| Summary: | ABSTRACT: Management of the Kuskokwim River Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) subsistence fishery has historically been conducted with minimal in-season harvest information. Because of this lack of information, it is challenging to make in-season management decisions regarding fishing opportunities to simultaneously achieve conservation and subsistence harvest objectives, particularly during years of weak Chinook Salmon runs. In response to an uncertain 2020 Kuskokwim River Chinook Salmon run, and given recent years with low returns, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association and the Orutsararmiut Native Council, collected data to produce in-season subsistence salmon harvest estimates from that portion of the mainstem Kuskokwim River within the boundaries of the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge between and including the villages of Tuntutuliak and Akiak. Using methods developed and refined during 2016 – 2018, The author estimated the total subsistence salmon harvest in this area was 35,500 (95% CL: 29,310 – 42,470) during seven fishing opportunities between June 3 and June 24, 2020. Most salmon harvested were Chinook Salmon (23,210; 95% CL: 19,060 – 28,050), followed by Sockeye Salmon ( O. nerka 6,710; 5,170 – 8,380), and Chum Salmon ( O. keta 5,590; 4,120 – 7,350). Methodologies refined during this study will be useful to structure future efforts to estimate subsistence salmon harvests on the Kuskokwim River as well as other fisheries with similar characteristics.
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