Buskin River sockeye closure unlikely to reopen, ADF&G says

The Buskin River is closed to sockeye fishing, and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game says it is unlikely to reopen this season.

ADF&G shut the river down because of low escapement. Tyler Polum, ADF&G's Kodiak Area Sport Fish biologist, said: "Sockeye fishing closed in the Buskin due to low escapement and is not likely to reopen at this point." The Buskin is managed to an escapement goal of 5,000 to 8,000 fish, a range set to sustain subsistence, sport, and commercial harvest over time. In recent years the run has met or exceeded that goal, reaching 10,583 fish in one season and 7,741 in 2020, making this year's shortfall a meaningful departure from recent performance.

Other systems are producing fish. Litnik on Afognak is tracking about average, and anglers have been able to get limits in a day trip there. Polum said Saltery's weir has counted 1,606 sockeye and "fishing in the river has been good; the trail does not sound great, however." Pasagshak has fish visible in the river, but only one sockeye has passed the weir, and catch reports have been mixed, though some anglers are getting fish. The island-wide king salmon bag limit remains one fish per day through Sept. 15. Anglers should also note that emergency orders have closed the Karluk River and Ayakulik River drainages to king salmon fishing through July 25, 2026.