August 13, 2026 — Federal fisheries managers have announced an emergency closure for the harvest of silver salmon on the Kuskokwim River and its tributaries within federal refuge boundaries.
The closure goes into effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12 and is a continuation of a state closure already in place.
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Manager Spencer Rearden said that this year’s run of silver salmon, also called coho, is tracking similar to 2022, when estimated returns were the lowest in more than two decades.
“Fifty percent of the run has already passed Bethel now, and could the numbers improve with some late runs? Absolutely. We want to open the river, but until the fish say we can, we’re closed at this moment,” Rearden said.
As of Aug. 10, an estimated 96,000 silvers had passed the Kuskokwim River sonar, just downriver from Kwethluk, Rearden said. On the same day in 2022, that number was around 86,000.