Eulachon Management and Research

Management

There is a commercial fishery for eulachon, which occurs in the Northern District of Cook Inlet, which targets eulachon returning to the Susitna River. Eulachon are harvested using hand-operated dip nets and the season is open from May 1 through June 30. Total harvest may not exceed 200 tons of smelt and has varied from 300 pounds to over 200,000 pounds since 1978.

Research

While Department of Fish and Game staff in Cordova and U.S. Forest Service in Southeast Alaska has conducted research on various Alaska eulachon populations in the past, there presently is no ongoing department or federal research projects involving eulachon stocks in Alaska.