Copper River King Salmon Fishery Shutting Down

The following is courtesy of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game:

Copper River King Salmon Fishery Closed

(Glennallen) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is closing all Upper Copper River drainage king salmon sport fisheries effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 10. This closure prohibits all sport fishing for king salmon, including catch-and-release fishing. All king salmon incidentally caught while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately. Additionally, the use of bait and treble hooks in all flowing waters continues to be prohibited as an additional measure for king salmon conservation. Anglers may only use unbaited, single-hook, artificial lures in all flowing waters of the Upper Copper River drainage from 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 10 through 11:59 p.m. Monday, August 10.

The Copper River King Salmon Fishery Management Plan (5 AAC 24.361) directs the department to manage the Copper River fisheries to achieve a sustainable escapement goal (SEG) of 21,000–31,000 king salmon. The 2026 king salmon run to the Copper River is weak. As of July 6, a total of 18,623 large king salmon have been counted past the Miles Lake sonar. This is the lowest, large king salmon cumulative count on record for this date since species apportionment at the sonar project began in 2019. King salmon passage trends at Miles Lake from 2019–2025 indicate that, on average, approximately 91% of the run has passed the sonar site through July 6. Additionally, the Native Village of Eyak (NVE) fish wheel capture rates at Baird Canyon and fish wheel recapture rates at Canyon Creek also indicate low abundance and total king salmon passage past the Gulkana River counting tower, as of July 7, is tracking behind 20 of 24 seasons of fish passage data. Due to concerns that the king salmon escapement goal will not be met, closing the Upper Copper River king salmon sport fisheries is warranted.