Federal Subsistence Fishery for Eulachon Closed in Federal Waters within District 1

Any eulachon caught in this area must be immediately returned into the water unharmed. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) closed the State managed eulachon fisheries in District 1 on February 24.

Few eulachon have returned to the Burroughs Bay area since 2005. Similar closures have been issued by the USDA Forest Service for eulachon within the Burroughs Bay area from 2005 through 2016.

The eulachon life cycle is typically a five year period. Based on returns observed the last three years it is not likely a harvestable surplus will be present in 2017.  It is anticipated that all eulachon returning to District 1 during 2017 will be needed for spawning to rebuild area eulachon populations. 

The Ketchikan-Misty Fiords Ranger District, in cooperation with ADF&G, will continue to monitor returns to the District 1 systems and will provide a further update in the event that a change in the situation occurs.

For additional information, please contact Jeff DeFreest at 907-228-4100, Jon Hyde at 907-228-4137, or Jeff Reeves at 907-826-1649. Maps of District 1 are available at Forest Service offices.

Additional information on the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.

Missing out on the latest Federal subsistence issues? If you’d like to receive emails and notifications on the Federal Subsistence Management Program, you may subscribe for regular updates by emailing fws-fsb-subsistence-request@lists.fws.gov.

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