Kenai dipnet fishery to open 24 hours a day starting Thursday evening

The Kenai River personal-use dipnet fishery will be open 24 hours per day starting at 11 p.m. Thursday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said.

The 24-hour opening will run for nearly two weeks, closing at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 31.

Only Alaska residents with a current sportfishing license and an Upper Cook Inlet personal use salmon permit can participate.

The extended hours have been instituted because Fish and Game is projecting over 2.3 million late-run Kenai River sockeye salmon. That would surpass the escapement goal of 750,000 to 1.3 million.

King salmon cannot be retained and should be returned to the water.

Dipnet harvests must be reported online no later than Aug. 31 through the harvest reporting webpage or mobile app. Fishermen who received a permit but didn’t use it or used the permit but did not catch anything still must report. Mailed or hand-delivered permits for reporting are no longer allowed. Permit holders who fail to report are subject to a $200 fine and loss of 2025 personal-use licensing.

For complete information on the fishery, including harvest limits and permit requirements, check the Fish and Game regulations booklet, which is available online.