TL;DR
- The big net fisheries start on the Copper River, where the 2026 drift gillnet season opened May 22, 2026. Bristol Bay opens June 1, Chignik’s first 2026 period was June 17, and Southeast seiners and gillnetters started June 21, 2026.
- Bristol Bay peaks in early July. In 2024 the Egegik District’s two biggest harvest days were July 3 and 4, and its run midpoint of July 7 was one day off the 20-year average of July 6. Gear allocation rules run through July 17.
- The season runs into fall: Southeast summer troll runs July 1 to September 30, 2026, Copper River coho periods were set for September 14 and 17, 2026, and Upper Cook Inlet set gillnet fisheries close about October 1.
- North Pacific Seafoods’ Red Salmon Cannery in Naknek runs June 10 to the end of July and hires February through early June. Silver Bay Seafoods’ salmon season runs mid or late June to early or mid September.
- Fish counts move the dates. Chignik did not open for sockeye until June 20 in 2025, and Cook Inlet’s east side set gillnet fishery had no way to open at all in 2026.
Every Alaska salmon fishery runs on two calendars: the opening date written in regulation, and the schedule the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) actually sets once it starts counting fish. This page lays out both, fishery by fishery, from ADF&G’s 2026 outlooks, plans and announcements, its 2024 and 2025 season reports, and the windows processors publish for their plants.
Use it to pick the fishery that fits the summer you have. For pay, licenses and how to find a berth, read how to get an Alaska fishing job. For what a crew share is worth, see deckhand pay.
When does Alaska salmon season start?
In late May on the Copper River, and in June for most other net fisheries. The Copper River District opened for a 12-hour drift gillnet period on May 22, 2026. Bristol Bay opens June 1 by regulation, the South Peninsula’s June seine fishery on June 10, and in 2026 Southeast seiners and gillnetters started June 21 and Upper Cook Inlet’s drift fleet June 22. Some Southeast spring troll areas start earlier, on May 1, and the summer troll season opens July 1.
The table gives each fishery’s opening and main window as ADF&G states it, with the year. The last column lists plant or crew timing only where an employer published it.
| Fishery and gear | Main species | Opens | Main run and peak | Plant or crew timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper River District, drift gillnet | Sockeye and king, then coho | May 22, 2026, 12-hour period | Coho management from early to mid-August; periods set for Sept. 14 and 17, 2026 | A Cordova plant offers arrival May 1, May 15 or June 1 |
| Prince William Sound drift gillnet (Coghill, Eshamy, Unakwik) | Hatchery chum and sockeye, then coho | June 1, 2026; Unakwik expected June 15 | Hatchery chum historically June 1 to July 27; hatchery coho early August to late September | Not published |
| Prince William Sound purse seine | Hatchery chum, then pink | Scheduled for June 1, 2026 | Valdez pink openings generally start the first week of July; Port Chalmers closes late July (2026) | Not published |
| Bristol Bay drift and set gillnet | Sockeye | June 1 by regulation (2026) | Weekly schedules to June 17–24, then run-based fishing to July 17; peak harvest July 3–4 in Egegik (2024) | Naknek plants June 10 or mid-June to late July; Togiak June 10 to mid-August |
| Upper Cook Inlet drift gillnet | Sockeye, coho | Third Monday in June or June 19, whichever is later; first regular period June 22, 2026 | Kenai sockeye peak July 15–31; fleet fished June 19 to Sept. 5 (2025) | Not published |
| Upper Cook Inlet set gillnet | Sockeye, coho | June 12 to June 25 by area (2026); east side set gillnets closed for 2026 | Fisheries close by emergency order about Oct. 1 | Not published |
| Kodiak purse seine and set gillnet | Sockeye, then pink, chum, coho | June 1; early-run management June 1 to July 15 (2026) | Pink management from July 6, fishing extended to late August, coho mostly August and September (2025) | Not published |
| Chignik purse seine | Sockeye, then pink, chum, coho | June 17, 2026; June 20 in 2025 | Late sockeye run enters early to mid-July; 2026 periods ran through Sept. 7–9 | Not published |
