Kotzebue Sound fishing ban near airport runway takes effect with July 10 commercial opening

The Kotzebue District's first commercial salmon opening of 2026, an 8-hour window from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 10, was also the first to run under a permanent closed-waters area covering a section of Subdistrict 1 and applying to both commercial and subsistence fishing. The Alaska Board of Fisheries adopted the zone at its November 2025 meeting.

The closure covers marine waters from the Weather Service Dome to the NANA building, one mile offshore, to keep birds away from nets near the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport runway. Because it applies to subsistence as well as commercial fishing, it reaches households that depend on that stretch of Kotzebue Sound for food, not only permit holders.

The opening was authorized under Emergency Order 3-S-X-01-26, with a 2026 commercial chum harvest forecast of 50,000 to 150,000 fish for the district. Permit holders are reminded to "check with their buyers before starting fishing operations to ensure they have a market for their catch." Questions about the fishery can be directed to the Kotzebue office at 907-442-3420 or the Commercial Fisheries office in Nome at 1-800-560-2271.