5 AAC 77.591 - Copper River Personal Use Dip Net Salmon Fishery Management Plan
(a) Salmon may
be taken in the Chitina Subdistrict only under the authority of a Chitina
Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing permit. Only one Chitina Subdistrict
personal use salmon fishing permit may be issued to a household per calendar
year. A household may not be issued both a Copper River subsistence salmon
fishing permit and a Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing
permit.
(b) Salmon may be taken
from June 10 through September 30. The commissioner shall establish a preseason
schedule, including fishing times, for the period June 10 through August 31
based on daily projected sonar counts at the sonar counter located near Miles
Lake. This abundance-based preseason schedule will distribute the harvest
throughout the season. Adjustments shall be made to the preseason schedule
based on actual sonar counts compared to projected counts. If the actual sonar
count at Miles Lake is more than the projected sonar count, the commissioner
shall close the season by emergency order and immediately reopen the season
with additional allowable fishing times that correspond to the actual sonar
count. If the actual sonar count at Miles Lake is less than the projected sonar
count, the commissioner shall close the season by emergency order and
immediately reopen the season with reduced allowable fishing times that
correspond to the actual sonar count.
(c) Salmon may be taken only with dip
nets.
(d) A personal use salmon
fishing permit holder shall record all harvested salmon on the permit before
concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting the salmon from the
fishing site. Permits must be returned to the department and the conditions
specified in
5
AAC 77.015(c) must be met. For the
purposes of this subsection, "fishing site" means the location where the salmon
is removed from the water and becomes part of the permit holder's bag
limit.
(e) The total annual limit
for each personal use salmon fishing permit is as follows:
(1) 25 salmon for the head of household and
10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder, except that only one king
salmon may be retained per household;
(2) if the commissioner projects that the
upper bound of the Copper River drainage sockeye salmon sustainable escapement
goal will be exceeded, the commissioner may, by emergency order, close the
Chitina Subdistrict personal use dip net salmon fishery season and immediately
reopen a season during which the annual limit for sockeye salmon for the head
of household is increased; an emergency order issued in accordance with this
paragraph mav not increase the king salmon annual limit established under
paragraph (1) of this subsection or increase the king salmon annual limit
specified in
5
AAC 24.361(d).
(f) The maximum harvest level for the Chitina
Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery is 100,000 - 150,000 salmon, not
including any salmon in excess of the in river goal or salmon taken after
August 31.
(g) Rainbow or steelhead
trout incidentally taken may not be retained and must be released immediately
and returned to the water unharmed.
(h) For the purposes of this section, the
Chitina Subdistrict consists of all waters of the mainstem Copper River from
the downstream edge of the Chitina-McCarthy Road Bridge downstream to an
east-west line crossing the Copper River as designated by ADF&G regulatory
markers located approximately 200 yards upstream of Haley Creek.
Notes
Authority: AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
(a) Salmon may be taken in the Chitina Subdistrict only under the authority of a Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing permit. Only one Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing permit may be issued to a household per calendar year. A household may not be issued both a Copper River subsistence salmon fishing permit and a Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing permit.
(b) Salmon may be taken from June 7 through September 30. The commissioner shall establish a preseason schedule, including fishing times, for the period June 7 through August 31 based on daily projected sonar counts at the sonar counter located near Miles Lake. This abundance-based preseason schedule will distribute the harvest throughout the season. The commissioner may close, by an emergency order effective June 7, the Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishing season and shall reopen the season, by emergency order, on or before June 15 depending on the run strength and timing of the sockeye salmon run. Adjustments shall be made to the preseason schedule based on actual sonar counts compared to projected counts. If the actual sonar count at Miles Lake is more than the projected sonar count, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the season and immediately reopen it during which additional fishing times will be allowed. If the actual sonar count at Miles Lake is less than the projected sonar count, the commissioner shall close, by emergency order, the season and immediately reopen it during which fishing times will be reduced by a corresponding amount of time.
(c) Salmon may be taken only with dip nets.
(d) A personal use salmon fishing permit holder shall record all harvested salmon on the permit before concealing the salmon from plain view or transporting the salmon from the fishing site. Permits must be returned to the department and the conditions specified in 5 AAC 77.015(c) must be met. For the purposes of this subsection, "fishing site" means the location where the salmon is removed from the water and becomes part of the permit holder's bag limit.
(e) The total annual limit for each personal use salmon fishing permit is 25 salmon for the head of household and 10 salmon for each dependent of the permit holder, except that only one king salmon may be retained per household.
(f) The maximum harvest level for the Chitina Subdistrict personal use salmon fishery is 100,000 - 150,000 salmon, not including any salmon in excess of the inriver goal or salmon taken after August 31.
(g) Rainbow or steelhead trout incidentally taken may not be retained and must be released immediately and returned to the water unharmed.
(h) For the purposes of this section, the Chitina Subdistrict consists of all waters of the mainstem Copper River from the downstream edge of the Chitina-McCarthy Road Bridge downstream to an east-west line crossing the Copper River as designated by ADF& G regulatory markers located approximately 200 yards upstream of Haley Creek.
Notes
Authority:AS 16.05.060
AS 16.05.251