Manages Alaska's sport and commercial fisheries, hunting regulations, subsistence harvests, and wildlife conservation. Sets annual seasons, bag limits, and permit rules.
1255 W 8th St, Juneau, AK 99802, USA
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Speaker A
“What is the goal? I mean, what. What is the justification for changing what's in place? What's driving this desire to change the existing plan?”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Geneva Preston
“Timber harvest would are very likely to be designed in coordination with the Department of Fish and Game and they would be designed with the purpose of enhancing habitat.”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Geneva Preston
“I think 10 to 20 acres is the range of size limits that you'll see in the wildlife habitat designated subunits. And the management intent statements consistently identify habitat values as the priority for management on these lands”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Geneva Preston
“the draft is available for review that is available digitally on our project website and hard copies will be available in the Forestry office in Haines if folks are interested to come look at a physical copy and we'll ask that you submit your comments by 5pm on June 5th.”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Geneva Preston
“any harvest, any timber harvest or resource development activities must be designed to exist compatibly with public recreation uses. And so typically that would look like timbers harvests that are designed to support recreation facilities or support access to areas that are important for recreation.”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Geneva Preston
“I think 5 acres in unit 3H is the smallest size limit that we see and other units have a cap at 20. 20 Acres is the largest even age timber harvest that I think is permitted in these public recreation designated lands.”Alaska DNR Forestry: Haines State Forest RMA Project Update Meeting – October 10, 2024 · Jun 3, 2026
Salmon dying off in Prince of Wales drainages amid low, warm water
Salmon are dying in several Prince of Wales Island drainages, most notably the Thorne River and Staney Creek, where a lack of rain has left creeks very low and warm, ADF&G area management biologist Craig Schwanke reported Thursday.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A declining Fortymile caribou herd, short hunts, and a dispute over timing
A BLM emergency closure and Aug. 14 reopening cut the federal head start in Fortymile Zone 1 from four days to two, though the state's 48-hour hunt leaves two more federal-only days at the end. Tanana Chiefs Conference filed a complaint Wednesday over the timing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay 2027 sockeye forecast to fall below 50 million, ending an 11-year run
A preliminary university forecast released Aug. 18 projects a 2027 Bristol Bay sockeye run of 44.2 million fish, which would end eleven straight years above 50 million. The authors call the number advisory, with the formal forecast due in November 2026.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Woman injured by brown bear sow near Bells Flats in Kodiak
A woman walking her dog on a densely vegetated trail near a Bells Flats salmon stream was attacked Tuesday by a brown bear sow with two cubs, ADF&G said. Her dog diverted the bear. She was hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
A second person has been hurt in an Anchorage otter attack in three weeks
An adult was hurt by a river otter along Campbell Creek, the second Anchorage otter attack in three weeks, prompting a Fish and Game warning near local lakes and creeks.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Fish and Game plans to cut about 50 of its own rules by year's end
Fish and Game's regulatory reform plan sets a target of trimming roughly 338 discretionary requirements under Title 5 to about 288 by Dec. 31, one of at least fourteen department plans filed under Administrative Order 360. The Department of Health amended its plan Tuesday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Yukon coho are running far below normal, and even a strong chum year likely won't reopen fishing
The first coho counts of the 2026 Yukon season are a fraction of historic norms, with test fishery catch rates at 5.13 against a historic 118.80. Fall chum are running strong but only 9 percent are Canada-origin, so mainstem subsistence fishing stays closed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Sockeye are running so strong in Bristol Bay that anglers can now keep twice as many
A strong sockeye run in Bristol Bay's Wood River and Nushagak drainages has prompted the state to double the daily bag limit to 10 fish, with no size limit, through Dec. 31.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Kodiak fights landfill bears with a second fence and a look at composting
Kodiak's landfill has stayed out of compliance as bears keep reaching the trash, prompting the borough to weigh a second interior fence and a composting program to divert the organics that attract them.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cook Inlet king fishing reopens north of Bluff Point at one fish a day
ADF&G's Southern Kenai and Lower Cook Inlet report says anglers may now fish for king salmon north of Bluff Point, after the emergency-order closure ran through Aug. 15. South of Bluff Point stays at one king per day through Aug. 31.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Pink salmon swamp Kodiak road-system rivers, crowding out sockeye and coho
