Manages Alaska's sport and commercial fisheries, hunting regulations, subsistence harvests, and wildlife conservation. Sets annual seasons, bag limits, and permit rules.
Photo by Lisa Hupp, USFWS, via Flickr · Photo source · Public domain
adfg.alaska.gov ↗Alaska
Places and topics in this news
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Have a story about Alaska Department of Fish & Game? Send a tip
Week of Aug 3
One goat fills the quota, and a whole hunting zone closes for the season
A single goat filled the entire season quota for Unit 1C's Point Windham zone, closing it to hunting Saturday night, a pocket of country so goat-scarce it allows just one animal a year.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kodiak restarts landlocked silver salmon stocking after 11 years
Kodiak's road-system lakes are getting a landlocked silver salmon fishery back, the first stocking since 2015, though the fish need three years to grow to catchable size.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
The Yukon River is mostly closed to salmon fishing this year
The Yukon is mostly closed to salmon fishing in 2026 — kings, chum, likely coho — with runs badly depressed and kings barred under a U.S.-Canada pact.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Ketchikan anglers can keep more kings this month, even with a slow run
Ketchikan anglers can keep more kings this month even though the run is slow, though area closures still apply and the department hasn't explained the increase.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Want to spear whitefish by lantern light? The permit deadline is Friday
Alaska households have until Friday to enter the lottery for 400 permits to spear whitefish by lantern light on the Chatanika River this fall.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A sixth straight weak week points to a below-average chum run near Petersburg
A sixth straight below-average week points to a weak chum run near Petersburg, with pinks running low and mixed, as the season's test fisheries close out.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Situk River sockeye fishery has all but ended, ADF&G says
Situk River sockeye runs have collapsed to their lowest in five years, forcing ADF&G to tell anglers the sport fishery has ended even though the daily limit stays at three fish.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska's one-boat state crab fishery reopens as offshore quota rises
Alaska's tiny state-waters golden king crab fishery reopens — one boat fished it last year — while the far larger offshore quota climbs 13%.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day as coho pour in
Ship Creek jumps to six salmon a day starting Friday as more than 1,100 coho pour in, though kings still can't be kept for the rest of the year.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
King salmon retention at Blind Slough ends Aug. 15
King salmon retention in Blind Slough near Petersburg closes at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 15, ending a summer window that opened after hatchery returns exceeded projections.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Twenty ptarmigan a day, most of the year, across the Interior
Interior ptarmigan hunters get 20 birds a day from August through February across Units 12, 20 and 25C, with big stretches of lightly hunted country to work.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Four dipnet openings left at Chitina in August
Chitina dipnetters have four 48-hour openings left in August and can't keep any kings, after a below-average sockeye run and a weak Copper River king return.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Cook Inlet drift fleet limited to Area 3 for a single 12-hour opener Thursday
Cook Inlet drift gillnetters get just one 12-hour opener in Area 3 Thursday, driven by coho conservation — a federal EEZ closure and state limits are squeezing the fleet's access as coho harvest runs over its cap.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Yukon fall salmon subsistence fishing closes as the run falls short
Fall chum and coho subsistence fishing is closing across the upper Yukon as the run falls short, the last in a season of closures that moved steadily up the river.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Weak coho run cuts Little Susitna limit to one fish, bans bait
A weak coho run cut the Little Susitna limit to one fish and banned bait through Sept. 30, with just 438 fish counted against a goal of over 9,200.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Juneau hunters can take two low-cost Fish and Game classes this August
Juneau hunters can grab two cheap Fish and Game classes before fall, scope mounting for $15 or a full day of wilderness survival for $25. Spots are limited.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Coming up
Shaped by Wildlife: Stories of encounters, harvests, and traditions
Glenn Massay Theater, Palmer, Alaska
Performance
Upper Tanana Fortymile Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Ketchikan Fish and Game Advisory Committee Meeting
Meeting
Northern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Hunt (RC504) Opens
Sports event
NPFMC Charter Halibut Management Committee - 12/02/2026
Meeting
About Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Photo by Lisa Hupp, USFWS, via Flickr · Photo source · Public domain
adfg.alaska.gov ↗Alaska
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is the State of Alaska agency that manages sport, commercial and subsistence fisheries, hunting and wildlife conservation. Its divisions include Sport Fish, Commercial Fisheries, Wildlife Conservation and Subsistence.
The department sets seasons, catch and bag limits and permit rules, opening and closing fisheries as harvest limits are reached. It surveys anglers and subsistence households, estimates crab and salmon stocks to set harvest levels, issues hunt and dip net permits, and offers outdoor education classes.
Fish and Game brings proposals to the Board of Fisheries and the Board of Game, which adopt the regulations it carries out, and Wildlife Troopers enforce them. Recurring questions include predator control for declining caribou herds, salmon allocation disputes that reach the courts, and crab limits in the Bering Sea.
