It’s two weeks away, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a Kuskokwim River fishing opening for Monday, June 12. That’s the day USF&WS takes over management of king salmon in the lower and middle river where it runs through federal lands.
The opening will be 12 hours, from noon to midnight, and is restricted to local subsistence users.
Fishermen are allowed to use drift-nets or set-nets at six-inches or less mesh that may not exceed 45 meshes in depth.
The length restrictions differ depending on what part of the river you are fishing on. From the Johnson River upstream to Aniak, the nets many not exceed 25 fathoms in length. From the Johnson River downstream to the mouth of the Kuskokwim, nets many not exceed 50 fathoms in length.
Mangers can rescind the opening before June 12 if run numbers are low leading up to this date.
CORRECTION: An earlier draft of this story read that the opening would only allow for set-nets, when both drift-nets and set-nets are allowed.
