The personal use fishery for the Kenai River is scheduled to open up on Sunday, July 10. The dipnet fishery opens each year on the 10th and runs through the end of the month. The city provides a number of services to support the fishery including parking and camping on the beaches, restrooms and trash collection, and a boat dock with a four-ramp boat launch. Fees are charged for most of these services.
In advance of Kenai’s dipnetting season, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game implemented a regulatory restriction for the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery that states retention of king salmon is prohibited in the dipnet fishery, effective 6:00 a.m. Sunday, July 10 through 11:00 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2022. This is being done to conserve returning king salmon and ensure fishing opportunities in the future.
Kenai City Manager Paul Ostrander tells KSRM:
“Dipnetting does open up on Sunday July 10th. We will actually have our fee shacks up and operational starting at noon on Saturday. Folks that show up at noon on Saturday, we’ll have the fee shacks, and they can pay and be prepared for when fishing starts on Sunday. There’s not a lot of changes at all operationally this year. We still have the dock where folks launch their boats and we’ve got North and South Beach. South Beach, as always has been, it’s highly recommended that you have four-wheel drive for when you go on South Beach because you have to drive down the beach about a mile. North Beach is the area that you can access with your normal non four-wheel drive vehicle because you access the beach from the parking lot. Fees have increased a little bit this year to account for inflation. Folks will see a little bit higher fees when they’re entering the fee area.”
ADF&G notes that any king salmon caught incidentally may not be removed from the water and must be immediately released. The regulatory restriction on the Kenai River is effective as of July 1 from its mouth upstream to an ADF&G regulatory marker located approximately 300 yards downstream from the mouth of Slikok Creek. Per the Kenai River Late-Run King Salmon Management Plan, the retention of king salmon in the personal use fishery is prohibited, if bait is prohibited in the Kenai River sport fishery. Restrictions were also implemented on the commercial fisheries per the management plan.
Area Management Biologist Colton Lipka:
“The 2022 king salmon runs throughout Cook Inlet have continued low abundance trends resulting in restrictions and closures of inriver and marine sport fisheries. ADF&G will continue to monitor the Kenai River run as it develops and additional actions may be taken depending on the run strength.”
Dipnetting on the Kenai River is permitted from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. each day, from July 10 through July 31. An Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit and a 2022 Alaska Sport Fishing license are required to participate. Only Alaska residents may participate in this fishery. Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit harvest and participation must be reported online no later than August 15 through the ADF&G harvest reporting webpage. Permit holders who fail to report will be denied an Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use Salmon permit for 2023 and subject to a $200 fine. If you did not use the permit or if you used the permit but did not catch anything you still have to report. Returning permits by mail or hand-delivery is no longer an acceptable means to report. Permits may be obtained at most local vendors that sell sport fishing licenses.
Dipnet fees do vary by location. Below are a summary list of fees for the 2022 Dipnet Fishery:
Beach and Overflow Fees:
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- Drop Off Fee: $10.50
- Day Use Parking: $21.00
- Overnight Parking: $47.25 – $57.75
- Camping: $26.25
Dock Fees:
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- Drop Off Fee: $10.50
- Day Use Parking: $21.00
- Boat Launch and Parking: $36.75
Fee Changes for 2022:
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- For the 2022 fishery all fees have increased by 5%. This is the first increase since July 1, 2014.