Copper River King Restrictions Affect Anglers, Dipnetters

The Copper River’s Chitina dip net salmon fishery has been closed to the retention of king salmon this season as new restrictions hit the river’s upper section, adding to the locations across Alaska affected by fishing closures in the wake of weak salmon runs.

In a Tuesday announcement, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game amended rules for the fishery, which is also closed to the retention of steelhead. The Chitina fishery will be open from 12:01 a.m. on Monday, July 1 through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 8.

Personal use fishermen must have both their Chitina personal use fishery permits and a valid resident sport fishing license when fishing. Harvested fish must immediately have their tails clipped and be recorded on permits.

Fish and Game says the seasonal bag limit is 15 fish for a single-person household and 30 fish for households of two or more people. If a harvestable surplus of 50,000 salmon is present, a supplemental permit for 10 more sockeye salmon will be issued to Chitina personal use permit holders.

In another set of Tuesday restrictions, the annual limit for kings 20 inches or longer in the upper Copper River drainage will be reduced from four fish to one fish effective at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, June 30. Kings caught before the one-fish restriction also count toward it.

Many other areas of the state have fallen under fishing bans and restrictions to protect kings, including parts of Cook Inlet, the lower Kuskokwim River, the Kenai River and the Susitna River drainage.

The restrictions have provoked widespread anger in rural Alaska, where some people have fished to protest them. While state and federal officials seized 1,100 pounds of salmon on the lower Kuskokwim River last week, Fish and Game has also initiated a series of openings on the river to fishing for chum and sockeye salmon.