Chitina dipnet fishery cut to 96 hours July 16-19 as salmon run falls short

The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net fishery will be open for only 96 hours next week, running Thursday, July 16 at 12:01 a.m. through Sunday, July 19 at 11:59 p.m., with Monday through Wednesday closed. The opening is 72 hours shorter than the 168 hours that recent sonar passage would typically allow, because low overall salmon passage this season has prompted ADF&G to apply additional conservation measures.

The cut reflects a cumulative deficit that has shadowed the Copper River all season. As of July 5, a total of 431,280 salmon had passed the Miles Lake sonar station, roughly 30,600 fish below the preseason projection for that date. ADF&G says strong recent daily passage from June 29 through July 5 would typically justify 168 hours of fishing opportunity based on Copper River sockeye salmon migratory timing and the previous three-year average harvest and participation rates, but the department is overriding that formula because overall passage remains below the target management objective range and sockeye escapement goals may not be achieved without additional conservation. Area Management Biologist Tracy Hansen wrote in a July 12 Copper River salmon report: "While the majority of the sockeye run is still ahead of us, I feel this current deficit supports conservative management of sockeye salmon fisheries upriver, specifically the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net fishery."

What Anglers Need to Know

King salmon and steelhead retention remain prohibited for the remainder of the season; any caught must be released immediately and unharmed. The annual harvest limit is 25 salmon for the head of household and 10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder.

All Alaska residents qualify to participate if they possess both a Chitina Personal Use Salmon Fishery Permit and a valid resident sport fishing license when fishing. Anglers must record their harvest on the permit immediately upon landing a fish and clip both tips of the tail fin immediately, before concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting it from the fishing site.

The department urges dipnetters to respect private landowners in the area. For information on access across private lands, contact Chitina Native Corporation at (907) 823-2223 (O'Brien Creek Permit Program) or Ahtna, Inc. at (907) 822-3476 for land use permits. Dipnetters should also adhere to signs and detours along the O'Brien Creek to Haley Creek section of Copper River Highway Right of Way, which were constructed in 2024 to avoid disturbing cultural sites; any violation could result in immediate closure of the access road.

If total passage enters the target management objective range, ADF&G says it will revert to the preseason schedule, but dipnetters should confirm conditions before driving out. The Chitina fishery information line at (907) 822-5224 carries the current schedule.