Yukon Area Gillnet Closures in District 4

For Immediate Release:

June 20, 2024

Emergency Special Action No: 2-KS-10-24            Issued at: Fairbanks, Alaska, June 20, 2024
 

Effective Date: Wednesday, June 26, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4A Lower
                             Sunday, June 30, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4A Upper
                             Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4 BC and the Koyukuk River
Expiration Date Wednesday, July 10, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4A Lower
                               Sunday, July 14, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4A Upper
                               Tuesday, July 16, 2024, 8:00 p.m. for Y4 BC and the Koyukuk River unless superseded by subsequent special action.

EXPLANATION:
This Emergency Special Action closes the Federal public waters of Yukon District Y-4, and the Federal public waters of the Koyukuk River to the use of gillnets of any size for a two-week period, when the bulk of the Chinook salmon run is projected to be in these sections of the river. All gillnets must be removed from the water during this gillnet closure period.

Fishing for non-salmon is still allowed during this period, but it is limited to non-lethal gears including hook and line with a rod or pole, dip net, beach seine, hand line, longline, fyke net, lead, and spear. Pink and sockeye salmon may be retained. Chinook and chum salmon must be released alive.

This Emergency Special Action adds an additional gear restriction to Emergency Special Actions 2-KS-03-24 and 2-KS-4-24 that closed Yukon District Y-4 and the Koyukuk River drainage to the subsistence harvest and retention of Chinook and summer chum salmon. When Emergency Special Action 2-KS-10-24 expires, fishing for nonsalmon may resume with gillnets limited to 4-inch and smaller, 60 feet maximum length, operated as a set net near shore.

REGULATION:
Pursuant to 02-KS-03-24 and 02-KS-04-24, in Federal public waters of the following areas subsistence salmon fishing is currently closed and gillnets of 4-inch and smaller may be used to target nonsalmon.
50 CFR 100.27(e)(3) (ii) is further amended to read:
C) Subdistrict 4-A Lower (from ¾ of a mile downstream from Old Paradise Village upstream to Stink Creek, including Grayling and Anvik and the Anvik River):
(1) Effective 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 26 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 10, all gillnets must be removed from the water. This measure is being taken in order to protect migrating Chinook salmon from incidental harvest in non-salmon gillnets. Fishing for non-salmon is still allowed during this period, but it is limited to non-lethal gears including hook and line with a rod or pole, dip net, beach seine, hand line, longline, fyke net, lead, and spear. Pink and sockeye salmon may be retained. Chinook and chum salmon must be released alive.

D) Subdistrict 4-A Upper (from Stink Creek upstream to the tip of Cone Point, including Kaltag, Nulato, and Koyukuk):
(1) Effective 8 p.m. Sunday, June 30 until 8 p.m. Sunday, July 14, all gillnets must be removed from the water. This measure is being taken in order to protect migrating Chinook salmon from incidental harvest in non-salmon gillnets. Fishing for non-salmon is still allowed during this period, but it is limited to non-lethal gears including hook and line with a rod or pole, dip net, beach seine, hand line, longline, fyke net, lead, and spear. Pink and sockeye salmon may be retained. Chinook and chum salmon must be released alive.

E) Subdistrict 4-B and 4-C and the Koyukuk River (including Galena and Ruby, Huslia, Hughes, Allakaket, Alatna, Bettles, Wiseman, and Coldfoot):
(1) Effective 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 2 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, all gillnets must be removed from the water. This measure is being taken in order to protect migrating Chinook salmon from incidental harvest in non-salmon gillnets. Fishing for non-salmon is still allowed during this period, but it is limited to non-lethal gears including hook and line with a rod or pole, dip net, beach seine, hand line, longline, fyke net, lead, and spear. Pink and sockeye salmon may be retained. Chinook and chum salmon must be released alive.

JUSTIFICATION:
The drainage-wide Chinook salmon outlook is for a run size of less than 70,000 fish, and the Canadian-origin Chinook salmon outlook for passage at the border is less than 15,000 fish. There is unlikely to be any escapement goals met for Chinook salmon and closures will likely be required for the duration of their migration. Pursuant to Section 816 of ANILCA, this Emergency Special Action (2-KS-10-24) closes all gillnet fishing in the Federal public waters of Yukon River District 4 based on recent average run timing for Chinook salmon. These gillnet closures will ensure no incidental harvest of this species in non-salmon gillnets will occur during a two-week period when the bulk of the run is migrating through the area. These closures will be implemented up river based on Chinook salmon migration timing.

CONSULTATION AND OUTREACH:
The Yukon River salmon outlooks and management strategies were discussed at the Eastern Interior, Western Interior, and Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Advisory Council meetings; Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA) annual Preseason Fisheries Meeting; Yukon River Panel; and Yukon River Intertribal Fish commission meeting. The Federal manager held formal preseason management strategy Government-to-Government Tribal Consultation meetings with Yukon River drainage Tribal Governments on April 1 and 2. Tribal Consultations will continue when possible and when requested by Tribal Governments. The Federal fishery outlook and management strategy was sent to all Yukon Tribal and City governments on May 10. Approximately 3,500 copies of the ADF&G and USFWS Preseason Outlook flier were mailed to Yukon River fishing households in May.

This action was taken following coordination with the ADF&G fishery managers. The fishing schedules announced here match those issued concurrently by the ADF&G in state waters (Summer Fishery Advisory Announcement #14). The Federal Subsistence Regional Advisory Council Chairs for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Eastern Interior, Western Interior, and Seward Peninsula Regional Advisory Councils were notified as was the Chair and vice-chair of the Yukon River Intertribal Fish Commission. Review was provided by the Office of Subsistence Management.

Federal Subsistence Board by delegation to: 
Holly Carroll
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Yukon River Inseason Fisheries Manager
Northern Alaska Fish and Wildlife Field Office
 

For additional information concerning Yukon River Federal Special Actions contact Yukon River Federal Manager Holly Carroll at (907) 351-3029.
For information concerning State management actions, contact Yukon River Summer Season Manager, Deena Jallen, and Fall Season Manager, Christy Gleason, in Fairbanks at (907) 459-7274 or in Emmonak at (907) 949-1320.
 

If you’d like to receive emails and notifications on the Federal Subsistence Management Program you may subscribe for regular updates by emailing fws-fsb-subsistence-request@lists.fws.gov. Fishery special actions can be found online here: https://www.doi.gov/subsistence/fisheries-special-actions
Information about the Federal Subsistence Management Program may be found on the web at www.doi.gov/subsistence or by visiting www.facebook.com/subsistencealaska.
 

See Special Action for Detailed Maps of Federal Public Waters in the Yukon River Drainage:
Communities and streams adjacent to the boundary of Federal lands are part of Federal waters, even on the opposite side of the river. For those fishing outside of Federal public waters, they do not need to be federally qualified subsistence users.