Yukon River gillnet ban hits lower river villages through July 5

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed all gillnets in the Yukon River Coastal District and Districts 1 and 2, effective June 11, 2026, as an in-season management action to protect Chinook and summer chum salmon stocks. The closure affects lower Yukon communities that rely on set-net and gillnet fishing for salmon and other species. Separately, the Yukon River in-season Fisheries Manager issued a parallel Emergency Special Action closing all gillnets for federal public subsistence users in the Coastal District and District 1, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a federal special action to close gillnets in waters adjacent to federal land. The state closure and the federal action differ in the users and geographic scope they cover.

What the Numbers Require

The closure is part of in-season management aimed at protecting the Chinook and summer chum run. The 2026 Chinook salmon run is forecast to be well below average, and the closure is intended to support escapement goals. The Yukon has faced recurring Chinook and summer chum shortages and repeated emergency restrictions in recent years, a pattern that has drawn concern from fisheries managers and Board of Fisheries participants regarding long-term stock health and food security in the region. In the Coastal District and District 1, gillnets are prohibited from 8 p.m. June 16 through 8 p.m. July 3, covering Chevak, Hooper Bay, Scammon Bay, Emmonak, Nunam Iqua, Alakanuk, and Kotlik, among others. In District 2, the closure runs from 8 p.m. June 18 through 8 p.m. July 5, covering Mountain Village, Pitkas Point, St. Mary's, Pilot Station, and Marshall. Fishers may still use dip nets, beach seines, hook and line, hand line, longline, and fyke net for nonsalmon species. Chinook and summer chum must be released alive if caught; pink and sockeye salmon may be retained if caught incidentally during adjacent closure periods.