recorded fishery announcements and updates will be available 24 hours a day when calling 949-1731 or 1-866-479-7387. If you have any questions regarding this report, please call the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Emmonak at 949-1320. The Fish and Game office stands by on VHF channel 7a.

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