Bristol Bay fishery opens under old rules as new regs stall in review

The 2026 Bristol Bay commercial salmon fishery opened June 1 under existing regulations rather than new rules the Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted in January. Permit holders expected updated vessel specifications, gear distance requirements, and king salmon retention rules to be in effect; instead they are fishing under a patchwork of 2022 and 2025 standards while the new regulations remain under legal review.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced June 5 that the new regulations will not take effect until the Alaska Department of Law completes its review, the Lieutenant Governor files them, and a 30-day waiting period runs. The same day, ADF&G posted an advisory extending the Igushik set gillnet fishery in the Nushagak Section, illustrating how in-season management continues under the old framework.

The Nushagak District 2026 sockeye salmon inshore run is forecast at approximately 18.4 million fish, with the Igushik River forecast at 890,000 and the Nushagak River at 11.1 million. The district's escapement goal range is 4.5 million fish total; the Igushik River escapement goal range is 150,000 to 400,000 fish. ADF&G has indicated that commercial fishing with drift gillnets in the Nushagak District and set gillnets in the Nushagak Section may begin once management triggers are met, including a June 28 fallback rule if the Nushagak and Wood River triggers are not met earlier.

In the Ugashik Village subdistrict, the set gillnet offshore distance reverts to the 2025 regulation of 800 feet. Set gillnet lines in the Nushagak District revert to 2022 regulations due to a sunset clause. The fishing schedule in the Togiak District's Kulukak Section reverts to Monday 9:00 a.m. until Wednesday 9:00 p.m. Mandatory retention of king salmon in the Nushagak District will not be in effect at the start of the season.

ADF&G routinely manages the Bristol Bay fishery through Emergency Orders under authority granted by AS 16.05.060, which empowers the commissioner to open or close seasons or areas and change quotas or bag limits for the conservation and development of fishery resources. The department will use that authority to implement king salmon conservation measures, including the Nushagak District King Salmon Stock of Concern Management Plan, which the Board of Fisheries adopted in the mid-2010s to rebuild the stock through conservative time and area restrictions.