ADF&G opens Copper River drift gillnet fishery Thursday for 24 hours

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will open the Copper River District commercial drift gillnet fishery at 7 a.m. Thursday, June 26, for a 24-hour period, according to a Prince William Sound salmon announcement issued June 3.

The opening is part of the department's in-season management of the Copper River fishery, which targets sockeye salmon while managing for conservation of Chinook salmon. The sustainable escapement goal for Copper River Chinook salmon is 21,000 to 31,000 fish.

Cumulative commercial harvest in the Copper River District to date is 4,790 Chinook and 407,000 sockeye salmon, according to the announcement. The cumulative sonar count for salmon at Miles Lake through June 24 was 507,401 fish. ADF&G uses sonar and other tools to track in-season salmon passage in the Copper River and compares cumulative counts against historical expectations to guide management actions.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game manages commercial salmon drift gillnet fisheries, including the Copper River District, through in-season emergency orders and Prince William Sound salmon announcements that specify opening dates, times, and duration. ADF&G commonly distinguishes between conservation measures for Chinook salmon and opportunity to harvest more abundant sockeye salmon when structuring openings in mixed-stock Copper River fisheries.

Future openings will be announced by later emergency orders based on updated run data. The June 3 announcement was one of several commercial fishing notices issued by ADF&G that day, including advisories for Yakutat, a 2026 commercial golden king crab fishery southern closure, and a 2026 Kuskokwim Bay fishery outlook. The notices are primarily operational fishery bulletins affecting commercial permit holders, seafood buyers, and processors.

Subsistence fishing in the Copper River District is permitted from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on all Saturdays from June 28 through October 25, according to the announcement. The Eshamy District will remain closed to commercial fishing to allow for Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation cost recovery efforts. The corporation is 58 percent complete on its 2025 gillnet revenue goal.