ADF&G's August 18 Kodiak report describes an unusually large even-year pink salmon run in the Buskin, Olds, Pillar, Monashka and Chiniak systems, making late sockeye harder to find and eclipsing coho in most rivers. Pasagshak is the best bet for coho.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Where to watch spawning salmon around Ketchikan this month
ADF&G's fish viewing guidance lists four Ketchikan-area salmon sites with species-specific timing, and pink salmon at Settlers Cove/Lunch Creek carry the shortest window: August through September, while Herring Cove, Ketchikan Creek and Ward Creek run through October.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su loses its fall silver harvest, with one river closed without even a count
Alaska Fish and Game is barring coho retention on the Susitna and Little Susitna rivers through year's end after four years of poor escapement, with the Deshka weir out after July flooding.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Southeast gillnetters ride a strong pink run, with the season about to turn toward coho
Southeast Alaska drift gillnetters are having a strong pink salmon season, with openings continuing this week and state managers set to shift emphasis toward coho in late August or early September.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Fall chum and coho fishing is closed across the Tanana drainage
Fall chum and coho harvest closed across the Tanana River drainage at 12:01 a.m. Saturday for all users, running through Dec. 31, even as river-wide chum counts ran above median. Managers call it precautionary because Tanana-bound stock strength is still unknown.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
A weak sockeye return has managers ready to open a Juneau-area fishery on six hours' notice
ADF&G extended the Section 11-B drift gillnet fishery 24 hours under Emergency Order 1S4226, closing at noon Friday, July 24, 2026. The order keeps a 6-inch mesh floor south of Circle Point and maintains closures at Limestone Inlet and Port Snettisham.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Southeast seiners get another opening, with one district carrying a below-forecast pink season
ADF&G opened ten Southeast Alaska purse seine districts for 39 hours from 6 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, through 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. Its harvest table shows District 13 taking more than half the recent catch, while Districts 6 and 12 drew no boats at all.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cook Inlet drift gillnetters drop to two days a week as the sockeye catch thins out
Emergency Order 2-F-H-27-26 held the Central District drift gillnet fleet to 12 hours on Aug. 3 in the Expanded Kasilof, Expanded Kenai, and Anchor Point sections, with the two-mile Kenai Peninsula shoreline buffer still in force.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Yukon fall salmon fishing closes at the peak of the season, not for a weak run but to meet Canada's share
Directed subsistence fishing for fall chum and coho closed on the Yukon River from Manley to Eagle, not for a weak run but to meet Canadian treaty escapement goals under the U.S.-Canada agreement.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Upper Koyukuk and Innoko villages can keep every salmon again starting Monday
Starting 8 a.m. Monday, subsistence fishers in the Koyukuk and Innoko drainages can use 6-inch gillnets around the clock and keep everything they catch, while the Yukon mainstem stays closed to protect Canadian-bound fall chum.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kodiak westside, Afognak and Alitak sections get a 45-hour extension
ADF&G's Kodiak commercial salmon advisory #37, issued Saturday, extends fishing 45 hours to 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17 in Southwest Kodiak, Northwest Kodiak, Afognak and Alitak sections. Purse seine non-retention of Chinook 28 inches or greater stays in effect.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Prince William Sound seiners get 12 hours Sunday across six districts
Announcement No. 35 opens specified waters in five Prince William Sound districts to purse seining from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16. Hidden Bay anadromous stream closures are waived for the period, and ADF&G says future openings should shift to every other day.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Three anglers cited for over-limit sockeye on the Middle Kenai River
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited three men on Aug. 1 for exceeding the sockeye limit on the Middle Kenai River and seized the over-limit fish, which were donated to charity. The charges are accusations.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
State says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined
At a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly work session Thursday, a DEC landfill specialist said the landfill violates state wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and an ADF&G biologist said the borough could be fined for negligently feeding wildlife while officials weigh a $250,000 interior fence.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
In Kake, showing up means a vote on fish and game
Any Kake resident of voting age who attends the Aug. 26 meeting at the Organized Village of Kake Office may nominate and vote for seats on the local fish and game advisory committee, which will also discuss Board of Fisheries proposals for the 2027-2028 cycle.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Two Fortymile caribou zones will close after just 48 hours
