2018 Yukon River Fall Salmon Fishery News Release # 51 - District 2 Commercial Period 17 and Subsistence Schedule

District 2 Subsistence Salmon Fishing Schedule:

Subsistence salmon fishing in District 2 is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week with gillnets restricted to a maximum mesh size of 7.5 inches, except for closures before, during, and after commercial fishing periods. Subsistence salmon fishing will close at 1:00 p.m. Friday, August 31 and reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday, September 1. Fishermen may use 4-inch or smaller mesh size gillnets to target non-salmon species during subsistence salmon closures.

Preliminary reports from the District 2 commercial opening on August 29 indicate a harvest of 22,335 fall chum salmon and 5,309 coho salmon. The preliminary cumulative commercial harvest for District 2 is 126,893 fall chum salmon and 24,353 coho salmon.

Districts 1 and 2 Fall Chum Salmon Season Closing

By regulation, the fall chum salmon directed commercial fishery in Districts 1 and 2 closes after August 31. The preliminary cumulative commercial harvest for Districts 1 and 2 through August 29 is 311,168 fall chum salmon and 80,143 coho salmon. This is the 4^th largest harvest of fall chum salmon and 5^th largest harvest of coho salmon in the Lower Yukon River since 1961.

A coho salmon directed commercial fishery can be prosecuted in Districts 1 and 2 from September 1 through September 10 if inseason run assessment indicates there is a surplus of coho salmon available for harvest. Currently, the coho salmon run is below average. Through August 30, coho salmon passage at the mainstem sonar near Pilot Station is estimated to be 95,000 fish. This is below the historical median of 133,000 for that date and is projecting to be the second lowest on record. It is unlikely there will be any coho salmon directed commercial openings in Districts 1 and 2 in 2018. However, assessment of the coho salmon run is ongoing and the department will consider providing coho salmon directed commercial openings in Districts 1 and 2 if run strength improves.

The Emmonak field office will be closing for the season on Friday, August 31 at 5 p.m. If you have any questions after this time, contact the Fairbanks office at 459-7274.

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

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