Juneau - The Department of Fish and Game plans to stock Alaska's waters with over 8.33 million fish this spring and summer to benefit anglers. Most of the fish will be chinook salmon, coho salmon and rainbow trout. The remainder will be Arctic grayling, Arctic char, and lake trout.

The 1999 stocking plan is now in draft form and available for public comment. The plan summarizes all planned public stockings for recreational fishing in Alaska from 1999 through 2003. The state is seeking public comment on the plan through January 6, 1999.

Just over half of the releases in 1999 are slated for Southcentral Alaska, with over 4 million fish due to be released into the region's waters. Chinook and coho salmon releases account for over 3.3 million of these fish. In Southeast, managers plan to release over 2.7 million fish; 2.6 million of these are chinook salmon. The Interior is due to have approximately 1.2 million fish released; Interior releases include more than 920 thousand rainbow trout and 173 thousand coho salmon.

The primary purposes for the sport fish stocking program are to maintain and improve existing angling opportunities, relieve pressure on depressed fish stocks, and create new fisheries. Funding for these projects comes from a federal tax on fishing tackle, boats, and motorboat fuel (Dingell-Johnson/Wallop -Breaux funds) and from the sale of sport fishing licenses and king salmon tags in Alaska (the sport fish account of the state Fish and Game Fund).

Copies of the draft stocking plan update are available for review at Sport Fish offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Glenallen, Palmer, Soldotna, Kodiak, Homer, Delta, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Douglas. Comments on the plan must be received by Fish and Game by January 6, 1999. For additional informatioin or to comment on the plan, please contact Carmen Olito at ADF&G, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518, or call telephone number 267- 2368.

Proposed stocking actions for 1999: Southeast: Ketchikan: stock 650,000 king salmon at Neets Bay and 760,000 king salmon at Whitman Lake; release 37,400 rainbow trout in three area lakes. Petersburg: release 600,000 chinook salmon and 100,000 coho salmon at Blind Slough. Juneau: release 180,000 chinook salmon in Fish Creek and Auke Bay, and 210,000 in Gastineau channel. Stock 10,000 coho or chinook salmon (sub-catchables) in Twin Lakes. Smaller projects: stock a variety of smaller lakes throughout the region with rainbow trout, and chinook and coho salmon.

Southcentral: Northern Cook Inlet: stock 200,000 chinook salmon in Willow Creek Anchorage Urban area: stock 315,000 chinook salmon in Ship Creek. Stock 225,000 coho salmon in Ship Creek. Stock 150,000 coho salmon in Bird Creek. Stock 75,000 coho salmon in Campbell Creek. Stock 110,000 coho salmon in the Eklutna Tailrace.

Crooked Creek: stock 210,000 chinook salmon in Crooked Creek. Kachemak Bay: stock 210,000 early-run and 105,000 late run chinook salmon at the Homer Spit. Stock 120,000 coho salmon at the Homer Spit. Stock 105,000 early -run chinook salmon at Halibut Cove Lagoon. Stock 105,000 chinook salmon in Seldovia Bay.

Ninilchik River: stock 50,000 chinook salmon in Ninilchik River. Resurrection Bay: stock 105,000 early run and 105,000 late run chinook salmon in Seward Lagoon. Stock 105,000 early run chinook salmon in Lowell Creek. Stock 60,000 coho salmon smolt in Lowell Creek. Stock 120,000 coho salmon smolt at Seward Lagoon.

Prince William Sound: Stock 150,000 chinook salmon in Whittier, Valdez, and Cordova. Kodiak: stock 15,000 coho salmon in Dark Lake; 45,000 coho salmon in Island Lake; 13,000 coho salmon in Mayflower Lake; 24,000 coho salmon in Mission Lake; and 19,000 coho salmon in Potato Patch Lake. Southcentral Non-anadromous lakes: stock 86,000 chinook and 206,600 coho salmon, 922,000 rainbow trout, 53,000 Arctic grayling, 122,000 Arctic char, and 15,000 lake trout in Southcentral land-locked lakes.

Interior:
Birch Lake: stock 28,600 rainbow trout; 25,000 sub-catchable coho salmon; 4,200 Arctic grayling; and 14,000 sub-catchable Arctic char.

Chena Lake: stock 10,000 Arctic char; 20,000 catchable chinook salmon; 15,000 sub-catchable and 5,200 catchable rainbow trout; 15,000 fingerling coho salmon; and 3,200 catchable Arctic grayling. Quartz Lake: Stock 80,000 fingerling coho salmon; 400,000 fingerling rainbow trout; and 11,000 sub-catchable Arctic char.

Harding lake: Stock 30,000 sub-catchable Arctic char, and 4,000 catchable lake trout. Small lakes enhancement: a total of 92 lakes in the Interior will be stocked with varying numbers of rainbow trout, Arctic char, Arctic Grayling, lake trout, and coho and chinook salmon. Piledriver Slough: stock 20,000 catchable and 500 surplus female brood stock rainbow trout.

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