2020 Yukon River Salmon Summer Fishery Announcement #7 - Summer Update # 2, Yukon Area Salmon Fishery

The inseason salmon management teleconferences hosted by the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association are held every Tuesday, at 1:00 p.m. To participate, call (800) 315-6338, and enter code: YUKON# (98566#).

Assessment Projects

Due to COVID-related mitigation planning, the Emmonak offices were not opened for the summer season. Test fish operations are being conducted by our usual local fishermen through cooperation with Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association (YDFDA).

Lower Yukon Test Fishery (LYTF)/ ADF&G and YDFDA

Operations for 2020 have been altered. The set net (for Chinook) and drift test fish sites for summer chum will not operate at Middle Mouth during the summer season. In the South Mouth at Big Eddy, drift operations for summer chum and Chinook salmon are unchanged; however, we’ve deployed half the usual set net (reduced from 25 fathoms to 12.5 fathoms) in an effort to reduce harvest of Chinook salmon in the test fishery. Due to these changes, the historical test fishery cumulative catch per unit effort (CPUE) and numbers reported inseason should not be compared to past reports.

The Big Eddy Chinook and summer chum drift gillnet sites were operational on May 29. The cumulative Chinook salmon catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the 8.25-inch drift gillnet is 54.85, which is below the historic average of 103.67. The cumulative CPUE for summer chum salmon is 185.42, which is well below the Big Eddy historical median of 2,675.17. All CPUEs are current through June 14.

The Big Eddy set gillnet site began operations on June 3. The cumulative Chinook salmon CPUE for the 8.5-inch set gillnet at Big Eddy is 6.66. This year’s CPUE values are not directly comparable to historical CPUEs but should still give an indication of large groups of fish entering the river.

Any Chinook salmon healthy enough will be released alive from the test nets. Injured salmon and mortalities will be distributed to community members by the Tribal council, or on a first come, first-served basis from a public dock.

The Pilot Station sonar began full operations on June 7. On the morning of June 9, the crew noted that the left bank inshore ARIS (Adaptive Resolution Imaging) sonar unit experienced technical difficulties and was replaced with the an HTI (split-beam) unit by the second counting period on that same day. A replacement ARIS is slated to arrive by June 16. The crew plans to operate both the ARIS and HTI concurrently and determine if any adjustment to previous counts are required. Overall, even if an adjustment is required, the crew does not believe the sonar missed any significant passage. Water levels remain high with moderate debris. Chinook salmon passage is estimated to be 15,808 fish, which is below the historical cumulative average of 29,523 fish. Summer chum salmon passage is estimated to be 14,810 fish, which is below the historical cumulative median of 67,551 fish. However, this passage estimate is only slightly smaller than the historical cumulative median of 27,223 fish for years with late summer chum salmon run timing. All estimates are current through June 14.

Chena River Tower and Eagle Sonar / ADF&G

These projects will begin operations later this season when fish arrive in the area. ADF&G, USFWS, and TCC projects that will not operate in 2020

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions or funding concerns, these projects will not operate: East Fork Andreafsky Weir, Anvik River Sonar, Gisasa River Weir, Henshaw Creek Weir, and Salcha River tower/sonar.

Current Subsistence Management Actions

Subsistence salmon fishing gear includes: gillnets, fish wheels, and dip nets during open salmon fishing periods. During subsistence salmon fishing closures, fishing for non-salmon species is allowed. However, gillnets are restricted to 4-inch or smaller mesh. If you are unsure if a gear is legal or have any questions about fishing, please call (907) 267-2385.

South Coastal District (from the Naskonat Peninsula north to 62 degrees North latitude which includes Hooper Bay and Scammon Bay):

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh.

District 1 (including the Black River, and communities of Emmonak, Nunam Iqua, Alakanuk, and Kotlik):

Subsistence fishing is on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 18-hour periods per week:

• 2 p.m. Fridays to 8 a.m. Saturdays
• 2 p.m. Tuesdays to 8 a.m. Wednesdays

District 2 (including Mountain Village, Pitkas Point, St. Mary’s, Pilot Station, and Marshall):

Subsistence fishing is on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 18-hour periods per week:

• 2 p.m. Saturdays to 8 a.m. Sundays
• 2 p.m. Wednesdays to 8 a.m. Thursdays

District 3 (including Russian Mission and Holy Cross):

Subsistence fishing is on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 18-hour periods per week:

• 2 p.m. Wednesdays to 8 a.m. Thursdays
• 2 p.m. Saturdays to 8 a.m. Sundays

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels.

District 4:

Subdistrict 4-A (Grayling, Anvik, Kaltag, Nulato, and Koyukuk):

Subsistence fishing is on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 24-hour periods per week:

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

Subdistricts 4-B and 4-C (Galena and Ruby):

Subsistence fishing is on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 24-hour periods per week:

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

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

Subsistence salmon fishing in the Koyukuk River is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week with 7.5 inch or smaller mesh gillnets. A subsistence fishing permit is required for all species in the Koyukuk River above Bettles including the community of Wiseman.

Subdistricts 5-A, 5-B, and 5-C (Tanana and Rampart):

Subsistence fishing is currently open 24 hours a day with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets.

Effective 6 a.m., Tuesday, June 23 subsistence salmon fishing will close. Subsistence salmon fishing will reopen Tuesday, June 23, at 6 p.m. on a reduced regulatory schedule with gillnets restricted to 6-inch or smaller mesh for two 24-hour periods per week:

• 6 p.m. Tuesdays to 6 p.m. Wednesdays
• 6 p.m. Fridays to 6 p.m. Saturdays

Subdistrict 5-D (Stevens Village, Beaver, Fort Yukon, Venetie, Birch Creek, Chalkyitsik, Circle, Central, Eagle):

Subsistence fishing is currently open 24 hours a day with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets.

A subsistence permit is required to fish for all species in portions of Subdistricts 5-C and 5-D from the western most tip of Garnet Island upstream to the mouth of Dall River (Dalton Highway bridge area) and from the upstream mouth of 22 Mile Slough to the U.S./Canada border.

Subdistricts 6-A and 6-B (from the mouth of the Tanana River upstream to the regulatory marker at the mouth of the Wood River, which includes the communities of Manley, Minto, and Nenana) and the Old Minto Area:

Subsistence fishing is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with 7.5-inch or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels.