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Week of Jul 20
Bristol Bay sockeye limit stays at 10 fish through year's end in Wood River and Nushagak-Mulchatna drainages
Bristol Bay doesn't seem to be having the problems with fish the rest of the state is.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Delta Junction man cited for fishing closed waters and gillnet violation in Nushagak
A Delta Junction man was cited for fishing in closed waters and violating gillnet rules in Bristol Bay on July 4, one of 11 citations troopers issued during peak sockeye season.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom 
Bering Sea low to push 13-foot seas into Bristol Bay, Kuskokwim Delta Wednesday
Big seas, big problems
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Seth Whiteman, 22, dead after going overboard near Egegik Bay
Seth Whiteman, 22, of Eagle River went overboard near Egegik Bay on June 29 and was not wearing a life jacket. His body was recovered from a nearby beach on July 11.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom 
Week of Jul 13
Five commercial fishers cited in single-day Bristol Bay closed-water sweep
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited five commercial fishers on July 15 for fishing in closed Bristol Bay waters during the sockeye run, with all five scheduled for arraignment Aug. 5.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Togiak sockeye count far below expectations, fishing cuts likely next week
Togiak sockeye count hit just 8,340 by mid-July, far below the 120,000 minimum needed, forcing Alaska Fish and Game to likely cut fishing time for gillnet permit holders next week.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Two Washington men cited for fishing closed waters in Egegik
Two Washington men were cited for commercial fishing in closed Bristol Bay waters near Egegik on July 10, facing arraignment in August.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Two Illinois men cited for unlicensed crewmember violations in Naknek-Kvichak Bay
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited two Illinois men for employing unlicensed crew members during Bristol Bay salmon fishing on July 12, when new Board of Fisheries regulations took effect.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
More from Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay's sockeye surge doubles the sport limit to 10
Sockeye's on the run in Bristol Bay, thick as they come — the sport limit just doubled to ten, so grab a pal, grab a rod, and go get you some.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay enforcement program yields 11 citations across Naknek and Nushagak districts
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited 11 people in Bristol Bay's Naknek and Nushagak districts for commercial fishing violations including closed-period fishing and unlicensed crew.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay tightens the rules on its king salmon again
Bristol Bay's kings keep sliding, so the rules keep tightening: fewer big fish on the Naknek, no bait on the Nushagak, and log every keeper in ink.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Manokotak man arrested on murder charge after fishing-site death
A Manokotak man died after being struck in the head with an anchor during a fishing-site altercation on June 26. Another Manokotak man faces murder and manslaughter charges.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay is hauling in millions of sockeye — and it's still a down year
Bristol Bay has already landed 26+ million sockeye — a staggering haul that's somehow still a down year, running about a quarter below its 10-year average.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 6
BBNC kicks off shareholder season with a salmon-day picnic
BBNC's shareholder season kicks off Aug. 8 with a salmon-day picnic in Anchorage, tours eight communities, and builds to the Oct. 3 board vote in Naknek.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
BBNC subsidiary offers shareholder enrollment help July 25
Bristol Bay Native Corporation shareholders can update stock records and enroll descendants at a free open house with brunch on July 25 in Anchorage.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readFrom 
One town, six citations: Homer stands out in Bristol Bay
Six people from Homer turned up in a single batch of Bristol Bay fishing citations — more than any other town. Whether that's coincidence or something more isn't yet clear.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
About Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is a coastal region of southwest Alaska that includes the Bristol Bay Borough and communities such as Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon, Togiak and Iliamna. Its rivers, among them the Nushagak and the Wood, feed the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.
Commercial salmon fishing organizes the region's economy, and the openings, closures and escapement goals set for districts such as Naknek, Egegik, Nushagak and Togiak recur, along with enforcement by wildlife troopers. King salmon conservation, sport and subsistence limits, and gales on its waters shape the fishing seasons.
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, whose shareholders elect its board, plays a large part in regional life. Federal restrictions on the Pebble mine and calls for permanent protection of the watershed involve the corporation, the state and the EPA. The region borders the Alaska Peninsula and the Bering Sea, where crab fisheries are managed.
