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Division: Sport Fish
Title: Chinook salmon creel survey and inriver gillnetting study, lower Kenai River, Alaska, 2002.
Author: Reimer, A. M.
Year: 2004
Report ID: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 04-28, Anchorage.
Abstract: A creel survey to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha was conducted on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from May 16, 2002 through June 9, 2002 and from July 1, 2002 through July 31, 2002. The fishery was closed between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from June 11, 2002 through June 30, 2002 by emergency order. For the early run, (May 16 through June 9) angler effort was 15,012 (SE = 937) angler-hours and harvest was 376 (SE = 85) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 35% of the fishing effort and 24% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 65% of the effort and 76% of the harvest. The early-run recreational harvest was composed of 41.9% (SE = 9.0%) age-1.3 fish and 45.2% (SE = 9.1%) age-1.4 fish, whereas the Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 37.3% (SE = 2.8%) age-1.3 fish and 39.5% (SE = 2.8%) age-1.4 fish. For the late run (July), angler effort was 192,780 (SE = 6,824) angler-hours and harvest was 11,483 (SE = 682) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 52% of the effort and 43% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 48% of the effort and 57% of harvest. The late-run recreational harvest was composed of 23.1% (SE = 2.5%) age-1.3 fish and 67.6% (SE = 2.8%) age-1.4 fish, whereas the Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 18.5% (SE = 1.2%) age-1.3 fish and 58.5% (SE = 1.6%) age-1.4 fish. The 2002 season marks the fifth year that a standardized inriver gillnetting program was conducted near the Chinook salmon sonar site. The netting program ran from May 16, 2002 through August 5, 2002. During the early run, from May 16–June 30, 369 Chinook salmon, 662 sockeye salmon and 11 Dolly Varden were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE ranged from 0 (SE = 0.0%) to 1 (SE = 0.0%) and averaged 0.39 in the early run. During the late run, July 1–August 5, 1,171 Chinook salmon, 1,915 sockeye salmon, 27 coho salmon, 287 pink salmon and 10 Dolly Varden were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE ranged from 0.12 (SE = 0.03) to 0.77 (SE = 0.04) and averaged 0.37 in the late run. The use of multi-fiber gillnets and the addition of 5.0 in mesh this year greatly increased CPUE for all species without introducing unacceptable injury rates for captured fish.
Keywords: Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, gillnet.