Yukon River
RSSNews from Yukon River, Alaska
Kreiss-Tomkins documents $20 milk, absent law enforcement in 11 Yukon River villages
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins documented $20 milk, $12 gas, scarce law enforcement, and collapsed salmon runs across 11 Yukon River villages in a four-day boat tour.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon District 3 closes to fall chum and coho subsistence Saturday as treaty goals fall short
Alaska closes fall chum and coho subsistence fishing in Yukon District 3 and Innoko River on Saturday because Canadian treaty goals will not be met.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Snowpack flooding scatters Minto Flats pike, forcing anglers to adapt
Snowpack flooding at Minto Flats has scattered northern pike across wider habitat, forcing anglers to switch tactics and try alternative Interior lakes like Cushman and Little Harding.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Tanana kings closed all season; chum fishing back open after run surges
Alaska closed all king salmon fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 30 due to a weak forecast, but reopened chum fishing on July 8 after the summer run exceeded expectations.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon Chinook count at Eagle stands at 1,633, a third of average; ADF&G launches telemetry study
Yukon Chinook salmon are running at one-third of normal, forcing subsistence closures, and ADF&G is tagging fish to find out why.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Weak fall run closes Yukon River chum fishing July 22
A weak fall chum run that may fall short of U.S.-Canada treaty minimums is closing Yukon River chum fishing — sport and subsistence — from July 22 through year's end.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Northern Alaska's staffed wildfires wind down, but crews brace for more
Rain did what the crews couldn't and mopped up northern Alaska's last staffed fires — though with 2,000 lightning strikes a day, nobody's putting the shovels away.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Fort Yukon woman faces assault, weapons charges after June disturbance in Circle
A two-hour overnight disturbance across several spots in Circle on June 24 ended with a Fort Yukon woman arrested weeks later, facing assault and other charges.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min read
A Native org is coaching Yukon harvesters on how to testify effectively
Tanana Chiefs Conference is running a July 24 workshop coaching Yukon harvesters to testify effectively on salmon policy — pressing a bycatch argument that scientists say is only part of the story.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Yukon summer chum run tops 900,000 projection, opening subsistence windows across drainage
Summer chum salmon run on the Yukon River is tracking above 900,000 fish, more than double the spring forecast, opening subsistence harvest windows across most of the drainage through late July.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Weak kings, strong chum: the Yukon's salmon rules split by the run
On the Yukon this week: kings are weak so restrictions continue, summer chum is strong so openings arrive, and fall chum has slipped enough to close the Lower Yukon early.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon Chinook sonar count 34% below average; fall chum added to concern list
Yukon Chinook count at 95,370 by July 6, down 34 percent from average and short of Alaska and Canadian escapement goals. • Fall chum designated a stock of management concern, forcing communities to restrict harvest on two salmon species at once. • Summer chum run tracking above 900,000 fish, offering some relief for subsistence harvesters.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Tanana River chum salmon sport fishery reopens as run exceeds forecast
Tanana River sport anglers can keep three chum salmon again as of Wednesday after the run exceeded forecasts, but the broader Yukon drainage remains closed due to weak returns.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Heatwave-driven mortality identified as key cause of Yukon Chinook crash
A new study pins the Yukon Chinook collapse on heatwave-driven deaths of young salmon at sea, not just low recruitment or overharvest, meaning harvest closures alone won't fix the crash.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
New fire burns 1.5 miles from Native allotment near Kaltag
Wildfire burning in black spruce four miles north of Kaltag is 1.5 miles from a Native allotment, with 12 smokejumpers and aircraft responding.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon River gillnet closures spread as Chinook and chum run far below average
Alaska closed all Yukon River gillnet fishing after Chinook and chum runs fell far below historic averages, with Chinook passage at Pilot Station running 41 percent below the long-term average.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon River District 4 opens for summer chum; Chinook closures hold
Yukon River District 4 opens summer chum harvest July 2 through late July, but all Chinook must be released alive under a rebuilding agreement that closes Chinook fisheries through 2030.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
North Pacific council directs Ecosystem Committee to revise 2004 groundfish policy goals
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council is updating 2004 groundfish goals. Tribal groups want stronger protections for salmon.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago3 min read
Alaska's kings are down almost everywhere — here's the picture
From the Yukon to Kodiak to Prince William Sound, Alaska is closing or tightening king salmon fishing nearly statewide — a slow-motion decline now measured in decades, not seasons.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Alaska Native groups take the salmon crisis to a national tribal stage
Four Alaska Native groups took the salmon crisis to the national tribal stage, pressing for a bigger Native role in managing runs that have collapsed on the Yukon and Kuskokwim.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Smokejumpers battle two wildfires near Ruby as smoke reaches village
