Federal management of the Kuskokwim is continuing into July out of concern for Chinook salmon conservation. The Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in consultation with KRITFC In-Season Managers is announcing the following subsistence harvest opportunities for Federally qualified subsistence users on the Federal waters of the Kuskokwim main stem (ESA 3-KS-03-21):

Drift or set gillnet opportunities:

• Friday, July 2 (TOMORROW) from 6:00am to 3:00pm (9-hour opportunity)

• Friday, July 9 from 6:00am to 6:00pm (12-hour opportunity)

• Friday, July 16 from 6:00am to 6:00pm (12-hour opportunity)

*Nets must be 6-inches or less, 300 feet or less below the Johnson, 150 feet or less above the Johnson, and 45 meshes or less.

Set gillnet opportunities (beginning NEXT weekend):

• Saturday, July 10 starting at 12:01am through Sunday, July 11, 2021 at 11:59pm

• Saturday, July 17 starting at 12:01am through Sunday, July 18, 2021 at 11:59pm

*Nets must be 6-inches or less, 100 feet or less, and 45 meshes or less, and may not be operated more than 100 feet from the ordinary high-water mark. Please write your name, phone number, and address on your set net buoy.

Outside of these dates and times, subsistence fishermen and women can harvest fish by:

• Fishing on non-salmon spawning tributaries, such as the Pailleq Slough and Tuntutuliak, Johnson, and Gweek Rivers.

• Fishing in the Kuskokwim Bay or above the Kalskag line.

• Using alternative means and methods, which are dip nets, fish wheels with live release boxes, beach seines, and hook and line. (Note: All king salmon caught using these gear types must be returned to the water alive.)

During the entire season under Federal management, salmon-bearing tributaries listed in ESA 3-KS-01-21 will remain closed to gillnets and to the harvest of Chinook salmon using alternative methods and means.

Please contact the Refuge at 543-3151 with questions or visit the KRITFC and Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge’s Facebook pages for more information. Quyana, Tsen’ahn, Thank you!