Households that rely on subsistence and were negatively impacted by salmon crashes on the Kuskokwim River during the 2021 fishing season can now apply for federal disaster relief funds.
This comes after the United States Secretary of Commerce declared a disaster for the 2021 subsistence fishery and set aside roughly $570,000.
Eligible households are those whose ability to access subsistence salmon from the Kuskokwim River drainage was impacted as a direct or indirect result of the fishery disaster.
Only one application may be submitted per household. Applicants must be Alaska residents, at least 18 years old, and have participated in the subsistence fishery in at least two of the four years before the disaster in 2021.
Households that participate in subsistence salmon fisheries on the Kuskokwim River may apply regardless of physical address.
The deadline to submit applications is noon on June 9, 2026. All applications must be submitted online, and an email address is required.
It’s not clear how large each award will be. The final amounts are based on household size and the number of applications that are approved. Checks may take a year or more from the application deadline to be mailed out.
In 2020, when roughly $550,000 was allocated for Kuskokwim River households, those with up to three people received a little less than $350. Households with four or more people received roughly $690. Those checks took around 16 months to process.
Learn more and apply online at the Pacific States Fisheries Marine Commission website.
Email questions to AKFishDisaster@psmfc.org or call 888-517-7262.
You can also contact the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at dfg.com.fisheriesdisasters@alaska.gov or call 907-267-2593 for more information.
