Book excerpt: A historical background, regulatory history, and outlook for the sport, personal use, and subsistence fisheries in the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna Management Area (UCUSMA) are presented. The data and information herein are intended as a reference resource for Area Managers, Board of Fisheries and Advisory Committee representatives, researchers and the general public. The UCUSMA consists of all waters and drainages of the Copper River, upstream of Haley Creek and all waters and drainages of the Susitna River, upstream of the Oshetna River. Since 1960 the UCUSMA has experienced significant changes in access to its many fisheries, land ownership, large fluctuations in population and fishery participation, and resulting changes in regulation. Sport fisheries have evolved from highly liberal limits and gear use to more restricted limits, reduced efficiency from bait and other gear restrictions, and even fishery closures as knowledge of our fisheries and fishing effort have grown. Personal use fisheries were established in 1984 to bridge the gap between low sport fishing limits and more open subsistence limits when subsistence access was restricted to rural residents. These fisheries have continued even though the rural preference was removed in 1991 restoring access to subsistence fisheries in the UCUSMA to all Alaska residents. Subsistence fisheries in the UCUSMA have experienced increased limits since 1960 and increased participation. Several lawsuits, legal findings, and creation of federal subsistence fisheries in the area have further altered subsistence fishing in the UCUSMA. Sport fishing effort was 51,485 angler-days in 1977 when effort data were first compiled. Effort rose to a high of over 100,000 angler-days by 1995 and has since declined to about 28,000 angler-days in 2020. Total sport harvest in the UCUSMA was 52,680 fish in 1977 and has declined to 9,497 fish in 2020. Participation and harvest in the Copper River personal use fisheries grew steadily from 5,415 permits fished and a harvest of 50,733 salmon in 1984 to 9,492 permits fished and a harvest of 146,075 salmon in 1998. Since 1998, participation has generally declined and stabilized at around 5,500 permits fished while harvest has varied with inriver abundance from 83,343 to 229,213 salmon and averaged about 133,000 salmon through 2021. Participation and harvest in the Glennallen Subdistrict subsistence salmon fishery steadily increased from 1960 through 2016 peaking at 2,089 permits fished (state and federal) and 111,689 salmon harvested. While the number of permits fished has remained around 2,000 since 2016, harvest has decreased to 61,000 salmon in 2021. Prior to 1966, fewer than 10 households participated in the freshwater finfish subsistence fishery and harvested between 0 and 321 fish annually. In contrast, 38 households harvested 7,678 freshwater finfish, primarily whitefish, during the 2020 season.