Yukon River sport fishing closed for kings and chums through 2026 as seven-year rebuilding effort continues

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the Yukon River drainage to sport fishing for king and chum salmon in 2026, including catch-and-release, under emergency orders issued in February and May. The closures affect the entire drainage, which has seen subsistence fisheries shut down or severely restricted since 2021 due to collapsing runs.

The king salmon closure went into effect February 19 under two emergency orders covering the main Yukon drainage and the separately managed Tanana River drainage. Both orders cite anticipated failure to meet U.S.-Canada treaty obligations and Alaska escapement goals. The orders prohibit all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release, and ban bait use in Yukon tributaries when fishing for other species.

Chum salmon sport fishing closed May 15 under a separate emergency order. The closure stems from a poor run forecast driven by weak 2021 and 2022 parent-year escapements that will not meet spawning goals.

The closures are part of a seven-year Yukon River King Salmon Rebuilding Agreement between the United States and Canada, effective through 2030, that closes all directed Yukon River Chinook fisheries in both countries except for limited ceremonial and cultural harvests. Canadian-origin king salmon account for 40 to 50 percent of the Yukon run. The agreement spans approximately one full Chinook life cycle to allow stocks to rebuild to treaty-defined escapement objectives.

Subsistence fishers along the Yukon have faced the brunt of the collapse. Since 2021, subsistence harvests have been either prohibited or limited to brief windows with strict gear restrictions. Communities that depend on salmon for food security have gone multiple seasons without meaningful harvests.

Restrictions may be relaxed in specific tributaries if inseason assessment data indicate escapement goals are being met and subsistence needs will be satisfied, according to the emergency orders. That language has appeared in prior years' orders, but managers have rarely found conditions that allowed openings.

The Yukon king salmon run has failed to meet escapement goals in most years since 2010. The 2021 run was the lowest on record. Chum salmon runs have also declined sharply, with the 2020 and 2021 runs among the weakest observed.