Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Y-K Delta hunters face lower white-fronted goose limits as the Pacific population declines

Y-K Delta hunters can now take six white-fronted geese a day, down from 10, as Alaska and three West Coast states try to reverse the birds' decline.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State keeps Pribilof red and blue king crab closed, bars pot gear near the islands

Alaska keeps Pribilof red and blue king crab fisheries closed for 2026/27 and bars crab pots from waters around the islands, extending a blue king crab shutdown that started in 1999.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Federal managers close Central Gulf Pacific cod fishing to pot boats for the rest of 2026

High cod prices helped pull new boats into the Central Gulf pot fishery. Federal managers say the fleet's share is caught or about to be, so it's done for 2026.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Fish and Game reopens Baranof Island's Necker Bay goat zone after clerical error

Fish and Game reopened Necker Bay's mountain goat hunt zone Sept. 8 after discovering a clerical error had wrongly closed it, with zero goats actually harvested against a quota of two.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 14

Southeast Alaska sea cucumber dive fishery opens with a 1.4 million-pound cap

Alaska opened its 2026/27 Southeast sea cucumber dive fishery Monday with a 1.4 million-pound cap, down 18% from last season, with weekly openings by area until March 31, 2027.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Chignik District red sea cucumber divers get first fishing period Sept. 30 to Oct. 7

Council advisers back Bering Sea crab ceilings after the state already set its catches

Federal advisers signed off on Bering Sea crab ceilings a day after the state set its catches. The unsettled part: what to do about hybrid crab.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Invasive pike may use Cook Inlet to reach new watersheds, ADF&G biologist says

Pike were thought to avoid salt water, but some appear to have crossed Cook Inlet. A state biologist explains how in Fish and Game's October podcast.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Bering Sea Tanner crab limit nearly triples as snow crab falls 45 percent

Alaska tripled the Bering Sea Tanner crab limit to 32.1 million pounds for winter 2026, while cutting snow crab 45% to 5.1 million pounds, with all three major crab fisheries opening Oct. 15.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: State reviews Bering Sea crab catch calculations Wednesday

Craig and Klawock winter herring bait fishery opens Wednesday before harvest limit is set

Craig and Klawock winter herring bait fishery opens Wednesday, Oct. 7, six days later than last year and before the state sets a harvest limit.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Prince William Sound parallel cod season closes to pot gear at noon Wednesday

Alaska closes pot fishing for Pacific cod in Prince William Sound at noon Wednesday, Oct. 7, following a federal season closure, while longline and jig seasons stay open.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Ship Creek moose permits available online only starting Tuesday

Fish and Game opens 100 Ship Creek moose permits online Tuesday at 8 am. Last year the hunt closed after 12 days; in 2015, after four. Bring your legs.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Southeast winter troll king season opens Oct. 11, with five inside areas closed

Southeast's winter king troll season opens Oct. 11 and runs to March 15 or a 45,000-fish cap. Five inside areas stay closed to protect wild fish.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Yakutat set gillnetters must donate any Situk king that dies in the net

Yakutat gillnetters cannot keep any Chinook salmon through Oct. 7 and must donate dead kings because the Situk River run fell far short of its escapement goal.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

TM059 moose hunt in Unit 1D closes Monday night at 24 bulls

Alaska Fish and Game closed the TM059 moose hunt in Unit 1D early Monday night after hunters reported 24 bulls, meeting or exceeding the 20 to 25 bull harvest limit.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Eagle Glacier to Sawmill Creek goat hunt in Unit 1C closes Sunday night

Alaska closes the Eagle Glacier to Sawmill Creek goat hunt in Unit 1C after Sunday, October 4, through June 30, 2027, citing low population counts and poor recovery since a severe 2006/2007 winter.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

State reviews Bering Sea crab catch calculations Wednesday

Fish and Game reviews its Bering Sea crab catch numbers Wednesday. Last season's limits went up for red king, snow and Tanner crab. This season's? Stay tuned.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Every preregistered Bering Sea crab boat is selected for observer coverage

Every Bering Sea crab boat that preregistered for winter fishing must now carry a state observer or risk delayed fishing, with skippers needing to give 10 days' notice to the contractor.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kodiak Island Borough plans bear hazing at landfill Monday as bear reaches resident's door

A Kodiak resident says a brown bear had its paws on his front door Wednesday night. Fish and Game and troopers plan to haze bears out of the landfill Monday.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Southeast Alaska gillnetters caught less salmon this year but expect higher pay

