Alaska Board of Fisheries Takes First Steps to Place Protections on a Migratory Salmon Corridor in Area M
The Alaska Board of Fisheries, in a 4-3 vote, adopted amended language for Proposal 127 to alter the South Alaska Peninsula – or Area M – June commercial salmon fishery management plan to allow the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to issue up to three 24-hour openers per week for drift gillnet and purse seine vessels between June 10 and June 28. The new plan, which will take effect in 2026, reduces fishing time for these vessels by about 39% and 30%, respectively, from the 2023-2025 plan. It also removes the chum salmon triggers for seine fleet closures adopted in 2023.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | Download PDF here
February 27, 2026 | Fairbanks, Alaska
For YRITFC media, contact: Craig Chythlook, Executive Director | craigchythlook@yritfc.org
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The Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (KRITFC)is a 501(c)3 non-profit that works to support the interests of the 33 Federally recognized Tribes of the Kuskokwim River watershed in fisheries management, research, and monitoring. Our gravel-to-gravel approach to salmon stewardship is guided by Alaska Native knowledge and values as well as the best available Western science.
Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) is a Tribal consortium serving 42 federally recognized Tribes across Interior Alaska. TCC works to support the health, well-being, and self-determination of Alaska Native people and advocates for the protection of subsistence resources vital to Tribal communities across a 235,000-square-mile region.
The mission of Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA) is to maintain and promote a strong regional organization supported by the Tribes of Bristol Bay to serve as a unified voice to provide social, economic, cultural, and educational opportunities and initiatives to benefit the Tribes and the Native people of Bristol Bay.
The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) is a regional non-profit tribal consortium comprising 56 federally recognized tribes of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. AVCP’s region is approximately 55,000 square miles, with a population of 27,000 residing in 48 communities along the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Bering Sea coast. The residents of the region are primarily Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabascan. AVCP is dedicated to supporting the interests of its member tribes, including through community development, education, social services, culturally relevant programs, and advocacy. AVCP promotes self-determination and protection and enhancement of cultural and traditional values. As part of its mission, AVCP has long been committed to advocating for the protection of the Bering Sea and its resources.
Kawerak Inc. is a nonprofit tribal consortium that provides over 40 different programs to the Inupiaq, St. Lawrence Island Yupik and Yup’ik people who reside in 16 communities of western Alaska and represents the 20 federally recognized tribes in the Bering Strait Region.
The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (YRITFC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization charged with representing 44 member Tribal Governments and First Nations of the Yukon River watershed in fisheries management. Founded on Tribal unity, the YRITFC works across jurisdictional and geographic boundaries to maintain our traditional way of life, to protect the health and well-being of all those who rely upon the health of the fish, and ensure wild salmon for generations to come. The YRITFC weaves time-tested Indigenous knowledge and stewardship techniques with the best available Western science to promote a real gravel-to-gravel approach to rebuilding our stocks and in our pursuit of establishing co-management on the Yukon River.