Four dipnet openings left at Chitina in August

Alaskans filling a freezer at Chitina have four chances left this month, each 48 hours, and none of them include a king salmon. The Chitina Subdistrict personal use dipnet fishery opens noon Friday to noon Sunday on Aug. 7-9, 14-16, 21-23 and 28-30. Kings can't be kept for the rest of the season, and any caught by accident have to be released.

The reason is a weak run. The Miles Lake sonar counts ended July 28 below average, and area biologist Tracy Hansen said the Copper River king run is weak too. Sockeye fishing stays open across the Upper Copper, but the whole drainage is closed to king fishing.

It's been a stop-and-go season, managed week to week. As of late June, the Miles Lake count was the lowest on record for that date in 40 years, and openings since have swung from a single 48-hour window to a full week when the counts briefly beat projections. The short openings and the king ban shape how households plan their trips and how much fish they can put up for winter.

A permit costs $15, one per household, with a limit of 25 salmon for the permit holder and 10 for each additional member.