Shumagin Islands seine closure holds as immature sockeye counts stay far above trigger

Commercial seine operators working out of Sand Point have been barred from the Shumagin Islands Section for at least the first two post-June fishing periods, with Alaska Department of Fish and Game test-fishery data showing immature salmon counts more than three times the regulatory closure threshold. The July 5 test averaged 391 immature salmon per set; the July 9 test averaged 365. Under the 2026 management plan, ADF&G closes the section to purse seine gear whenever a test fishery returns 100 or more immature salmon per set. Both results cleared that bar by a wide margin.

Sockeye account for roughly 99 percent of the immature fish counted in each test, pointing to a specific stock-protection concern. While the Shumagin Islands Section remained closed to seine gear, ADF&G permitted set gillnet fishing in the Northwest Stepovak Section for 48 hours beginning July 6.

Regulatory Context

The broader regulatory backdrop is under legal challenge. The Aleutians East Borough, the Area M Seiners Association, Concerned Area M Fishermen, and the Native Village of Unga filed suit in Alaska Superior Court in April 2026 seeking to void new Area M post-June regulations adopted at the Alaska Board of Fisheries' February 2026 meeting. "These conflicted regulations are the result of a biased process that ignored the science and the voices of our communities," the Aleutians East Borough mayor said at the time. ADF&G scheduled the next immature salmon test fishery for July 12, 2026, which would inform the next management decision for the section.