Deshka River king salmon run projected well below minimum escapement goal, closing Northern District to commercial fishing

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the Upper Cook Inlet Northern District to commercial salmon fishing on June 25, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., after weir counts showed the Deshka River king salmon run tracking well below the stock's sustainable escapement goal. Northern District commercial set gillnetters lost that opener. ADF&G also noted that later-than-usual run timing meant fish were still likely present in the Northern District at the time of closure.

Through June 21, only 2,738 kings had passed the ADF&G weir at river mile seven. Projections put final escapement at 4,700 to 6,200 fish against a sustainable escapement goal of 9,000 to 18,000, less than half the minimum threshold.

ADF&G's February forecast had already put the total Deshka run at 3,414 fish, below the escapement goal before any inseason fishing decisions were made. The department said at that time that "king salmon are experiencing a period of poor productivity and escapement goals are not likely to be achieved in 2026." Sport fishing for king salmon in the Susitna and Little Susitna drainages is closed from May 1 through July 13, 2026.

The closure lands amid a broader allocation dispute. A proposal before the Alaska Board of Fisheries, Proposal 186, would limit the Upper Cook Inlet drift gillnet fishery to the Expanded Corridor only, with the goal of reducing harvest of Northern Cook Inlet-bound stocks. ADF&G has said adopting it would likely reduce harvest opportunity and create economic impacts for drift gillnet fishermen and associated businesses. In Board of Fisheries proposal comments, drift gillnet permit holders have argued that further restrictions threaten fleet viability, while the Mat-Su Borough and Northern Cook Inlet advocates have argued that existing limits do not go far enough to protect stocks already below escapement goals.