Public Media for Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
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Kuskokwim River Opens To 4-Inch Gillnets For 12 Hours On Wednesday

The Kuskokwim River will have another gillnet fishing opening on Wednesday to target non-salmon species such as whitefish and sheefish.

The opening will run 12 hours from 11 a.m. to 11. p.m. Fishermen are allowed to use 4-inch mesh set gillnets. The nets may not exceed 60 feet in length or 45 meshes in depth, and they must be set within 100 feet of the ordinary high-water mark. That mark is where the riverbank vegetation begins. This distance ensures that gillnets are set near the shore and away from the main current where salmon are more likely to swim. Any fish, including king salmon, caught in the gillnet during the opening can be kept.

This gillnet opening applies to the Kuskokwim River mainstem from its mouth upstream to the Holitna River mouth. The Kuskokwim waters upriver from this point remain open to all-size gillnet fishing until June 9, when this upper river section closes.

During Kuskokwim gillnet closures a range of other live release gear can be used. This includes hook and line, dip nets, beach seines, and fish wheels with live boxes. By regulation, any king salmon caught in this gear during closures must be immediately released alive to the water.

If you have any questions, contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at 907-543-2433.

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.