| Alaska Peninsula (Area M) seine and gillnet | Sockeye, chum, pink, coho | South Peninsula June fishery: first seine period June 10 by regulation | Post-June fishery July 6–31, pink and chum in August; last 2025 delivery Sept. 7 | Not published |
| Southeast purse seine | Pink, chum | Hatchery areas June 1; season opened June 21 (2026) | Southern districts from July 2–5, 2026; 2024 traditional season July 4 to Aug. 28 | Not published |
| Southeast drift gillnet | Sockeye, chum, pink, coho | 12:01 p.m., June 21, 2026 | District 1 pink plan from July 19; coho late August into early October (2026 plan) | Not published |
| Southeast troll | King, coho, chum | Spring troll from May 1 in some areas; summer July 1 (2026) | Summer season July 1 to Sept. 30; mid-August coho closure of 2–10 days is typical | Not published |
| Yukon and Kuskokwim | Chum, coho, king, sockeye | No Yukon commercial periods in 2025; none planned on the Kuskokwim River for king, chum or sockeye in 2026; Kuskokwim Bay opened July 7, 2026 | Not applicable | Not published |
Sources: ADF&G 2026 outlooks, management plans and advisory announcements; ADF&G 2024 and 2025 season summaries and annual management reports; North Pacific Seafoods and Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods employment pages. Accessed Sep 14, 2026.
When does Bristol Bay salmon season start, and when is the peak?
Bristol Bay opens June 1 by regulation and peaks in early July. ADF&G’s 2026 outlook put each district on a fixed weekly schedule early on to protect king salmon, then set fishing time by run strength. Naknek-Kvichak was scheduled to fish four days a week from June 1 to June 24, 2026, Egegik three days a week through June 17, and Ugashik on a fixed schedule through June 24.
The Nushagak District waits on fish. Under its king salmon plan, drift fishing may start only when projected sockeye passage reaches 8 percent of the Nushagak River forecast or 12 percent of the Wood River forecast, or at 9 a.m. June 28 if neither trigger is met (2026 outlook). Igushik set gillnets were likely to start in mid-June, and Nushagak Section setnetters were told to expect regular closures into the second week of July.
The peak is easier to see in the 2024 Bristol Bay annual management report. In Egegik, drift effort peaked June 22, when 275 permits were registered, but the fish came later: July 3 and 4 together produced 930,000 sockeye, the season’s peak harvest days. The Egegik run midpoint was July 7, near the 20-year average of July 6, and the Ugashik escapement midpoint was July 12, equal to its 20-year average. The 2025 season summary found baywide run timing one day earlier than average.
After the allocation period ends July 17, fishing opens up as the run tails off; in 2024 Egegik went to 24 hours a day from July 17 to July 28, then to its fall schedule. Naknek plants run on the same clock: North Pacific Seafoods’ Red Salmon Cannery operates June 10 to the end of July.
When do the Copper River and Prince William Sound fisheries run?
Copper River gillnetters start in late May and fish into September; Prince William Sound seiners start June 1 on hatchery chum and shift to pink salmon in July. ADF&G’s 2026 Prince William Sound fishery information set the Copper River opener for May 22, with a standard schedule of two periods a week. By May 23 the fleet had landed 39,000 sockeye.
From early to mid-August, when coho dominate the catch, the Copper and Bering River districts switch to coho management with one or two 24-hour periods a week. That fishery runs well into fall: Announcement #51, issued September 11, 2026, opened 24-hour Copper River periods on September 14 and September 17.
Inside the Sound, the Coghill and Eshamy drift gillnet districts opened June 1, 2026. Wally Noerenberg Hatchery chum have historically been caught from June 1 to July 27, and its coho from early August through late September. Seiners were scheduled to start June 1 with three periods a week at the Armin F. Koernig Hatchery and Port Chalmers. Port Chalmers closes in late July, openings on Valdez hatchery pinks generally start the first week of July with 14-hour periods, and the Valdez Narrows may open September 3 for coho.
Cordova plants gear up early. Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods’ production application asks you to choose an arrival group: May 1, May 15 or June 1.
When is salmon season in Southeast Alaska?
