Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

09/14/2026

Neqet yukaatkut. Niiciki qanemciput.
“We are Salmon People. Hear our stories.”

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series exploring the Yukon River salmon collapse. Read Part 1 at salmonpeople.org.

Salmon People is a partnership between the Association of Village Council Presidents, the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

09/14/2026

For a thousand generations, our people have responsibly managed the waters of the Bering Sea and the great rivers that feed it. Following the wisdom and guidance of our leading traditional scientists — our Elders — we have harvested fish, game, and plants as stewards: with respect, reciprocity, and relationality. Alaska Native management kept our ecosystems in balance, even when species went through cyclical declines, because our ancestors took only what was needed and left no waste.

Although our people have depended on and stewarded these ecosystems longer than anyone else, our Indigenous Knowledge has been marginalized in the decades since colonization, forcing Alaska Native communities to compete for meaningful roles in the institutions that govern our foods and ways of life.

The direct role of Western governance in the collapse of the salmon returns across Interior and Western Alaska has been discussed in teachings and stories since the change in fisheries management took place, before statehood. Principles of unity, collaboration, and taking only what is needed have always sustained our reciprocity and relationality with place, as well as our fisheries. It is beyond time that the State of Alaska recognizes the harmful impacts of ‘maximizing sustained yields’ only for profit, that the State uplifts Native values for fisheries stewardship, and that the State takes accountability for the ecological impacts of Western governance.

Alaska Native communities have long understood that a strong ecosystem and strong Native traditions are one and the same. Sustainable fisheries can only be achieved when those who have cared for these waters the longest are empowered to help lead.

Stated simply: Where our Tribes lead, our fisheries thrive.

Read our full story, “Teetering on the Edge of the Bering Sea,” at www.salmonpeople.org/stories.

09/01/2026

Our FINAL in-season newsletter of the 2026 salmon season issued today. You can read it, find our archived newsletters, and subscribe for the next one at https://www.kuskosalmon.org/newsletter.

Wishing safety and success to all fall hunters and fishers!

Photo: Aerial shot of Nikolai by Andrew Magel/KRITFC.

08/28/2026

Stay tuned for more information about this documentary, which helps tell today's salmon story of our Kuskokwim River communities.

Doing Fish is a feature length documentary giving an intimate look at those most impacted by the salmon collapse in southwestern Alaska. This film chronicles two weeks on the Kuskokwim River, stepping into fish camp with Yup’ik families fighting to fish for salmon - their primary food source. It’s about more than an ecosystem in decline - it’s a story about families and their connections to one another, to the generations before them, to the river, and to the fish that have sustained them for thousands of years. Directed by Andrew Petrilla and produced by The Garden Creative , we are excited to share this with the world as we begin to submit the film to festivals in the coming months. Here’s our poster for the film, to kick off our Instagram! Designed by our incredible Senior Illustrator & Animator Justin Wolfson

08/28/2026

Yesterday, some of our Community-Based Harvest Monitoring (CBHM) program crew gathered at our Bethel office for a post-season meeting to visit after our summer work and reflect on our season.

In 2026, KRITFC hired 17 harvest monitors in villages between Eek and Tuluksak as employees of our CBHM program. These harvest monitors interviewed fishers in their communities after each opener to record anonymous information about salmon harvests and fishing effort. The surveys they conducted were combined with those done by Orutsararmiut Native Council in Bethel, and with aerial boat and net counts done by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or KRITFC, to produce our in-season harvest estimates.

Across the federal subsistence fishing openers in the lower Kuskokwim this year, our CBHM crew collected 667 fishing surveys – 57% of all in-season harvest surveys in 2026!

Nutaan and quyana cakneq to this amazing crew for their hard and persistent work this season!

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Learn more about the CBHM program at https://www.kuskosalmon.org/cbhm.

Find 2026 in-season harvest estimates at https://www.kuskosalmon.org/2026-fishing-info

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Photo: 2026 CBHM program crew pictured left-to-right: Back row: Carl Napoka Jr., Cameron Jacob, George Hoffman, Alice Jimmie, Katya John // Middle row: Elizabeth Phillip, Alfred Epchook, Carol Hoagland // Front row: Essie Bean, Bill Bechtol, Terese Vicente.

08/27/2026

After consultation with KRITFC's In-Season Managers, the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Manager issued an announcement for three SET GILLNET ONLY subsistence fishing opportunities in federal waters of the Kuskokwim River main stem (from the mouth of the river to the downstream end of the Aniak Box):

~ Saturday, August 29 from 8am to 8pm (12 hours)
~ Saturday, September 5 from 8am to 8pm (12 hours)
~ Saturday, September 12 from 8am to 8pm (12 hours)

Set gillnets can be up to 4-inch mesh, 45 meshes in depth, and 60 feet in length. While these opportunities are intended to target whitefish, all species of fish may be retained during the times listed above.

