Fisheries, Subsistence, and Habitat
Publications Searchable Database
Search Again| Division: | Sport Fish |
| Title: | Karluk River steelhead assessment |
| Author: | Begich, R. N. |
| Year: | 1992 |
| Report ID: | Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 92-56, Anchorage, Alaska, USA |
| Abstract: | Beginning August 15, 1991, commercial purse seine and set gillnet catches from selected waters along the southwest side of Kodiak Island were sampled for the incidental harvest of steelhead trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. One hundred and ninety three steelhead were observed in a sample of 183,706 purse seine harvested Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus. Purse seine vessels harvested an estimated 605 steelhead. Thirty steelhead were harvested and 37 released in a sample of 167,067 set gillnet harvested salmon. Set gillnetters harvested an estimated 100 and released an estimated 114 steelhead from the waters included in the Karluk study area between August 15 and September 30, 1991. Sport and subsistence fisheries harvested an estimated 128 and 407 steelhead, respectively, from the 1991 return year (fall run). The estimated abundance of steelhead in a 17.7 kilometers section of the Karluk River prior to spawning in the spring of 1992 was 2,356 fish (SE = 455). A second estimate of abundance for the entire Karluk River drainage was obtained using a weir located approximately 0.4 kilometers above the tidal influence of Karluk Lagoon. The estimated abundance of spawning steelhead in the entire Karluk drainage was 4,107 (SE = 134). Most of the spawning population was composed of initial spawners (78%), followed by repeat (18%) and multi-repeat (4%) spawners. Mean length for female initial and multi-repeat spawners was larger (616 millimeters fork length and 741 millimeters fork length, respectively), than for males (553 millimeters fork length and 695 millimeters fork length, respectively). Repeat spawners of both sexes were equal in size (655 millimeters fork length). Spawning survival of steelhead was estimated at 67%. Spawning survival was similar between sexes (females 63% and males 62%). Survival of male initial (65%) and repeat (56%) spawners was also similar. Only one male multi-repeat spawner was sampled. Survival of females was different among spawning histories (initial 65%, repeat 62%, and multi-repeat 22%). |
| Keywords: | STEELHEAD;ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS;PURSE SEINE;SET GILLNET;KELTS;STATISTICAL AREA;KODIAK ISLAND;KARLUK RIVER;PORTAGE AREA;HARVEST;ABUNDANCE ESTIMATE;SURVIVAL;INITIAL SPAWNERS;REPEAT SPAWNERS;MULTI-REPEAT SPAWNERS |