King Salmon Retention Prohibited For Remainder Of Chitina River Dipnetting Season

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

Chitina Subdistrict Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishing Schedule for June 30 – July 6; King Salmon Retention Prohibited for Remainder of Season

(Glennallen) – The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery will open for a 168-hour period from 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 30 through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 6. Additionally, retention of king salmon is prohibited for the remainder of the season.

The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dipnet salmon fishery is managed under direction of the Copper River Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishery Management Plan (5 AAC 77.591). The plan establishes the season from June 10 through September 30 and directs the department to establish fishing periods based on Miles Lake sonar counts. During June 16 – 22, there were 88,012 salmon counted past the Miles Lake sonar. The preseason projection for this period was 71,202 salmon, which results in a surplus of 16,810 salmon. Copper River sockeye salmon migratory timing and the previous three-year average harvest and participation rates indicate sufficient numbers of salmon available to allow 168 hours of fishing time during the week of June 30 – July 6, an increase of 48 hours from the preseason schedule.

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 of 21,000-31,000 King salmon. Information to date indicates that there is no harvestable surplus of King salmon available beyond those projected to be taken by subsistence users and in the sport fishery, which has already been restricted. Approximately 1,300 King salmon are harvested annually in the personal use fishery after June 30. Closing king salmon to retention in the personal use fishery is required to help ensure the spawning escapement goal is achieved.

As a reminder, the Copper River Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishery Management Plan and the Statewide Personal Use Fishing Regulations state that:

• The annual limit is 25 salmon for the head of household and 10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder.
• King salmon cannot be kept. All king salmon caught must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed.
• Personal use fishers must possess both their Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery Permit and a valid resident sport fishing license when fishing.
• Steelhead cannot be kept and must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed.
• You must record your harvest on the permit immediately.
• Both tips of the tail fin of personal use caught fish must be clipped immediately upon landing a fish. Immediately is defined as before concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting the salmon from the fishing site. Fishing site means the location where the fish was removed from the water and became part of the permit holder’s bag limit.

All Alaska residents qualify to participate in this personal use fishery. You must have a Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery Permit and a resident Alaska sport fishing license when dipnetting. Both dip net permits and fishing licenses can be obtained online at the ADF&G online store. A $15 fee is charged for the Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery Permit. Revenue from the fee supports the sanitation services at the fishery and trail maintenance from O’Brien Creek to Haley Creek.

The department urges dipnetters to respect the rights of private landowners in the area and familiarize themselves with the land ownership in the area before fishing. For information on access across private lands contact Chitina Native Corporation at (907) 823-2223 or Ahtna, Inc. at (907) 822-3476.

Additionally, the department urges dipnetters to adhere to signs and detours constructed along the O’Brien Creek to Haley Creek section of Copper River Highway Right of Way (ROW). The detours were constructed in 2024 to avoid disturbing cultural sites within and along the ROW. Any violation or disturbance to protected cultural sites will result in immediate closure of this access road. For more information visit the Alaska Department of Transportation describing the changes to the access route.

Information regarding the fishery can be found at the ADF&G Chitina dipnetting page. This site provides information regarding the Upper Copper River fisheries including: fishery descriptions and summaries, maps of the subdistricts, a list of vendors that issue permits, and links to the sonar numbers and fishing schedule emergency orders.

The current fishing schedule is announced on the Chitina Fishery information line at (907) 822-5224. Please contact the information phone line prior to planning your trip to Chitina to ensure that the fishery will be open when you arrive. If you have any questions regarding the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dipnet salmon fishery, please contact the ADF&G office in Glennallen at (907) 822-3309.