The salmon-bearing tributaries and the Aniak Box listed in 04-SS-26-03 will remain closed to all gillnets, and to the harvest of coho salmon, during and between these opportunities.

You can find all Kuskokwim River fishing news and announcements from this season at https://www.kuskosalmon.org/2026-fishing-info.

08/25/2026

Join us TODAY at 10:00 AM for our FINAL RIVER-WIDE TELECONFERENCE of the 2026 season! Call in to speak with managers, hear the latest fishing updates, and share your observations of Kuskokwim fish.

Join by computer or phone app: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87017468838
Dial-in at: 888-788-0099 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 870 1746 8838
No passcode.

We are holding our river-wide teleconference TODAY starting at 10:00 AM. Join us to hear the latest fishing announcements, speak with managers, and share updates about your harvests.

Join by computer or phone app: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87017468838
Dial-in at: 888-788-0099 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 870 1746 8838
No passcode.

08/21/2026

This afternoon, the Alaska Department of Fish & Game released Emergency Order #3-S-WR-05-26, which will implement rolling closures to reduce the harvest of coho salmon from Aniak to the headwaters.

In Section 4 (from Aniak to downstream of the mouth of the Holitna), effective Friday August 21 at 5pm to Friday August 28 at 5pm:
~Subsistence fishing for coho is closed.
~Gillnets are closed in all flowing waters of Sections 4 and tributaries that flow into it.
~Selective gears (Fishwheels, beach seines, dipnets and hook and line) are allowed to target whitefish, sheefish, pike and non-coho salmon.
~All coho salmon caught in these gears must be immediately returned to the waters alive.
~All other fish may be retained.

In Section 5 (from the mouth of the Holitna River to the headwaters of the Kuskokwim), the regulations above will be in place effective August 28 at 5pm until September 4 at 5pm.

A map of ADF&G-defined sections of the Kuskokwim can be found in this post.

To read all regulations and to find justification for this advisory announcement view the full announcement, visit https://www.kuskosalmon.org/news/upriver-subsistenceclosure-coho-26-.

You can find all Kuskokwim River fishing news and announcements from this season at https://www.kuskosalmon.org/2026-fishing-info.

Photo Courtesy of Alicia Fisher

08/18/2026

Our weekly teleconference is live! Join us to speak with managers and share updates or concerns about Kuskokwim fisheries.

Join by computer or phone app: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87017468838
Dial-in at: 888-788-0099 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 870 1746 8838
No passcode.

We are holding our river-wide teleconference TODAY starting at 10:00 AM. Join us to hear the latest fishing announcements, speak with managers, and share updates about your harvests.

Join by computer or phone app: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87017468838
Dial-in at: 888-788-0099 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 870 1746 8838
No passcode.

08/14/2026

Notice for lower Kuskokwim moose hunters!

FEDERAL SUBSISTENCE MOOSE HUNT KUSKOKWIM RIVER ZONE 2 FEDERAL LAND DRAW HUNT

This is a notice for a federal subsistence moose registration hunt for Unit 18 Kuskokwim river zone 2 area. This hunt will occur only on Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge lands in Unit 18 Zone 2 of the Kuskokwim River. To be eligible for the permit, you must be a resident of Akiachak, Akiak, Atmautluak, Bethel, Eek, Kalskag, Kasigluk, Kipnuk, Kongiganak, Kwethluk, Kwigillingok, Lower Kalskag, Napakiak, Napaskiak, Nunapitchuk, Oscarville, Quinhagak, Tuluksak, and Tuntutuliak

Twenty permits with a quota of 15 moose will be issued by drawing. This does not affect the RM 615 Registration Hunt. To enter in the drawing contact the Yukon Delta NWR Subsistence coordinators phone line at 907-621-6125 and leaving your name, phone number, and village of residence on the voicemail starting August 17, 2026 at 9:00AM to August 19, 2026. Any voicemail before 9am on August 17 will be deemed void.
Conditions for the hunt are as follows:
• The season dates are from September 1 to October 15, 2026.
• If you harvest a moose in any other hunt during 2026 season, this permit becomes void and invalid.
• Any antlerless moose may be harvested.
• Moose harvested under this permit must be harvested from federal lands in zone 2 of the Kuskokwim hunt area.
• Hunters must have and possess a valid State of Alaska hunting license.
• Successful hunters must report their harvest 7 days after taking a moose.
• Unsuccessful hunters must report their permits 14 days after the close of the season.
• If you do not submit this harvest report by the applicable deadline, you will be ineligible for any federal permit next year and you may receive a fine.

Image description: News release for Federal subsistence moose hunt.