YUKON RIVER FALL SEASON SUBSISTENCE FISHING SCHEDULE FOR DISTRICT 6

Emergency Special Action No: 2-FC-05-24              Issued at: Fairbanks, Alaska, Aug 14, 2024
 

Effective Date: Friday, August 16, 2024, 6:00 p.m. for subdistrict 6A (Tanana River Drainage)
Friday, August 16, 2024, 6:00 p.m. for the Upper Tanana River
 

Expiration Date: October 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. unless superseded by subsequent special action
 

REGULATION:
Pursuant to 2-KS-16-24, subsistence salmon fishing is closed for Chinook salmon. Gillnets less that 4-inch mesh may be used to target nonsalmon but are restricted to 60-feet or less in length and must be operated as a set net near shore. Subsistence fishing for chum salmon with selective gear types has been open 24 hours per day 7 days per week but will close.

50 CFR 100.27(e)(3)(ii) is further amended to read:
In Federal public waters of the following areas, chum salmon subsistence fishing will close before fall chum arrive in the area.
 

(J) Subdistrict 6-A (including waters in Denali National Park)
          (2) Effective 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, subsistence fishing for chum salmon will close. Dip nets, beach seines, and manned fish wheels may be used           for nonsalmon and pink, sockeye, and coho salmon. Chum and Chinook salmon must be released alive immediately.
 

(K) Upper Tanana (including Northway and Nabesna and waters in Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve):
          (2) Effective 6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 16, subsistence fishing for chum salmon will close. Dip nets, beach seines, and manned fish wheels may be used          for nonsalmon and pink, sockeye, and coho salmon. Chum and Chinook salmon must be released alive immediately.

As a reminder, the opportunity to harvest nonsalmon with 4-inch or smaller mesh set gillnets of 60 feet or shorter length is allowed. Fishermen should fish this nonsalmon gear in areas where resident species are more likely to be encountered, like in sloughs. Other legal gear types to take nonsalmon include manned fish wheels, hook and line with a rod or pole, hand line, longline, fyke net, dip net, beach seine, and spear. Chinook and chum salmon must be released alive immediately from nonsalmon gear (other than 4-inch or smaller mesh gillnets).

EXPLANATION:
This Emergency Special Action transitions the Yukon River area to the fall season, closes retention of fall chum and allows selective gear fishing (dip nets, beach seines, and manned fish wheels) for nonsalmon and coho in Federal public waters of Yukon District 6, which includes the communities of Northway and Nabesna and waters in Denali National Park, Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. In Federal public waters, coho salmon fishing opportunities are limited to federally qualified subsistence users only. All permanent rural residents of the Yukon Area and Yukon River drainage (except residents of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which is a Nonrural Area) are federally qualified subsistence users of salmon. Please see below maps for Federal public waters.
 

JUSTIFICATION:
The Chinook run is nearly complete in the lower river and no escapement goals will be met for Chinook salmon; therefore, retention of this species is not allowed. Current fall chum salmon run data indicates the run may not meet drainage-wide escapement goals. Therefore, closures to the harvest of fall chum salmon are warranted. Coho salmon run abundance has a below average forecast but are harvested in very small numbers in this area of the river, therefore closures to protect coho salmon are not necessary at this time.

Pursuant to Section 816 of ANILCA, this Emergency Special Action (2-FC-05-24) closes harvest of chum salmon but allows manned fish wheels to target non-salmon and coho salmon.

CONSULTATION AND OUTREACH:
The Yukon River salmon outlooks and management strategies were discussed at the Eastern Interior, Western Interior, and Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Advisory Council meetings; Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) annual Preseason Fisheries Meeting; Yukon River Panel meeting; and Yukon River Intertribal Fish commission meeting. The Federal manager held formal preseason management strategy Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation meetings with Yukon River drainage Tribal Governments on April 1 and 2. Tribal Consultations will continue when possible and when requested by Tribal Governments. The Federal fishery outlook and management strategy was sent to all Yukon Tribal and City governments on May 10. Approximately 3,500 copies of the ADF&G and USFWS Preseason Outlook flier were mailed to Yukon River fishing households in May.

This action was taken following coordination with the ADF&G fishery managers. The fishing schedules announced here match those issued concurrently by the ADF&G in state waters (Fall Fishery Advisory Announcement #9). The Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Chairs for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Eastern Interior, Western Interior, and Seward Peninsula Regional Advisory Councils were notified as was the Chair and vice-chair of the Yukon River Intertribal Fish Commission. Review was provided by the Office of Subsistence Management.

Federal Subsistence Board by delegation to: Holly C Carroll
Holly Carroll
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Yukon River Inseason Fisheries Manager
USFWS Yukon Area, Page 3 of 5
Northern Alaska Fish and Wildlife Field Office

For additional information concerning Yukon River Federal Special Actions contact Yukon River Federal Manager Holly Carroll at (907) 351-3029.
For information concerning State management actions, contact Yukon River Summer Season Manager, Deena Jallen, and Fall Season Manager, Christy Gleason, in Fairbanks at (907) 459-7274 or in Emmonak at (907) 949-1320.

If you’d like to receive emails and notifications on the Federal Subsistence Management Program you may subscribe for regular updates by emailing subsistence@ios.doi.gov, with "SUBSCRIBE" as subject. Fishery special actions can be found online here: https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries-special-actions
 

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

Special Action