More from Bristol Bay
Troopers are running an enforcement blitz on Bristol Bay's peak season
Troopers cited four more in Bristol Bay last week — mostly for improperly marked boats, the very violation Fish and Game flagged as a season priority. Part of a bigger crackdown.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
The offshore fleet that sees Bristol Bay's salmon run coming
200 miles out in the Bering Sea, research boats catch a glimpse of the world's biggest sockeye run a week before it arrives — and that early-warning window is now closing for the season.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Naknek River sockeye may fall short of forecast
Even in a 45-million-fish Bristol Bay year, the Naknek River is running weak — forcing managers to ration fishing time to protect the spawning run.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay's sockeye run is coming in stronger than forecast
Scientists raised Bristol Bay's sockeye forecast 16% to 48.2 million — a strong run pouring in as the fleet swells, though still below the bay's recent record years.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Fish and Game will bring moose permits to four Nushagak River villages
Fish and Game will hand-deliver moose permits to four Nushagak River villages this year, so hunters without road access to Dillingham don't have to make the trip.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay Eastside salmon fishery under rapid-sequence emergency orders
ADF&G is issuing rapid emergency orders for Bristol Bay Eastside salmon fisheries. The shifting schedule forces fishers to react to real-time sockeye run data.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
AML resolution calls for protecting bypass mail to remote Alaska communities
Alaska Municipal League urged federal officials to protect bypass mail, which lets remote communities buy cheaper goods through the postal system.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 29
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issue 13 citations across Bristol Bay in 10-day enforcement push
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued 13 citations to commercial fishers in Bristol Bay's Egegik and Nushagak districts between June 26 and July 1 for closed-period and closed-waters violations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Egegik and Kvichak stocks rise at Bristol Bay's Port Moller intercept
Egegik and Kvichak sockeye stocks are now dominating the catch at Bristol Bay's Port Moller intercept station, shifting the mix managers use to decide commercial fishing openings in early July.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Nushagak king salmon run on pace for near-record low season
Nushagak king salmon run is on pace for one of its weakest seasons since 1980, triggering a subsistence closure and forcing commercial fishermen to sell or donate all kings starting July 12.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A Dillingham campus wants to grow rural Alaska's scientists at home
A Dillingham campus won nearly $889,000 from the NSF to train STEM pros in place for rural Southwest Alaska — a "grow-your-own" model, though the grant runs just three years.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago1 min read
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch fell below 1% in 2025, but salmon bycatch rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf
Pollock fleet's groundfish bycatch hit a 25-year low in 2025, but salmon catches rose as warm water pushed fish onto the shelf, alarming tribal subsistence advocates.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
A fisherman feared lost, as Bristol Bay's run shows strain
A crew member is feared dead after going overboard near Egegik Bay, as record-low sockeye counts force fishery closures and troopers cite fishermen across Bristol Bay.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Wildlife Troopers cited a Bellingham fisherman for allegedly fishing in Bristol Bay
A Washington fisherman was cited for allegedly fishing across a closed boundary in Bristol Bay — the invisible lines that keep the world's biggest sockeye run from being overfished.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Policing the world's biggest salmon rush
Amid Bristol Bay's 44-million-fish sockeye run, troopers cited five commercial fishermen for closed-period, gear-spacing, and grounding violations — the rules that keep a frenzy fair.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
On the Wood River, so many sockeye are coming back that the state wants you to keep more
Good news for once on the water: the Wood River sockeye run near Dillingham is so strong the state doubled the limit to 10 fish a day, through year's end.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 22
Bristol Bay's sockeye season opens as Nushagak kings raise concern
Bristol Bay's sockeye season is open and the fish are pouring in — a roughly 45-million run. The shadow: depleted Nushagak kings swim the same waters as the nets.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
A storied Alaska king run falls short again — the Nushagak goes catch-and-release Sunday
The Nushagak, one of Alaska's great king runs, is tracking short again — so starting Sunday, sport anglers have to release every king through July 31.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Pebble Mine's challenge to EPA reaches an Anchorage court Thursday.
Pebble vs. EPA hits Anchorage federal court Thursday. The salmon, the State of Alaska, and a major mineral deposit all want a say.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Ugashik posts above-average sockeye harvest as Bristol Bay ramps up
Ugashik District has harvested 79,000 sockeye salmon as of June 22, running ahead of the typical pace for this date as Bristol Bay's season picks up.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Week of Jun 15
On one of the world's great king rivers, a 'poor' rating is partly the plan
Fish go bye bye? Oh no0ooo
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard seeks contractor for Kodiak rescue aircraft life-support gear
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is hiring a contractor to maintain life-support gear on rescue aircraft serving Alaska's deadliest fisheries, with proposals due June 29.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay Igushik set gillnet season opens June 15 with 15-hour blocks
Bristol Bay's Igushik set gillnet season opens June 15 with 15-hour fishing blocks, kicking off the summer sockeye harvest that generates most of the region's annual catch and revenue.
by Bill AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read
Murkowski: War-price fuel barges lock rural Alaska into costly winter
Rural Alaska villages are paying $9 to $14 a gallon for fuel locked in at peak war prices and cannot wait for global prices to fall, Senator Murkowski warned
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read