A Situk River king salmon closure is extended as returns fall short

A fishing closure at the Situk River's Nine Mile Bridge, meant to protect king salmon still holding in the river, will stay in effect through Aug. 31 instead of lifting Aug. 16 as planned. Fish and Game's Division of Sport Fish extended it Aug. 13, keeping a 100-yard stretch around the bridge closed to all fishing, as it has been since June 15.

The extension adds to a season of stacked restrictions. King salmon fishing is banned across the Situk drainage in 2026, a separate order closed water near the weir through mid-August, and the commercial set gillnet fishery at the river mouth is barred from keeping kings.

As of the extension, only 219 large kings had passed the weir, against an escapement goal that starts at 450, Alaska News reported.

In Yakutat, the Situk is the community's primary subsistence salmon resource. By one account, about 74 percent of the community's food and customary salmon harvest comes from these waters, and an estimated 94 percent of households use salmon. The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe says the river's stocks have declined in recent years.