July 2026: Lowest Counts Of Large Kings On Record. 'A Poor Year' For Copper River Salmon, Says Fish & Game

The Fish & Game Report On The Status Of Copper River Salmon 

July 17th, 2026

Glennallen, Alaska 

Fishwheels at Chitina in a 'good year'. (Photo, Country Journal archives) 

Lowest cumulative count of large king salmon on record for this date

Here is this week’s Copper River salmon management update.

 

Commercial Fishery:

Last week, the Copper River District opened for a 24-hour commercial fishing period on July 9. Harvest estimates from this period were 72 king salmon and 14,375 sockeye salmon, bringing the season total harvest to 4,244 king salmon and 242,652 sockeye salmon. No other commercial fishing periods have occurred since then. All of this season’s commercial harvest from the Copper River District can be found on the Copper River Inseason Commercial Harvest Estimates webpage. 

 

For further details on commercial fishery harvest, timing, assessments, and strategies, please refer to the Division of Commercial Fisheries’ Inseason Alaska Commercial Salmon Summary that is available online throughout the fishing season for all areas of the state, including information for Copper River and PWS Drift Gillnet fisheries. 

 

Miles Lake SONAR:

Daily salmon passage at Miles Lake sonar remained above the daily management objectives for all of that last week (through Sunday). However, since this Monday, counts have fallen below the objective range for each day.

 

Total salmon passage through yesterday, July 16, was 548,882 fish. This is just slightly above the lower bound of the target objective range for this date.

 

You can monitor the sonar counts, and how they compare to the anticipated or expected counts, by CLICKING HERE. Miles Lake sonar counts are also found on the Department’s Fish Counts webpage.

 

 

A total of 19,143 large king salmon have been counted at Miles Lake sonar through July 14. This is the lowest cumulative count of large king salmon on record for this date and run timing data past the sonar from 2019–2025 indicate that, on average, 96% of the king salmon run has passed the site as of July 14. 

 

Large king salmon counts are available online on the Department’s Fish Counts webpage. Because of data processing constraints, counts of large king salmon passage are not available on a next-day basis like the unapportioned, total salmon counts. Large king salmon counts are posted online twice a week, typically on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

 

Native Village of Eyak (NVE) Fish Wheels:

Total catch at Baird Canyon this season has been below average and the last day of fishwheel tagging operations at the site was on June 12. Recapture rates at Canyon Creek have been high this season. Canyon Creek fishwheels will continue to operate for about another week before they shut down for the season. Preliminary projections from the NVE mark and recapture data indicate the run is weak.

 

Gulkana River Counting Tower:

The Gulkana counting tower has passed a total of 1,338 king salmon and 5,628 sockeye salmon through yesterday, July 16. Gulkana River fish counts can be tracked at the ADF&G Fish Counts webpage.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Copper River:

The Copper River stage gauge in Chitina has been offline since the afternoon of June 14. No river stage height data from the Chitina-McCarthy Bridge has been available since then.

 

CHITINA SUBDISTRICT PERSONAL USE FISHERY:

The Chitina Subdistrict personal use fishery opened yesterday, Thursday, July 16 for a 96-hour period. This is a 72-hour reduction in fishing time from what sonar passage during the week of June 29 – July 5 could typically support. King salmon retention in the personal use fishery is prohibited and has been closed for the entire season. 

 

The Emergency Order announcing the fishing time for July 20 – 26 was released this past Wednesday. Sonar passage from July 6 – 12 was used to determine the fishing opportunity for the week of July 20 – 26. Approximately 104,000 salmon were counted past Miles Lake sonar during that week, which is about 50,000 salmon more than what was anticipated. Additionally, the total salmon passage for the season finally fell within the target objective range.  Copper River sockeye salmon migratory timing, coupled with average participation and harvest rates for the week of July 20, allows for the personal use dip net fishery to be open for the entire week of July 20 – 26.

 

GLENNALLEN SUBDISTRICT SUBSISTENCE FISHERY:

The Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery is currently open through September 30 in accordance with regulation. No restrictions have been implemented in the subsistence fishery.

 

SPORT FISHERIES:

All king salmon sport fisheries have been closed by Emergency Order for the remainder of the season.

 

Little sport fishing effort targeting sockeye salmon on the Gulkana River is occurring. Folks are still fishing for sockeye salmon on the Klutina River, but angler success has been inconsistent.

 

WHAT I AM THINKING NOW:

Weaker than anticipated salmon counts at Miles Lake for the past 4 days will likely only allow for a limited fishing period the week of July 27 – August 2 in the Chitina Subdistrict personal use fishery. I’ve had folks ask me what August will look like for the personal use fishery and at this time, a decision has not been made. We have another 1.5 weeks of sonar counts that will be used to help guide those management decisions.

 

Other than that, I really don’t have much to say. It’s been a poor year for Copper River salmon. I’ll go ahead and conclude this week’s update. Thank you again for taking the time to read through this and please reach out with any questions.

 

Tracy R. Hansen

Area Management Biologist

Upper Copper/Upper Susitna

Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Division of Sport Fish – Glennallen

907.822.3309