From June through September, on a separate calendar for each gear. Seiners and gillnetters start in the third week of June, pink seining runs July and August, and trollers fish summer July 1 to September 30.
Purse seine. Hatchery terminal areas at Anita Bay, Carroll Inlet and Deep Inlet opened June 1, 2026, and the 2026 season opened 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, at Point Augusta and the Hidden Falls terminal area in District 12, according to the June 12 announcement. The 2026 purse seine management plan expected southern seining to start in District 1 and lower District 2 on July 2, with District 4 able to open by regulation on the first Sunday in July, July 5. In 2024 the traditional fishery began July 4 and the traditional pink season ended August 28, with fall chum openings in the week of September 8 (2024 annual management report).
Drift gillnet. Districts 1 and 15 opened by regulation at 12:01 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2026, and the Taku fishery in District 11 starts the third Sunday in June (2026 drift gillnet plan). In District 1, pink salmon management starts July 19 and runs into August or early September, then fall coho and chum fishing follows. Coho management in Districts 6 and 8 typically runs from late August or early September into early October, and Lynn Canal has historically fished fall chum and coho from mid-August to mid-October.
Troll. Some spring troll areas were scheduled to open May 1, 2026. The 2026 summer troll plan runs July 1 to September 30, opens the first king retention period July 1, and keeps coho open through September 20 with a possible extension to September 30. A coho closure of 2 to 10 days typically falls in mid-August, so plan on a break.
When do Kodiak and Cook Inlet salmon fisheries open?
Kodiak opens in June but fishes mostly on pinks from July into late August; Upper Cook Inlet’s drift fleet starts in late June and fishes the Kenai peak in late July. For Kodiak, ADF&G’s May 6, 2026 update warned that record-low king returns made it likely the Northwest Kodiak District and the Karluk sections would stay closed June 1 through July 5, and the Inner Ayakulik Section through July 15. The same thing happened in 2025: the 2025 season summary says the westside stayed closed in June until management turned to pinks on July 6. A strong pink run then allowed extended fishing until late August, and most coho came in August and September.
In Upper Cook Inlet, the drift fishery opens the third Monday in June or June 19, whichever is later, with Monday and Thursday 12-hour periods (2026 drift outlook). The first regular 2026 periods were June 22 and 25 (Announcement No. 7). Set gillnets were scheduled to open between June 12 and June 25 depending on the area, and close by emergency order about October 1 (2026 set gillnet outlook). ADF&G then closed the Northern District’s June 25 period by emergency order because too few Deshka River kings were showing up (Announcement No. 8). In 2025 the Kenai sockeye run peaked July 15 to 31 and the drift fleet fished 42 days between June 19 and September 5 (2025 season summary).
West of Kodiak, Chignik’s first 2026 period opened June 17 for 48 hours, after the weir count reached 48,787 sockeye, and ADF&G was still opening periods September 7 to 9, 2026. On the South Alaska Peninsula, the June seine fishery’s first period starts June 10 by regulation; in 2025 the post-June fishery ran July 6 to 31, August openings targeted pinks and chum, and the last delivery came September 7 (2025 Area M summary). North Peninsula sections fish weekly schedules between May 1 and September 30 under the 2026 plan.
When should you apply and arrive for crew and plant jobs?
Apply in winter and arrive before the first opening in your fishery. The Alaska Department of Labor’s crew guide says boat crews “are hired well before the season begins,” and that only a small percentage of people who walk the docks during the season find a berth that way. ADF&G warns that crewmember licenses may be hard to get in Bristol Bay, so buy yours before you travel. The outdoor job hiring calendar covers month-by-month timing; the table shows what processors publish.
