Ketchikan, Alaska (KINY) – Ketchikan Misty Fjords District Ranger Cathy Tighe, under authority delegated by the Federal Subsistence Board, is closing the Federal public waters that flow into District 1, except to Federally-qualified subsistence users in the Unuk River drainage, to the taking of Eulachon from 12:01 a.m. on March 1, 2024, until 11:59 p.m. on April 15, 2024. This action closes both State and Federal fisheries within the Federal public waters of District 1, except the Federal subsistence fishery on the Unuk River.
Harvest within waters of the Unuk River drainage shall be limited to one 5-gallon bucket of whole eulachon per household, and gear is restricted to dip net and/or cast nets. All Eulachon incidentally caught outside of the Unuk River in Federal public waters draining into District 1 must be immediately released into the water unharmed. A Federal Subsistence fishing permit is required, and harvesters must abide by the terms of that permit. Harvesters are encouraged to provide a few fish to the Ketchikan Misty Fjords Ranger District to sample for age and genetic analysis.
Federal subsistence fishing permits are available at the Ketchikan Misty Fjords Ranger District Office, 3031 Tongass Avenue, Ketchikan, AK, 99901. Requirements to obtain a Federal Subsistence permit differ from those for State Subsistence. You must have a primary, permanent place of residence in a rural area (as designated by the Federal Subsistence Board) to qualify to hunt, trap, or fish under Federal subsistence regulations. Please bring your identification as well as proof of rural residency, such as a piece of mail with a physical address.
