Contact:
Mark Sommerville
Area Management Biologist
Phone: (907) 822-3309

The Copper River personal use dip net fishery closed for the season as of September 30, 2006. The dipnetting permits are now due back to ADF&G by October 15. These permits were for dipnetting in the Copper River downstream of the Chitina-McCarthy bridge, near the community of Chitina.   

As a reminder, you are required to return your permit even if you did not fish, or even if you went fishing but didn’t catch anything. Continuing the Chitina personal use fishing opportunity largely relies on your compliance with requirements, and your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Failure to return any ADF&G permit is a violation and could result in a $200 fine and loss of future fishing privileges.

Please review the information you wrote down on the permit to make sure it is legible and correct. If no one in your household went dipnetting, please check the “Did Not Fish” box on the permit and return it.

Permits can be mailed to the Department with appropriate postage. For your convenience the address is printed on the back of the permit. Permits can also be delivered to your local ADF&G office during regular business hours.

If you have lost your permit, or if it is too damaged to go through the mail, please mail a letter that includes your name, mailing address, 2006 sport fishing license number, driver’s license number, and names of household members. Please provide a list of each time you went dipnetting, whether you dipnetted from a boat or the shore, and the number of each type of salmon you kept. If you went dipnetting but did not catch any fish, include the date, whether you dipnetted from a boat or the shore, and write “zero.” The letter should be mailed to:

Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Chitina Salmon Permits

333 Raspberry Road

Anchorage AK  99518-1599

More information on the fishery, including examples of how to fill out permits can be found at on the Chitina information page.