ADF&G's Emergency Order R3-9-26 closes the RC860 Fortymile caribou registration hunt in Zones 1 and 4 at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 21, one day after the Aug. 20 opening, because biologists expect the 190-bull quota near the Steese Highway to fill within 48 hours.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
ADF&G asks Kenai bull moose hunters for tissue samples within 24 hours of harvest
ADF&G is asking hunters in Units 7 and 15 to donate testicles and scrotum, feces, liver, and a section of lower jaw from bull moose taken this fall, delivered within 24 hours. Participation is voluntary; kits are in Soldotna, Homer, and Anchorage.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Homer's eroded Watermelon Trail is getting rerouted to protect a salmon stream
ADF&G and the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District begin construction Aug. 19 on the Watermelon Trail near Homer, rerouting a 1920s alignment eroded up to six feet deep that sends runoff into Beaver Creek, an anadromous stream. Completion is planned for fall 2027.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Trail runner injured by brown bear near Anchorage's Prospect Heights trailhead
A woman running alone on the Wolverine Bowl trail was injured by a brown bear Thursday, deployed bear spray and walked out to the Prospect Heights trailhead, ADF&G said. Biologists searched the site and collected samples but did not find the bear.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Cook Inlet razor clam permit holders must file a harvest report or lose next year's permit
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Aug. 14 Southern Kenai fishing report again flags the Cook Inlet and North Gulf Coast razor clam permit. Households that skip the online harvest report due Dec. 31 lose permit eligibility for 2027.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Deep Inlet reopens to the commercial fleet after the hatchery takes its cut
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reopened the Deep Inlet Terminal Harvest Area south of Sitka to commercial salmon fishing after NSRAA finished cost recovery. The area had been closed to common-property harvest since June 28 following a June 1-27 rotation among seine, gillnet and troll gear.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Gillnetters near Ketchikan and Haines get an extra day on the water
Two ADF&G emergency orders extend drift gillnet fishing in Section 1-B near Ketchikan and in District 15 near Haines. Section 1-B and Section 15-C close at noon Friday, Aug. 14, while Section 15-A closes a day earlier, at noon Thursday. New closures apply in the Pearse and Portland canals, Chilkat and Lutak inlets, and William Henry Bay.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
King salmon fishing stays closed across the Tanana drainage
ADF&G's Aug. 12 Tanana fishing report carries Emergency Order 3-KS-U-01-26 forward: no sport fishing for king salmon anywhere in the drainage, catch-and-release included, through Sept. 30. The order has been in effect since Feb. 18.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Situk River's Nine Mile Bridge stretch stays closed to all fishing through Aug. 31
Anglers will not get the Situk River's Nine Mile Bridge stretch back on August 16 as scheduled. ADF&G extended the all-species closure through August 31 after only 219 large king salmon passed the weir, against an escapement goal that starts at 450.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Eklutna Tailrace closes stretch to anglers 16 and older Saturday
Anglers 15 and younger get exclusive use of the Eklutna Tailrace from the Knik River confluence up to the pedestrian bridge from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Anglers 16 and older are shut out of that stretch, including catch-and-release.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kodiak's Saltery Cove anglers get their five-fish sockeye limit back after a thin July
ADF&G restores the Saltery Cove drainage salmon bag and possession limit to five fish, effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 through Dec. 31, after 17,511 sockeye passed the Saltery River weir against a 15,000 to 35,000 escapement goal.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Yukon fall chum and coho fishing closes as the Canadian-bound run comes in far below treaty levels
Subsistence fishing for fall chum and coho in Yukon River District 6 closes Aug. 15, as the Canadian-origin chum run falls far below treaty objectives, straining families who depend on the fishery.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kamishak District closed to seining after survey found fewer pinks
ADF&G is closing the Kamishak District to commercial purse seine salmon harvest at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, until further notice, after an Aug. 8 aerial survey found fewer pink salmon than expected. The next Lower Cook Inlet announcement is due Friday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Sheep mortality has run near triple its long-term rate in three Alaska ranges, state research finds
A GPS collar on a healthy adult Dall sheep ram in the Alaska Range foothills switched to a mortality signal, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists flew out of Fairbanks the next day to read the kill site for cause of death.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Sand Point fishermen get 61 hours on the water — in a fishery the rest of Alaska watches closely
ADF&G's Emergency Order No. 4-FS-M-SP-19-26 opens the Alaska Peninsula to commercial salmon fishing for 61 hours, from 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, with purse seine and set gillnet gear allowed in more districts than drift gillnet.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read