More from Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Most of the deer Alaska moved to the Kenai died over winter. The state is trying again.
Most of the 19 deer Alaska moved to the southern Kenai last fall died over a brutal winter, but the state is releasing 15 to 20 more this fall to try to build a future huntable herd.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Wasilla man cited for motorized vehicle use in Palmer Hay Flats refuge
A Wasilla man was cited for driving a motorized vehicle in Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge, where off-road use is restricted to permitted activities in specific seasons and terrain.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Craig and Klawock anglers must keep their catch whole until the dock
Sport anglers out of Craig and Klawock have to keep rockfish, lingcod and salmon whole until the dock so creel samplers can measure the catch.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Week of Jul 27
Kenai dipnet season closes after another strong sockeye run
The Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery closed for 2026 after a late-run sockeye return near 3 million, again clearing Fish and Game's escapement goals. Kasilof stays open through Aug. 7.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Zoo moves injured rescued bear, closes exhibit after threats
A rescued brown bear was moved from the Alaska Zoo after a fight left her hurt, and the backlash brought threats against the other bears, closing the exhibit.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Mountain goat area west of Harlequin Lake closes tonight after a long population slide
The mountain goat area west of Harlequin Lake closes to RG170 hunters tonight — goat numbers there crashed from 122 to a dozen over the years, and a recent rebound hasn't convinced the state.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Visiting anglers get an extra king salmon in Southeast this fall
Visiting anglers can keep a fourth king salmon in Southeast this fall, since the catch ran low — though the same math that eased the limit could tighten it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Prince William Sound king salmon limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15
Prince William Sound's king limit stays at one fish through Sept. 15, right as the bite heats up near Glacier Island. Four terminal harbors still allow two.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
On Ship Creek, you can't even lift a king out of the water
Anchorage's creeks are open for coho but locked down on kings, and on Ship Creek you can't even lift one out of the water before releasing it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Seward Lagoon youth-only king salmon fishery closes Friday night
Seward Lagoon's youth-only king salmon fishery closes Friday night at midnight, ending the summer window for anglers 15 and younger.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Chitina dipnetters can keep sockeye but must release every king
Chitina dipnetters can catch sockeye but must release all kings this season, as weak Copper River runs raise an old question: which fishery fishes less first?
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay hit its sockeye forecast. Prices are a different story.
Bristol Bay caught nearly as many sockeye as last year but is running 40% behind on value. Strong run, soft prices.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Third gear cut in a week leaves setnetters absorbing a weak Susitna run
Fish and Game has cut Northern District setnet gear three times in a week over a weak Susitna sockeye run, leaving about 530 family permit holders to absorb it.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Nushagak kings close on the calendar, not on a recovery
Nushagak-Mulchatna kings close Friday, release-only to the end. The restrictions lift on the calendar even though projected passage is less than half the goal.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Strong sockeye run opens Fish Creek to six salmon a day
A banner sockeye run opens Fish Creek early, doubling the sport limit to six salmon a day through Aug. 15. Kings still off-limits, coho capped at two.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Bristol Bay
A Homer fisherman cited for fishing closed waters in Egegik heads to court Aug. 7 — a case that lands on Bristol Bay's tight fishing clock and who it's built to protect.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom 
Bering Sea crab fee drops by half, but the itemization fight remains
The Bering Sea crab fee dropped by half — but because the fishery earned more, not because the fleet can finally see what it's being charged for.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readFrom 
The state is opening Kenai lynx season — and already predicting it'll close next year
Alaska is opening Kenai lynx season Dec. 15–Feb. 28 while already predicting it'll close next year — the cats are heading toward the bottom of their boom-bust cycle.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
State cost-share helps Kenai and Mat-Su fix eroding riverbanks
Kenai and Mat-Su landowners can get the state to cover up to half or two-thirds of eroding-bank repairs — if they use salmon-friendly fixes, not rock armor.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Weak sockeye run tightens fishing at Saltery Creek, twice in two days
A no-show sockeye run at Kodiak's Saltery Creek closes extra subsistence waters and cuts the sport limit from five fish to two, two restrictions in two days.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Kids get the Homer Spit's prime fishing spot for a day
Kids get the Homer Spit's best fishing hole to themselves Saturday for the lagoon's youth day — a perk some shut-out adults grumble about.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
The state ordered Cook Inlet setnetters onto gear their permits don't allow
Alaska ordered Cook Inlet setnetters onto gear their permits don't allow, deepening a years-long squeeze on a fishery it controls in state waters.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Portland fisherman cited for fishing during a closed period in Kvichak Section
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited a Portland fisherman for illegal netting in Bristol Bay. This is one of 11 recent enforcement cases.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Fish and Game offers $6 foraging class at Matanuska River Park
Fish and Game will walk you through Matanuska River Park for $6 and answer the only foraging question that matters: can I eat this, or will it kill me?
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read