The Chitina Dipnetters booth at the 2022 Fairbanks Outdoor was another success this year. We met a lot of people bringing in 84 new and renewing members, hosted an informative dipnetter howto seminar, and gave away a fancy Cutco brand filet knife to one lucky member, Sharee Melson of North Pole. Big thanks go out to volunteers Karen Clautise, Jeff Bushke, and Laz Porter for helping us work the booth this year!

With the relaxing of  COVID 19 restrictions, CDA will resume its annual in-person meeting in 2022. The annual meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10 at 7PM in the TVSA shooting range building at 1230 TVSA Way, Fairbanks, AK.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has released their 2022 Copper River Salmon forecast.

CDA will host a booth and conduct a dipnetting seminar at the April 8-10 Fairbanks Outdoor Show. This is another opportunity for dipnetters to become involved by volunteering a couple hours at our booth. A CDA board member will be present during the entire show. It is a fun time and you will get to meet other dipnetters as well as educate newcomers to the fishery. CDA has printed a trifold handout giving a basic primer to dipnetting at Chitina. An informational flyer detailing CDA's purpose and achievements will also be available for handout.

CDA Board Member John Siegfreid and I attended the December meeting of the Alaska Board of Fisheries in Cordova. I'm happy to report that no regulations negatively affecting the Chitina Personal Use fishery were passed. The CDA's one beneficial proposal was denied.

Multiple proposals that would have restricted dipnetting from a boat in the Personal Use (PU) and subsistence fisheries were not approved — boat fishing may continue with no new restrictions. The proposal prohibiting the use of gillnet mesh in dipnets failed. The proposal to lower the current PU bag limit, which CDA got put in place at the 2014 BOF meeting, failed. The proposal to require mandatory online reporting of PU salmon within 3 days of the time of harvest also failed . . . read more

The Alaska Board of Fisheries (BOF) will meet in Cordova from November 30 - December 6 to deliberate and vote on proposals submitted for Prince William Sound/Upper Copper and Susitna River finfish. The Chitina Dipnetters Association (CDA) will be represented at the meeting by two of our board members to defend proposals beneficial to Chitina Personal Use Dipnetters (PU) and oppose those detrimental to our fishery.

Public Comments Concerning Submitted Proposals To The December 2021 PWS/Upper Copper and Upper Susitna Finfish BOF Meeting

The Alaska Department of Transportation's Tazlina crew finished clearing the trail from O'Brien Creek all the way to Haley Creek, the southern terminus of the Copper River Personal Use dipnet fishery, this fall. They intend to drive the trail later in May to see if winter slides caused any trouble spots. If they find any, they will bring out equipment and clear the trail before the dipnet season begins in June. Pictures after the break.

The contest has closed. We should have results in a few weeks. Thanks to all who participated! The Chitina Dipnetters Association (a 501c(4) non-profit) is hosting a contest for a design to be printed on t-shirts and hoodies. The winning artist will be awarded $300. All entries must be submitted by midnight, March 31, 2021 (Let’s be real here, 10am, April 1st, is when I’ll check for entries, and that’s no April Fool’s joke). The design will be printed on our 2021 run of t-shirts and hoodies.

Due to a weak run of red/sockeye salmon, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has closed the Copper River Personal Use Dipnet Fishery for the month of August. It will reopen the fishery on September 1 for coho/silver salmon. See the attached PDF file of the ADF&G email announcing the closure.