(Fairbanks) - The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing the Yukon River drainage (excluding the Tanana River drainage) to sport fishing for chum salmon, effective 12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 1, 2021. All chum salmon caught incidentally while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Estimated passage of summer chum salmon past the Pilot Station sonar through June 28, 2021, was 30,949, which is well below the median cumulative count of 517,587, and the lowest cumulative count on record for this date. The 2021 run is anticipated to be below the lower bound of the inriver escapement goal of 500,000 – 1,200,000 or if the lower bound is achieved provide limited surplus fish for harvest. Subsistence fishing for chum salmon is currently closed and closure of the chum salmon sport fishery is warranted throughout the entire Yukon River drainage, excluding the Tanana River, to ensure spawning escapement.

For additional information, please contact Lisa Stuby, Yukon Area Management Biologist at (907) 459-7202.

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