Kuskokwim mainstem Sections 1-3 return to state management as chum run surges

For subsistence fishers on the lower Kuskokwim, all salmon species may be retained and all subsistence gear types are open in Sections 1-5, with the exception of the Aniak River where restrictions remain in effect. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rescinded its special action on the lower Kuskokwim mainstem Monday, returning management of Sections 1-3 to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at noon July 13. Subsistence fishing is now open in Sections 1-5, not including tributaries in Sections 1-3, which remain under federal authority.

The handoff is not total. Tributaries within Sections 1-3 stay under federal authority, and the Aniak River carries its own restrictions: subsistence gillnets are closed there and Chinook caught on hook and line must be returned alive. ADF&G cited several factors supporting the opening: approximately 90% of the Chinook salmon run has passed the Bethel area and the drainagewide escapement goal is expected to be met; chum counts at the sonar reached 202,854 as of July 12, well above the historical average of 117,361 for that date; and sockeye passage, while below average, is expected to meet the escapement goal at the Kogrukluk River weir. Gear rules remain in effect: gillnets may be up to 50 fathoms in length in aggregate, and gillnets with 6-inch or smaller mesh are limited to 45 meshes deep.

Legal Context

The management handoff occurs against the backdrop of a prolonged legal dispute over federal authority on the Kuskokwim. The Ninth Circuit affirmed a permanent injunction in August 2025 holding that Alaska could not interfere with federal management of the rural subsistence priority on the river. The U.S. Supreme Court declined in January 2026 to hear the state's appeal of that ruling, according to the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The State of Alaska has argued that the Kuskokwim, as a navigable waterway, is not "public land" under ANILCA and that federal authority does not extend to it.

What Comes Next

The Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group meets Wednesday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m. at the Bethel ADF&G office, open to the public by teleconference.