Sport fishing effort, catch, and harvest and inriver abundance of Chilkat River chinook salmon near Haines, Alaska, in 1994

Description

The Haines marine boat sport fishery targets wild mature chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha returning to the Chilkat River. Stratified two-stage direct expansion surveys were used to estimate angler effort for and harvest of, wild mature chinook salmon assumed to be bound for the Chilkat River in the Haines marine boat fishery during the spring of 1994. Harvest of large (greater than 28 inches in total length) chinook salmon and chartered angler effort and harvest were also estimated. Contributions of hatchery chinook salmon to the fishery were estimated from coded wire tag recovery information. Age and size compositions of the harvest were estimated using scale samples and lengths collected from chinook salmon in the angler harvest. A mark-recapture experiment was used to estimate abundance of age 1.3 and older fish returning to the Chilkat River in 1994. An estimated 9,726 angler-hours (SE = 723) of effort (7,682 targeted salmon hours, SE = 597) were expended for a harvest of 220 (SE = 32) large chinook salmon, of which 190 (SE = 29) were wild mature fish. Chartered anglers accounted for 12% and 21% of the estimated targeted salmon effort and harvest of large chinook salmon, respectively. Hatcheries produced about 3% of the estimated chinook salmon harvest in the surveyed fishery. Three hundred one (301) large (age 1.3 and older) chinook salmon were captured in the lower Chilkat River between June 14 and July 22, 1994 in drift gill nets and two fish wheels. Two hundred ninety-six (296) of these fish were tagged with solid-core spaghetti tags (212 in drift gill nets and 84 in the fish wheels). A total of 777 large chinook salmon were examined on spawning tributaries to the Chilkat River and 33 of these were marked. Based on these data, an estimated 6,795 (SE = 1,057) large chinook salmon (n1 = 296, n2 = 777, m2 = 33) immigrated into the Chilkat River during 1994.

Subjects

Series Statement

• Fishery data series -- 95-42.
• Fishery data series -- no. 95-42.

Links

• URL