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
Video Clips
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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
A small gold permit, on a river fighting for its future
A placer gold mining application on a Susitna tributary highlights growing pressure on the salmon river, as a proposed industrial access road could open the watershed to more mining.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kuskokwim subsistence fishing reopens as salmon run strong
Subsistence fishing reopened on the lower Kuskokwim as Chinook and chum runs met goals, with Alaska resuming mainstem management under a federal ruling protecting subsistence priority.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay is hauling in millions of sockeye — and it's still a down year
Bristol Bay's fleets have landed more than 26 million sockeye salmon so far in 2026, an enormous haul that's still running about 26% below the bay's 10-year average.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Commercial fishing opens in Kuskokwim Bay as subsistence fishing closes
Commercial fishing opened Monday in Kuskokwim Bay's Districts 4 and 5 near Quinhagak and Goodnews Bay under a state emergency order through July 17, with subsistence fishing closed until July 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Two hands-on hunting classes are open in Juneau, and seats are going fast
Fish and Game's Alaskans Afield program is offering hands-on Basic Rifle and Scope Mounting classes in Juneau on Aug. 1 and Aug. 11, both open to ages 12 and up, with limited seats left.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Native org is coaching Yukon harvesters on how to testify effectively
Tanana Chiefs Conference is hosting a July 24 workshop training Yukon-Tanana harvesters to testify effectively in fisheries management, amid a disputed debate over how much salmon bycatch drives the region's declines.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Too many young fish shut Sand Point's seiners out of the Shumagins
Fish and Game closed the Shumagin Islands to seine gear after test fisheries found immature salmon far above the closure threshold, amid a legal challenge to Area M's new rules.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak's seiners can fish — but not for a single king
Kodiak commercial seiners must release all king salmon 28 inches or longer even as other fishing stays open, reflecting Alaska's ongoing king salmon collapse.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Yukon summer chum run tops 900,000 projection, opening subsistence windows across drainage
ADF&G's inseason projection now puts the 2026 Yukon River summer chum run above 900,000 fish, more than double the preseason forecast, allowing selective-gear subsistence openings from the Coastal District through District 4 and the Koyukuk River, with retention windows running through late July in upper districts.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su sockeye opens up — but the kings stay closed
Fish Creek off Knik Goose Bay is open daily through July 14 from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. as ADF&G installs a monitoring weir; Cottonwood Creek is a weekend-only fishery with a one-mile upstream boundary, and both sites carry gear and location rules that differ from general regulations.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Yakutat's king run is coming up short, and the closures keep stacking up
Yakutat's Situk River Chinook run is falling short of its escapement goal, keeping subsistence, commercial and sport fisheries closed to king retention under repeated state emergency orders.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The Tanana opens for chum, but the kings must all go back
ADF&G has set a personal use summer chum salmon season for Subdistrict 6-C on the Tanana River, running July 27 through August 12 in two 42-hour windows per week; all Chinook must be released alive, and fish wheels must meet new 2026 construction standards.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Fewer geese on the Y-K Delta, and a proposal to let hunters take fewer
Alaska proposes cutting the white-fronted goose bag limit from 10 to 6 in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta after population declines, in a key breeding ground and food-hunting region. Comment closes Aug. 5.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Chignik Bay District gets 48-hour window before Chinook plan closes it again Monday
The Chignik Bay District opened Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for a 48-hour commercial salmon window and closes again Monday at 12:30 p.m. under the Chinook Salmon Action Plan, the latest in a series of short openings and mandatory 72-hour closures that have defined the district's July so far.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Troopers are running an enforcement blitz on Bristol Bay's peak season
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited four people in Bristol Bay last week, mostly for commercial vessel identification violations — an enforcement priority this season — amid a broader peak-sockeye crackdown.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Weak kings, strong chum: the Yukon's salmon rules split by the run
Salmon rules across the Yukon shift by district this week: the Lower Yukon closes early over weak fall chum, Chinook restrictions continue, and a strong summer chum run
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
In Alaska, the adult takes the ticket for a kid's line
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued a strict liability citation to Scott Cathey, 70, of California on Thursday after his 13-year-old grandson was found fishing in closed waters at the mouth of Crooked Creek. Intent is not a defense under Alaska law.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska is about to burn 54,000 acres on purpose, to grow more moose
Alaska plans a 54,000-acre prescribed burn in the Alphabet Hills north of Lake Louise this July to regenerate willow and birch browse for moose, with habitat benefits expected in 5 to 15 years.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The sockeye are running strong on the Kenai, and the state just doubled your limit
Three ADF&G emergency orders issued in late June raised sockeye bag limits to six fish per day on the Kenai, Russian, and Kasilof rivers and expanded Kasilof dipnet shore access, backed by a 4.45-million-fish late-run forecast running 23 percent above the recent ten-year average.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A Kenai woman is mauled by a bear on her own front deck
A Kenai woman was seriously injured and airlifted to Anchorage on Thursday after a brown bear sow and two cubs entered her fenced yard and attacked her on her front deck. Authorities say bird feeders likely drew the bears and are asking residents to report sightings.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The offshore fleet that sees Bristol Bay's salmon run coming
ADF&G issued its 10th Port Moller Test Fishery advisory on Wednesday as the monitoring window approaches its July 15 close, giving Bristol Bay commercial permit holders, crew, and processors one of their last data-driven signals before the index goes dark for the season.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Naknek River sockeye may fall short of forecast
