(Glennallen) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is restricting sport fisheries in the Upper Copper River drainage for king salmon conservation.

Effective 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 20, the annual limit of king salmon for the Upper Copper River drainage will be reduced from 4 to 1 fish. The use of bait and treble hooks in the Gulkana River is also prohibited as an additional conservation measure. Any king salmon harvested from the Upper Copper River drainage prior to June 20 does not count toward the 1 fish annual limit.

The Copper River King Salmon Fishery Management Plan (5AAC 24.361 directs the department to manage the Copper River fisheries to achieve a sustainable escapement goal of 21,000-31,000 king salmon. The 2025 king salmon run to the Copper River appears smaller than the preseason forecast of 36,000 king salmon. The current inriver abundance projection, based on Native Village of Eyak (NVE) fish wheel capture rates at Baird Canyon and fish wheel recapture rates at Canyon Creek, estimates a final inriver number of king salmon near the lower bound of the escapement goal. King salmon abundance may be insufficient to allow unrestricted harvest in the sport fishery and achieve the lower bound of the escapement goal, therefore restricting the Upper Copper River drainage king salmon sport fishery is warranted.

Additionally, indices of early-run king salmon returning to the Copper River appear weaker than anticipated based on NVE fish wheel recapture rates at Canyon Creek through June 15. Past radiotelemetry studies show that Upper Copper and Gulkana River king salmon stocks are the earliest stocks returning to the Copper River. Therefore, the Gulkana River warrants additional restrictions.

The department will continue to evaluate inseason run strength and take appropriate management actions to meet the Copper River king salmon sustainable escapement goal.

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