Kotzebue chum fishery gains a second registered buyer for August openings

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game scheduled six consecutive eight-hour chum openings in the Kotzebue District, the last of them Friday, and for that stretch of the season permit holders had two registered buyers to sell to instead of one. The department's Division of Commercial Fisheries advisory of Aug. 14, issued under an emergency order for the district, opened the fishery from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Sunday, Aug. 16, through Friday, Aug. 21.

The same notice carried the warning the department has repeated all summer: "Permit holders are reminded to check with their buyers before starting fishing operations to ensure they have a market for their catch." ADF&G put the 2026 Kotzebue commercial harvest forecast at 50,000 to 150,000 chum salmon.

Buyer count has moved during the season. Alaska News previously covered ADF&G advisories in mid-July and early August that listed only one registered buyer in Kotzebue. An earlier Alaska News article noted that Copper River, then the lone buyer, paid 57 cents a pound for iced chum and 60 cents for iced and bagged fish, nearly 20 cents above 2025 prices. The fishery opened July 10; the department's inseason summary counts 22 eight-hour periods scheduled, keeps harvest figures confidential, and says catch rates are strong and above the long-term historical average. The 2025 commercial harvest came in near 35,000 fish.

Strong catch rates do not guarantee that permit holders can sell what they land, which is why the department keeps repeating its market warning. In documentation prepared for federal chum bycatch analysis, ADF&G stated that over five recent years the Kotzebue commercial schedule "has been set by the buyer," with the department opening to the hours buyers request.

The regulatory season closes Aug. 31. ADF&G's January outlook for Kotzebue Sound said it expected buyers this year, "with operations likely ceasing prior to the regulatory closure date."