ADF&G flagged in early July that the Naknek River sockeye run could return below its 3.89 million fish forecast, with Port Moller Test Fishery data showing the stock underrepresented and early run timing compounding the risk, context that explains why managers have been carefully parceling out fishing windows even as the Kvichak runs strong.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Bristol Bay's sockeye run is coming in stronger than forecast
The University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute raised its 2026 Bristol Bay sockeye in-season forecast 16% to 48.2 million fish on July 7, as ADF&G emergency orders show 579,000 fish harvested in the Naknek-Kvichak District on a single day and vessel registrations climbing toward 396; the season remains below the past four years and pink salmon is forecast 64 million fish below 2025.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
A busy week on the Kenai brings a run of fishing citations
Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited four anglers on the Kenai in one morning — three for keeping snagged sockeye at Bings Landing, one for dipnetting before the season opened.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Yukon Chinook sonar count 34% below average; fall chum added to concern list
ADF&G's Summer Update No. 6 shows only 95,370 Chinook past Pilot Station sonar as of July 6, well short of escapement goals in Alaska and Canada, while fall chum salmon earn a Stock of Management Concern designation and new fish-wheel construction rules take effect across the drainage.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
So few kings are left in the Situk that the state closed their last pool
ADF&G is expanding the sport fishing closed area on the lower Situk River starting July 11, shutting down the popular Rodeo Hole through August 15 after only 100 large king salmon have passed the weir against a management target of 730.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Free Fairbanks streambank workshop opens July 15 for landowners and anglers
ADF&G and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are hosting a free two-day Streambank Rehabilitation Workshop in Fairbanks on July 15-16, with pre-registration required; the workshop covers riparian habitat and hands-on bank stabilization techniques that benefit Interior salmon and resident fish.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Tanana River chum salmon sport fishery reopens as run exceeds forecast
ADF&G lifted its chum salmon sport fishing closure for the Tanana River drainage on Wednesday, citing a summer chum run larger than anticipated and well within escapement goals; anglers may keep up to three salmon other than kings for the rest of the year.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Upper Copper River king salmon sport fishery closed through August 10
ADF&G is closing all Upper Copper River king salmon sport fishing, including catch-and-release, starting Friday after the 2026 run posted the lowest Miles Lake sonar count on record since 2019, threatening the drainage's escapement goal.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Fish and Game will bring moose permits to four Nushagak River villages
ADF&G is distributing resident-only registration permit RM583 for any-bull moose in Game Management Units 17B and 17C, with permits available at the Dillingham office through Aug. 31 and community pickup dates scheduled at four Nushagak River villages before the Aug. 20 season opener.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Chitina dip net fishery cut to 96 hours as Copper River salmon run behind
ADF&G is restricting the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net fishery to 96 hours (Thursday July 16 through Sunday July 19) instead of the typical 168, citing a 30,600-fish deficit below the Miles Lake sonar target; king salmon retention remains banned for the season.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Deshka king run collapse forces Cook Inlet closures amid allocation fight
A collapsing Deshka River king salmon run has ADF&G closing Upper Cook Inlet Northern District commercial fishing, with escapement projected far below the sustainable goal.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska sheep hunters must complete orientation course before Aug. 10 opener
The Alaska Board of Game now requires every hunter pursuing full-curl rams on a general season harvest ticket to complete a department-approved orientation course before heading afield; the Aug. 10 opener leaves roughly five weeks to comply.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Three cited at Chitina dipnet fishery over July 4 weekend; one faces mandatory court date
Alaska Wildlife Troopers issued three citations at the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery on July 4–5, including a mandatory court appearance for a Fairbanks man who kept a king salmon prohibited under a standing Emergency Order.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Bristol Bay Eastside salmon fishery under rapid-sequence emergency orders
Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Division of Commercial Fisheries issued a rapid sequence of emergency orders and announcements July 5-6, directing short-notice openings and closures for Eastside set gillnet and drift gillnet fisheries as Egegik escapement data drive real-time decisions.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Yukon River gillnet closures spread as Chinook and chum run far below average
ADF&G data through June 22 shows 2026 Yukon River Chinook passage at 59% of the historic average and summer chum passage at 27% of the historical median at Pilot Station sonar, triggering salmon fishing closures across all districts and all-gillnet closures through Subdistricts 4-B and 4-C, cutting off subsistence and personal use fishing across the drainage.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Southeast Alaska pink and chum test fisheries run below average ahead of peak season
ADF&G's second update for the 2026 Point Gardner and Kingsmill test fisheries shows both pink and chum salmon harvests below the 10-year average, with male chum sex ratios suggesting later-than-normal run timing that could compress the commercial fishing window for District 10 and Section 9-B.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
ADF&G extends Districts 6 and 8 drift gillnet fishery 48 hours with mesh and area limits
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game extended the drift gillnet fishery in Districts 6 and 8 near Petersburg for 48 hours under Emergency Order 1S2526, closing both districts at noon Saturday, July 4, with a 6-inch maximum mesh limit and geographic closures in portions of District 8.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Kuskokwim subsistence households face empty freezers as salmon closures hold
Federal and state orders have closed most Kuskokwim River salmon harvest through July 31, leaving rural Alaska Native households with narrow windows to fill winter freezers, a food-security gap that is now central to the 2026 U.S. Senate race.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Egegik and Kvichak stocks rise at Bristol Bay's Port Moller intercept
Nine consecutive ADF&G genetic reports from the Port Moller Test Fishery show a clear mid-season shift: Wood River and Nushagak fish led in mid-June, but by July 2-3 Egegik had surged to 31.3% and Kvichak to 22.3%, intelligence that directly shapes where commercial openings are likely to be called.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read