Nushagak king salmon run on pace for near-record low season

The Nushagak River king salmon run is tracking toward one of the weakest seasons since Alaska began counting fish there in 1980, leaving subsistence users subject to a closure in the Nushagak Section and tightening what commercial fishermen can do with any kings they catch, even as the sockeye harvest surpasses 5 million fish.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game projected a final sonar passage of roughly 37,120 kings in its July 3 advisory, well short of the 95,000 inriver run goal and below even the lower bound of the sustainable escapement goal range of 55,000 to 120,000 fish. The agency was direct: "The current projected end of season sonar passage is 37,120 king salmon, which is well below the inriver run goal of 95,000 king salmon, thus continued king salmon conservation measures are warranted."

The July 3 projection follows a season of worsening signals. In late June, ADF&G said the run was the lowest for that date since enumeration began in 1980 and projected only 16,000 to 18,700 kings at that point. The cumulative king escapement counted at the sonar through July 3 stood at 27,339. The Nushagak king stock is part of a broader pattern of declining Chinook returns across Alaska.

Conservation measures currently in effect include a subsistence closure in the Nushagak Section and a 5.5-inch mesh cap on commercial gear. Starting July 12, a Board of Fisheries rule will prohibit CFEC permit holders from keeping commercially caught kings for homepack or personal use; all kings must be retained and either sold or donated, with donations allowed to nonprofit food banks, charitable organizations, or tribal and village entities providing food distribution in Bristol Bay.

Commercial sockeye fishing continues on a busy schedule. Drift gillnet openings in the Nushagak District ran July 5 from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and again from 7:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. Monday. The Wood River Special Harvest Area opened to set gillnets at 8:00 p.m. Saturday and runs until 9:00 p.m. Sunday.