At midnight tonight, the state will take over the waters of the Kuskokwim River drainage currently under federal jurisdiction.
Since June 12, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has managed the Kuskokwim waters within the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge from the mouth of the Kuskokwim to Aniak.
Fish and Wildlife took over the management to restrict king salmon harvests to local subsistence users during this year’s low run. Under state control, the river would have been available to all Alaska subsistence users.
Now that the king salmon run has mostly passed through these waters, management is being handed back to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
The river will remain closed to gillnet use until further notice from the state.
