The Copper River's sockeye run just hit a 40-year low

The Copper River is running so low on sockeye this summer that Alaska has shut down one of its most popular dipnet fisheries — and the number behind the closure is the worst in four decades.

By June 28, just 317,769 salmon had passed the sonar at Miles Lake, the lowest count for that date in 40 years of record-keeping. Fish and Game responded by closing the Chitina personal-use dipnet fishery for the week of July 6–12, hoping to let more fish reach the spawning grounds and hit the escapement goal that keeps future runs alive.

The run has trailed the daily target for all but eight days this season, and it stayed weak even during a two-week stretch when no commercial boats were fishing the Copper River at all — meaning the fish simply aren't showing up, not that they're being caught.

The state had braced for a soft year, forecasting a run 11% below the recent average and a weak Chinook return, and called for cautious management from the start. This is that caution in action.

The closure isn't necessarily permanent. Fish and Game says it'll reopen the fishery if the counts recover and enough fish return to spare some for dipnetters.

For anyone eyeing the long drive to Chitina, the advice is simple: check the Miles Lake sonar numbers before you go.