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Division: Sport Fish
Title: Chinook salmon creel survey and inriver gillnetting study, lower Kenai River, Alaska, 2003.
Author: Reimer, A. M.
Year: 2004
Report ID: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 04-32, 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 16 May 2003 through 31 July 2003. For the early run, (16 May through 30 June) angler effort was 59,058 (SE = 2,919) angler-hours and harvest was 1,948 (SE = 399) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 40% of the fishing effort and 32% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 60% of the effort and 68% of the harvest. The early-run recreational harvest was composed of 17.8% (SE = 6.2%) age-1.2 fish, 42.7% (SE = 7.3%) age-1.3 fish and 39.5% (SE = 7.2%) age-1.4 fish, whereas early-run Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 31.6% (SE = 1.7%) age-1.2 fish, 19.6% (SE = 1.5%) age-1.3 fish and 46.7% (SE = 1.9%) age-1.4 fish. For the late run (July), angler effort was 207,456 (SE = 7,390) angler-hours and harvest was 13,837 (SE = 1,168) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 56% of the effort and 45% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 44% of the effort and 55% of harvest. The late-run recreational harvest was composed of 15.0% (SE = 2.0%) age-1.2 fish, 18.5% (SE = 2.2%) age-1.3 fish and 64.0% (SE = 2.7%) age-1.4 fish, whereas the late-run Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 29.5% (SE = 1.3%) age-1.2 fish, 19.9% (SE = 1.2%) age-1.3 fish and 48.9% (SE = 1.5%) age-1.4 fish. The 2003 season marks the fifth year that a standardized inriver gillnetting program was conducted near the Chinook salmon sonar site. The netting program ran from 16 May 2003 through 10 August 2003. During the early run 874 Chinook salmon, 840 sockeye salmon and 11 Dolly Varden were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE ranged from 0.20 to 1.00 and averaged 0.59 in the early run. During the late run 1,446 Chinook salmon, 1,464 sockeye salmon, 81 coho salmon, 5 pink salmon and 7 Dolly Varden were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE ranged from 0.12 to 0.85 and averaged 0.49 in the late run.
Keywords: Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, gillnet, CPUE, age composition.