Smokejumpers and aircraft are battling two wildfires near Ruby that together cover 660 acres and are currently pushing away from the village and nearby Native allotments.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sullivan's sweeping bycatch bill targets trawl salmon catch — a real and raw grievance, even as federal science pins Alaska's river collapses mostly on a warming ocean.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Federal managers close Yukon, Innoko gillnets to protect Chinook and chum
Federal managers pulled every gillnet from part of the Yukon to spare the kings — leaving subsistence families to fill the freezer with slower gear, during the only weeks the fish run.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Defending Yukon Fish Camps From Fire
Smokejumpers are guarding Yukon River fish camps and Native allotments from a creeping wildfire — right in the middle of the season families count on to fill their freezers.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
NOAA Fisheries declined to list Gulf of Alaska Chinook under the ESA
NOAA decided Gulf of Alaska Chinook don't qualify for ESA listing — even as Chinook closures pile up across Alaska systems.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Rain gives Canyon Fire crews window to protect Native allotments
The Canyon Fire near Rampart is at 409 acres. Crews are protecting a cabin 3 miles out — that's a hedge against the fire making a run.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Seven village schools could lose internet June 30 over a federal funding dispute
Seven Alaska village schools could lose internet June 30. Federal rules say pick the cheapest. The cheapest doesn't work out there.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
A new landfill permit for Russian Mission is one piece of a much bigger Y-K Delta solid waste story
Russian Mission's getting a new landfill. The Y-K Delta solid waste story is much bigger than one permit.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Smokejumpers and the Chena Hotshots are protecting Native allotments from the Canyon Fire
Alaska's natural fire policy gets interrupted when a Native allotment is in the way. Canyon Fire is what that looks like.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska Native leaders brought a unified salmon co-management demand to NCAI
Alaska Native leaders demanded Tribal co-management of salmon at a national Indigenous conference, citing food security and cultural crises from collapsed runs on Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim rivers. • Subsistence communities have gone years without harvesting salmon while bearing the burden of conservation restrictions. • Current federal and state frameworks exclude Tribes from binding decision authority despite their sovereignty and stewardship responsibilities.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Yukon River gillnet ban hits lower river villages through July 5
Alaska closed all gillnets in lower Yukon River villages from mid-June through early July to protect Chinook and summer chum salmon stocks forecast well below average. • Closure affects Chevak, Hooper Bay, Emmonak, Alakanuk, and other communities that rely on gillnet fishing for food. • Fishers may still use dip nets, beach seines, and other gear; Chinook and chum must be released alive if caught.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Smokejumpers stop half-acre fire across Yukon River from Circle
Six smokejumpers stopped a half-acre wildfire burning across the Yukon River from Circle on June 12, using hose lines and coordinating water drops to protect the nearby community.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
North Coast Chinook Troll Fishery Opens 5 Days, Then Closes
Washington-Oregon commercial Chinook troll fishery opens for just five days, June 12-16, reflecting coast-wide salmon scarcity that also shapes Alaska's harvest limits under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
Alaska closes Yukon subsistence salmon fishing through early June
Alaska closed subsistence Chinook and summer chum salmon fishing across the Yukon River through early June, affecting twelve upriver communities where weak salmon runs have triggered multi-year restrictions.
by Alaska News4mo ago1 min read
Yukon River sport fishing closed for kings and chums through 2026 as seven-year rebuilding effort continues
Alaska closed all sport fishing for king and chum salmon in the Yukon River drainage through 2026 under emergency orders due to weak run forecasts and a U.S.-Canada treaty requiring seven years of rebuilding closures.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Tanana king salmon sport fishing through September
Alaska closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 because Yukon River king salmon runs are forecast below average, the second consecutive year of this closure.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
DNR approves 800-cubic-yard gravel contract on Dalton Highway
Alaska DNR approved an 800-cubic-yard gravel contract for North Star Construction on the Dalton Highway near milepost 154, in a corridor recently transferred from federal to state control.
by Alaska News4mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Eagle River to king salmon fishing
Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed king salmon sport fishing in Eagle River from May 1 through July 13 to protect returning fish, part of a broader pattern of emergency closures across Southcentral Alaska as king runs decline.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
ADF&G closes Tanana River drainage to king salmon sport fishing through September 2026
Alaska Fish and Game closed all king salmon sport fishing in the Tanana River drainage through September 2026 due to a weak forecast for the Yukon River run, marking the second consecutive year of the ban.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Tanana Chiefs warns Dalton corridor transfer threatens subsistence lands
Interior Alaska tribes warn a 1.4 million-acre Dalton corridor land transfer to state control could threaten subsistence rights, as state management rules differ from federal protections.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read