Low silver numbers behind Buskin River closure

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing the Buskin River drainage to sport fishing for coho salmon. The closure goes into effect Thursday, Sept. 22 at midnight. Fish and Game announced the closure earlier this week, saying that the run is not currently projected to meet the escapement goal.

As of Monday, 981 silvers had passed through the Buskin weir, and an additional 1,000 coho salmon are holding in the river below the weir, according to Fish and Game Area Management Biologist Tyler Polum.

That’s still short of the escapement goal of 4,700 to 9,600 fish.

Thursday’s closure is effective through the end of the year. And any coho salmon caught incidentally while fishing for other species must be released immediately.

The Buskin closed for subsistence and sport fishing earlier this summer due to low sockeye numbers. It reopened less than a month later.