Yukon River drainage closed to king and chum salmon sport fishing

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the Yukon River drainage to sport fishing for both king salmon and chum salmon for the 2026 season. The Tanana River drainage is managed separately and is covered by its own emergency orders for both species. The king salmon ban is absolute: catch-and-release is not allowed.

The king closure operates inside a seven-year agreement between ADF&G and Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans, signed in 2024 and running through 2030, that suspends fishing for Canadian-origin Yukon kings in the mainstem Yukon River. Roughly 40 to 50 percent of Yukon kings spawn in Canada. The 2026 preseason Chinook projection sits at approximately 64,300 fish. If inseason stock assessment information indicates that king salmon escapement goals and subsistence needs will be met, sport fishing restrictions may be relaxed in Yukon River tributaries commensurate with run strengths. The chum closure, effective May 15, follows a poor-run forecast tied to low parent-year returns in 2021 and 2022.

Four emergency orders cover the closures: Emergency Order 3-KS-Y-01-2026 closes the Yukon River drainage, excluding the Tanana River drainage, to sport fishing for king salmon; 3-KS-U-01-26 closes the Tanana River drainage for king salmon. Emergency Order 3-CS-Y-04-2026 closes the Yukon River drainage, excluding the Tanana River drainage, to sport fishing for chum salmon; 3-CS-U-09-26 closes the Tanana River drainage for chum salmon. Anglers should review all applicable emergency orders at the ADF&G website before heading out.

Context and Community Impacts

The 2026 closures are the latest chapter in a longer decline. The Tanana Chiefs Conference, representing 42 Interior Alaska tribes, has documented more than 20 years of king salmon decline on the Yukon, and escapement goals and subsistence needs for Yukon chum salmon have gone unmet since before 2020, resulting in no subsistence chum fishing on the Yukon and no commercial chum openings for years. The Tanana Chiefs Conference has noted that chum salmon returns to the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers are the lowest on record. DFO Senior Director Steve Gotch acknowledged the stakes when the bilateral agreement was announced: "During the period of rebuilding we must take measures to preserve the culture and traditions of people living along the river."

The July 2 ADF&G fishing report also notes current river and road conditions relevant to anglers in the drainage. Rivers and streams within the Yukon River drainage are approaching normal flows and clearing after a later-than-average breakup and deep snowpack. Road conditions on the Steese, Dalton, and Taylor Highways are rated fair, except for the section between Dietrich Camp at milepost 210 and Atigun Pass, which is currently difficult due to flood repairs. Anglers planning to float Beaver Creek should be aware of a new river channel that opened in 2025 just upstream of the Borealis-LeFevre Cabin; that channel is filled with logs and debris and poses a significant hazard. The BLM recommends lining around it upstream where the channel splits. A potentially hazardous new channel on Birch Creek, a few miles downriver from the Upper Birch Creek Wayside at milepost 94.1, may require an approximately quarter-mile portage. Floaters should contact BLM at (907) 474-2200 for updated information on both streams before launching.