Southeast gillnetters caught less of every salmon species than average this year, but prices are way up, so the paycheck should be bigger. Not a bad trade.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Troopers cite Soldotna man for leaving edible moose meat on carcass

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited a Soldotna man for leaving edible meat on a moose carcass three days after killing it, requiring a court appearance in November.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Chitina dip net permit holders must report online by Oct. 15

Chitina dipnetters: report your 2026 harvest online by Oct. 15, even if you got skunked. Miss it, and your whole household sits out next season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Registration permits open Friday for Chugach mountain goats after drawing hunt falls short of quota

Chugach goat hunters who struck out in the drawing get another shot: Unit 14A registration permits open Friday after drawing hunters took just 7 of 12 goats.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Mountain goat hunt south of Port Valdez closes Thursday night after hitting harvest limit

Hunters south of Port Valdez have until Thursday night to finish the RG245 goat hunt. Four goats already hit the limit, and more hunters are still out there.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Bristol Bay's smaller sockeye run pays 21 percent above average

Bristol Bay caught fewer sockeye than usual but got paid far more for them: $264 million, 21% above average. Togiak and Nushagak kings came up short.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Registration opens Oct. 1 for women's wilderness first aid class in Fairbanks

Fairbanks women can learn to handle backcountry injuries when help is far away. Sign-ups for the $125 wilderness first aid class open Oct. 1.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Trail camera shows first fawns from deer moved to the southern Kenai Peninsula

A collared doe with two fawns is the first sign that deer moved to the southern Kenai Peninsula are having babies. Hunters, keep waiting: there's no season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Chignik District red sea cucumber divers get first fishing period Sept. 30 to Oct. 7

Chignik District red sea cucumber divers get their first week of the season starting Wednesday, under a 15,000-pound cap for the whole season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Prince William Sound fall herring fishery opens Thursday with 749-ton cap

Prince William Sound's fall herring fishery opens Thursday with a 749-ton harvest cap, less than half last year's limit due to a weak spring spawn.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Yakutat set gillnetters get another opening, but still can't keep king salmon

Yakutat set gillnetters get another opening starting Sunday. Other salmon are fair game. Kings still aren't, in any size, whether for sale or for dinner.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Copper River commercial salmon season closes Oct. 13 after weak sockeye and strong coho runs

Copper River's commercial salmon season ends Oct. 13. Sockeye came in at a third of forecast, kings hit an eight-year low, and coho decided to make up for it.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Copper River dipnet and subsistence fishing runs through Sept. 30

State extends Unit 9B resident moose season to Sept. 30 after bad weather limited hunting

Wind, rain and high water kept Iliamna-area moose hunters off the water. The state is adding five days, so the Unit 9B hunt now runs through Sept. 30.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Fish and Game proposes flagging struggling salmon runs a year earlier so the public can weigh in

Alaskans often get the state's plan for a struggling salmon run too late to weigh in. Fish and Game wants to flag troubled runs a year earlier instead.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Board of Game proposals would cut Western Arctic caribou limits further as the herd declines

The Western Arctic Caribou Herd is down to about 121,000. Proposals to cut harvest further go before the Board of Game in Kotzebue, and comments are due Jan. 9.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

The Kenai's coho limit stays at two through November

The Kenai's coho limit stays at two instead of stepping up to three. The state is being careful, though the river is still producing limits.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Bering River moose hunt closes after hunters reach 15-bull cap

The Bering River moose hunt closes Friday at its 15-bull cap. The herd behind it is estimated at 213 animals, against an objective of 300 to 350.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska closed its Bering Sea scallop grounds after the two-boat fleet hit the cap

Alaska's whole commercial scallop fishery is two boats. An emergency order just closed the Bering Sea grounds to them for the rest of the season.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Kodiak's salmon fishery opens for 54 hours starting Thursday at noon

Kodiak gets 54 hours of salmon fishing starting Thursday at noon. The Karluk River saw 93 kings reach spawning grounds against a goal of 3,000.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Fishery managers will meet on trawl seafloor contact, with no power to recommend

The Board of Fisheries took 51 seconds on three trawl proposals. Its follow-up meeting can't recommend anything and won't take testimony by phone.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Mar 20

Follows: Board of Fish Defers Trawl Gear Restrictions, Opts for Federal Coordination

Bristol Bay's 2026 sockeye run falls below 50 million for first time since 2014

Bristol Bay caught the fewest sockeye since 2014 and still made more money than usual doing it. Togiak missed its escapement floor by 702 fish.

by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read