(Glennallen) - The Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery will open for a 168-hour period from 12:01 a.m. Monday, July 24 through midnight Sunday, July 30.

The Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery is managed under direction of the Copper River Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishery Management Plan (5 AAC 77.591). The plan establishes the season from June 7 through September 30 and directs the department to establish weekly periods based on Miles Lake sonar counts. During July 10 – 16, there were 136,460 salmon counted past the Miles Lake sonar. The preseason projection for this period is 35,819 salmon, resulting in a surplus of 100,641 salmon. Based on Copper River sockeye salmon migratory timing and the previous three-year average harvest and participation rates, there are sufficient numbers of salmon available to allow 168 hours of fishing time during the week of July 24 – 30, resulting in an increase of 36 hours from the preseason schedule.

As a reminder, the Copper River Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishery Management Plan and the Statewide Personal Use Fishing Regulations state that:

• The annual limit is 25 salmon for the head of household and 10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder.
• Only one king salmon may be kept as part of the total household annual limit.
• Personal use fishers must possess both their Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery permit and a valid resident sport fishing license when fishing. Steelhead cannot be kept and must be returned to the water unharmed.
• You must record your harvest on the permit immediately.
• Both tips of the tail fin of personal use caught fish must be clipped immediately upon landing a fish.
• Immediately is defined as before concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting the salmon from the fishing site. Fishing site means the location where the fish was removed from the water and became part of the permit holder’s bag limit.

Additionally, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is reminding Chitina dipnetters that all 2023 Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery participation and harvest reporting must be completed online. Online reporting is required regardless if you purchased the permit through the ADF&G online store or through a vendor. Anyone who purchased a permit must report, even if they did not fish. Returning permits by mail or hand-delivery is no longer an acceptable means to report. Also, permit holders who fail to report Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery harvest online by the October 15 deadline will be denied a permit for the fishery the next calendar year.

All residents of Alaska qualify to participate in this personal use fishery. You must have a Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery permit and a resident Alaska sport fishing license when dipnetting. Both dip net permits and fishing licenses can be obtained online at the ADF&G online store. A $15 fee is charged for the Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery permit. Revenue from the fee supports the sanitation services at the fishery and trail maintenance from O’Brien Creek to Haley Creek.

The department urges dipnetters to respect the rights of private landowners in the area and familiarize themselves with the land ownership in the area before fishing. For information on access across private lands contact Chitina Native Corporation at (907) 823-2223 or Ahtna, Inc. at (907) 822-3476.

Information regarding the fishery can be found at the ADF&G web site. This site provides information regarding the Upper Copper River fisheries including: fishery descriptions and summaries, maps of the subdistricts, a list of vendors that issue permits, and links to the sonar numbers and fishing schedule emergency orders.

The current fishing schedule is announced on the Chitina Fishery information line at 822-5224. Please contact the information phone line prior to planning your trip to Chitina to ensure that the fishery will be open when you arrive. If you have any questions regarding the Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery, please contact the ADF&G office in Glennallen at (907) 822-3309.

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