| Employer and plant | Location | Season as posted | Hiring window |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Pacific Seafoods, Red Salmon Cannery | Naknek, Bristol Bay | Salmon, June 10 to end of July | February to early June |
| North Pacific Seafoods, Pederson Point | Naknek, Bristol Bay | Salmon, mid-June to late July | January to June |
| North Pacific Seafoods, Togiak Fisheries | Twin Hills, Bristol Bay | Salmon, June 10 to mid-August | January to June |
| North Pacific Seafoods, Sitka Sound Seafoods | Sitka | Year-round | January to June |
| Silver Bay Seafoods | Several Alaska plants | Salmon, mid or late June to early or mid September; fall whitefish late August to November | April 2026 listing for experienced processors only; a listing for new workers followed in June |
| Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods | Cordova | Arrival groups May 1, May 15 or June 1 | Not stated |
| OBI Seafoods (U.S. Department of Labor H-2B filing) | Kodiak, Seward, Petersburg, Cordova, Naknek, Egegik, Dillingham, Larsen Bay | March 15 to September 1, 2025 | Not stated |
Sources: employer job pages and U.S. Department of Labor job order H-400-24352-552137. Accessed Sep 14, 2026.
Postings go up months ahead: a site that tracks processor listings logged Trident’s 2026 salmon openings for Cordova, Naknek and Wrangell on February 19. Finishing the contract matters: North Pacific Seafoods covers the trip home if you complete the season, and the state says a strong run with more than 14 hours of work a day, seven days a week, lets an entry-level worker “earn and save a good income in eight weeks.” Open boat berths are at fishing crew jobs and deckhand jobs, and plant and lodge work at Alaska fishing jobs.
What can change Alaska salmon season dates?
The fish. ADF&G opens and closes fishing periods by emergency order based on in-season counts, because its first job is meeting escapement goals, the number of salmon it lets past the nets to spawn (ADF&G, “What are Escapement Goals?”). The Bristol Bay outlook says it plainly: the department “manages fisheries based on inseason abundance information.” A regulation date is when fishing may start, not a promise.
- Weak early runs delay openers. Chignik’s early sockeye run was weak in 2025, so there were no fishing periods until June 20, later than historical openings (2025 Chignik summary). The Copper River ran short periods with expanded closures until late June 2025.
- King salmon closures cut whole fisheries. Kodiak’s westside stayed closed into July in 2025. In Upper Cook Inlet, a May 1, 2026 Board of Fisheries decision left “no avenue” to open the east side set gillnet fishery in 2026.
- Some rivers have no commercial season. The Yukon had no summer commercial fishery from 2021 through 2025, and 2025 was the sixth straight year without a fall commercial season. ADF&G expected Yukon summer chum fishing to stay closed all of 2026.
- Buyers matter too. Kuskokwim Bay had gone without a commercial fishery since 2021 because there was no buyer; ADF&G opened 12-hour periods at Quinhagak and Goodnews Bay on July 7, 2026, with one processor registered to buy. Chignik’s 2025 season ended after August 30 when processors stopped buying.
- Runs arrive early or late. In 2025 Bristol Bay ran a day early, and Cook Inlet’s Kasilof River sockeye midpoint was July 12, five days earlier than its 20-year average of July 17.
Rules can shift mid-season too: Bristol Bay regulations adopted in January 2026 were still under legal review when the season opened and took effect July 12, 2026. On the grounds, Bristol Bay announcements air on marine VHF channel 07A at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Frequently asked questions
What month is salmon season in Alaska?
May through September for most crew jobs. The Copper River opened May 22, 2026, most areas open in June, Bristol Bay peaks in early July and the Kenai run in late July, pink seining runs through August, and Copper River coho and Southeast troll fishing run into late September.
How long does Bristol Bay salmon season last?
From June into late July for most boats and plants. The season opens June 1 by regulation, the allocation period runs to July 17, and North Pacific Seafoods’ Naknek plants run from June 10 or mid-June to late July. Its Togiak plant runs to mid-August.
Is there commercial salmon fishing on the Yukon or Kuskokwim River?
Not in recent years. The Yukon had no summer commercial fishery from 2021 through 2025, and none was planned on the Kuskokwim River for king, chum or sockeye in 2026. Kuskokwim Bay is the exception: ADF&G opened sockeye periods at Quinhagak and Goodnews Bay on July 7, 2026.
When will the 2027 dates be known?
