With monitoring down, the state is using a commercial opening to gauge coho

Commercial gillnetters in Golovin, Elim, Norton Bay, Shaktoolik and Unalakleet get one 24-hour window this weekend, from 6 pm Friday to 6 pm Saturday. Fish and Game is partly using it to find out how many coho are out there.

Salmon monitoring projects in the region are "generally inoperable," the department said, leaving it to use the commercial opening to gauge coho abundance in marine waters. The Kwiniuk River tower, the one project the department reported running earlier this month, was the basis for the Aug. 15 opener.

The period is directed at coho, with gillnet mesh restricted to 6 inches or smaller. It is the fifth opener in these Norton Sound subdistricts since Aug. 9, and previous periods drew slightly below average catch rates. More coho periods may follow.

The department's May outlook projected a 2026 commercial coho harvest of 20,000 to 50,000 fish in Norton Sound.

Norton Sound has one commercial buyer expected this season, and the department reminds permit holders to secure a market before fishing.

Subsistence schedules, restrictions and closures do not change under this order.

Some Norton Sound commercial fishers have argued that short openings with 6-inch mesh amount to inadequate economic opportunity. The announcement does not address that.