A slug of red salmon that moved into the Copper River at the end of May has so far largely eluded dip netters at Chitina. State biologist Mark Somerville attributes poor fishing over the last week to river conditions.
A supplemental period during which dipnetters can take an additional 10 reds beyond the season limit runs through Sunday. Somerville says abundant sockeye passage at the river’s mouth that prompted the supplemental harvest, has dropped off.
Somerville says the Copper River king salmon run continues to look weak. The commercial harvest on the delta is well below average, and fish wheel sample catches near the mouth have prompted the state to close the dip net fishery to king retention as of Monday the 18th.
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Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
