Juneau-area gillnetters get another opener, but directed king fishing stays closed on low abundance

Drift gillnetters near Juneau have until noon Wednesday on both sides of Circle Point, in Section 11-B, after the state opened the northern waters over the weekend and added 24 hours to the southern half on Monday. No mesh restriction applies.

Behind the routine weekly openings is a standing limit: under the 2026 Southeast Alaska drift gillnet plan, directed king salmon fishing is barred across four districts, including this one, because king abundance is low. Gillnetters may still keep and sell kings they catch incidentally, but they cannot target them.

Separately, upriver, the Taku River subsistence salmon fishery runs through the end of October under a federal action. It caps set gillnets at 15 fathoms, keeps them clear of the Canyon Island fish wheels, and requires permit holders to be present at their nets.

The account comes from the state's orders and the federal action, with no fisherman or subsistence user quoted.