Regulatory dates repeat unless the Board of Fisheries changes them: Bristol Bay on June 1, the South Peninsula June seine fishery on June 10, Southeast’s Taku gillnet fishery on the third Sunday in June (June 20, 2027), Upper Cook Inlet’s drift fleet on the later of the third Monday in June or June 19 (June 21, 2027), and Southeast District 4 seining on the first Sunday in July (July 4, 2027). Forecasts and outlooks come later: for 2026, ADF&G released the Bristol Bay forecast November 13, 2025 and its outlook March 23, 2026.
When does salmon season end in Alaska?
Bristol Bay plants wrap up in late July or August, Silver Bay’s salmon season runs to early or mid September, and Southeast summer troll ends September 30. Some hatchery areas stay open longer: Southeast’s Anita Bay terminal area is open until November 10, 2026.
Sources
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, “Bristol Bay 2026 Commercial Salmon Fishing Outlook” (Mar 23, 2026), “2026 Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Forecast” (Nov 13, 2025), “Bristol Bay 2026 Salmon Fishery Update” (June 5, 2026), Update #2 (July 9, 2026) and “2025 Bristol Bay Salmon Season Summary” (Sep 24, 2025), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- Elison, T. and others, “2024 Bristol Bay Area Annual Management Report,” ADF&G Fishery Management Report No. 25-17, 2025, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Cordova office, “2026 Prince William Sound Salmon Fishery Information” (May 1, 2026), Salmon Fishery Announcement #2 (May 23, 2026), Announcement #51 (Sep 11, 2026) and “2025 Prince William Sound Salmon Season Summary” (Oct 31, 2025), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Region I, 2026 Southeast Alaska Salmon Purse Seine Fishery Management Plan, Southeast Alaska Salmon Purse Seine Fishery Announcement (June 12, 2026) and Annual Management Report of the 2024 Southeast Alaska Commercial Purse Seine and Drift Gillnet Fisheries (FMR 25-35), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Region I, 2026 Southeast Alaska Salmon Drift Gillnet Fishery Management Plan, 2026 Southeast Alaska and Yakutat Spring Troll Fishery Management Plan and 2026 Southeast Alaska and Yakutat Summer Troll Fishery Management Plan, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Soldotna office, “Upper Cook Inlet 2026 Outlook for Commercial Drift Gillnet Salmon Fishing” and “2026 Outlook for Commercial Set Gillnet Salmon Fishing” (May 12, 2026), Commercial Fishing Announcement No. 7 (June 16, 2026), No. 8 (June 22, 2026) and “2025 Upper Cook Inlet Commercial Salmon Fishery Season Summary” (Oct 24, 2025), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Kodiak office, “2025 Kodiak Commercial Salmon Season Summary” (Oct 29, 2025) and Kodiak Commercial Salmon Fishery Update #01 (May 6, 2026), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Chignik office, “2025 Chignik Commercial Salmon Season Summary” (Oct 28, 2025), Fishery Update #02 (June 16, 2026), Advisory Announcement #03 (June 17, 2026) and Advisory Announcement #21 (Sep 5, 2026), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G, “2025 Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Salmon Summary” and Russell, C.W., “North Alaska Peninsula Salmon Management Plan, 2026” (Regional Information Report 4K26-08, June 2026), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim offices, “Yukon River Salmon Fisheries Outlook” (May 12, 2026), 2025 Yukon Area summer and fall season summaries, Kuskokwim River subsistence outlook (May 19, 2026), 2026 Kuskokwim Bay Fishery Outlook (June 2, 2026) and Kuskokwim Bay Fishery Announcements #3 and #4 (July 5, 2026), accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- ADF&G, “What are Escapement Goals?”, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- North Pacific Seafoods, Current Job Openings; Silver Bay Seafoods, sbswork.com season FAQ; Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods, production application, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Labor, SeasonalJobs.dol.gov, OBI Seafoods Seafood Processor II job order H-400-24352-552137, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- Alaska Seafood Processors, job listings and expired 2026 postings, including Silver Bay Seafoods’ 2026 experienced processor listing, accessed Sep 14, 2026.
- Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, “Preparing to Work On-board Fishing Vessels” and “What Seafood Processors Need To Know”, accessed Sep 14, 2026.