Commercial salmon fishing around the Karluk and Ayakulik river systems could face significant early-season restrictions this summer as fisheries managers respond to continued record-low Chinook salmon returns.
An Alaska Department of Fish and Game advisory released Wednesday afternoon stated that the Karluk system could remain closed through July 5 and the Ayakulik through July 15, stranding Kodiak’s west side fleet for weeks.
Kodiak Area Biologist Geoff Spalinger said previous year’s warm ocean conditions in the Gulf of Alaska has led to the Chinook’s seeming collapse over the last three years.
“We’ve seen low king returns to most king systems in the Gulf of Alaska. We’re experiencing low returns and the recent seasons in 2024 and 2025 can be tied back to the warm water conditions that we had in 2019 and 2020. Those are years where the temperatures were basically at lethal levels for kings,” Spalinger said.
The announcement means about 150 seiners, mostly Kodiak-based, and some 80 west side setnetters will be kept off the west side through the month of June into July. The west side salmon fishery traditionally starts around the second week in June.
“Not just the seine fleet but the setnet gillnet fleet, too. I mean Karluk River sockeye drives the whole West Side fishery … this is going to put a dent in everybody’s early season,” Spalinger said.
KARLUK RIVER
Karluk River king and sockeye salmon are both projected to come in way below escapement goals this year.
“If both sockeye salmon and Chinook salmon runs materialize as predicted, there is a high likelihood the Northwest Kodiak District and Inner and Outer Karluk Sections of the Southwest Kodiak District will be closed from June 1 through July 5,” the announcement states.
The forecast for the Karluk River early-run sockeye salmon return is 115,000 fish, below the river’s biological escapement goal of 150,000 to 250,000 sockeye.
At the same time, Chinook salmon returns to the Karluk have remained critically low.
The department reported escapements of just 379 Chinook in 2023, 76 fish in 2024 and 93 fish in 2025 — far below the river’s Chinook escapement goal of 3,000 to 6,000 fish.
Because of those low returns, ADF&G said it does not expect the Karluk Chinook escapement goal will be met this year.
If runs develop as forecasted, the department said the Northwest Kodiak District and the Inner and Outer Karluk sections of the Southwest Kodiak District are likely to remain closed to commercial salmon fishing from June 1 through July 5.
ADF&G has rescinded the two scheduled 33-hour fishing periods in the Northwest Kodiak District scheduled for June 1 and June 15.
Managers said they will continue monitoring both sockeye and Chinook returns through June and early July before determining whether any commercial openings are warranted.
AYAKULIK RIVER
The outlook for sockeye salmon on the Ayakulik River is considerably stronger. But to maximize Chinook escapement, the department said the Inner Ayakulik Section will remain closed throughout the entire early-run period from June 1 through July 15.
ADF&G forecasts a total Ayakulik sockeye run of about 1.02 million fish, well above the combined sustainable escapement goal range of 200,000 to 400,000 fish for the early and late runs.
But despite the strong sockeye projection, Chinook salmon returns remain depressed.
The department reported Ayakulik Chinook escapements of 590 fish in 2023, 354 fish in 2024 and 444 fish in 2025. The river’s biological escapement goal for Chinook is 4,800 to 8,400 fish.
ADF&G said the Outer Ayakulik Section would open to commercial salmon fishing only if managers determine the upper end of the early-run sockeye escapement goal — 280,000 fish — will be exceeded.
The department said it will continue evaluating salmon returns through June and early July before making additional fisheries decisions.
