Alaskans Only

For a 2-3 week period every July there is a special "subsistence" fishery that is only for Alaskan residents. It is commonly called dipnetting because the salmon are dipped out of the water with long handled hand-held nets. This can be done from a boat or when standing along the shore (or IN the river). There are designated areas, which are located at the mouths of certain rivers that salmon swim up on the journey to their spawning grounds.
The purpose of the fishery is for families to get fish to can, smoke, and/ or freeze for their winter food supply. They can't sell the fish.
Since May, I have posted several photos of different sections of the Kenai River, and one of the major dipnetting areas is where the Kenai empties into Cook Inlet. During this time period, I think half the city of Anchorage (150 miles away) comes to the Peninsula, creating tent cities at the beach. There is only one, two-lane highway from Anchorage to Kenai, and the steady stream of traffic makes for nightmarish driving conditions.
I blipped this shot to try and show people fishing on the foreground shore, across the river, and from boats in the background. If you multiply the number of fisherman in this photo by 3 or 4, it would be the amount of people there on the weekend. It's actually kind of a zoo, and locals usually steer clear!
Commercial fishermen are allowed to fish only on certain days, so the best days for dipnetters are when a major horde of salmon arrives on a day the commercial boats are docked. Last Tuesday 240,000 red salmon entered the river, so the dippers who were lucky enough to have the day off work got their limit in record time!