Kuskokwim salmon fishing update

This is an announcement from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Bethel for subsistence fishermen in the Kuskokwim Area.
This subsistence fishery announcement was supported by the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Group at the recent meeting open to all stakeholders July 25, 2018 held in Bethel. Subsequent fishery openings will be announced based on inseason assessment with support from the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group.
Kuskokwim River Drainage:
Effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 26, 2018, the following restrictions to the mainstem Kuskokwim River subsistence salmon fishery are rescinded:
• 6-inch or less mesh requirements for subsistence gillnets;
• 25 fathom gillnet length restrictions from the mouth of the Johnson River upstream to the headwaters of the Kuskokwim River (Sections 2–5);
• The live release requirement of Chinook salmon caught in beach seines, fish wheels, and by hook and line;
• The use of dip nets for the taking of salmon; and
• The closed waters within Kuskokuak and Old Kuskokuak sloughs and around the mouth of the Aniak River.
Subsistence fishing with gillnets will remain closed in the following tributaries:
• The Kwethluk River drainage to its confluence with Kuskokuak Slough.
• The Kasigluk and Kisaralik river drainages to their confluences with Old Kuskokuak Slough.
• The Tuluksak River drainage including its confluence with the Kuskokwim River and downstream approximately 1-mile to ADF&G regulatory markers.
• The Aniak River drainage to ADF&G regulatory markers at its confluence with the Kuskokwim River.
In addition, subsistence fishing with hook and line for Chinook salmon will remain closed within the Kwethluk, Kisaralik, Kasigluk, Tuluksak, and Aniak river drainages. Any Chinook salmon caught must be returned to the water alive.
Further announcements will be made from the Bethel Fish and Game office, on the State of Alaska web site (http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main), and local radio stations. News releases will be faxed to area villages and local fish processing companies.
For additional information or questions regarding Kuskokwim Area fisheries, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office in the Bethel at 543-2433 or toll free at 1-855-933-2433.
For additional information concerning this news release:
ADF&G: Aaron Tiernan in Bethel 907-543-2709
USFWS: Ken Stahlnecker in Bethel 907-543-3151
This news release was issued on July 25, 2018.