Fisheries, Subsistence, and Habitat
Publications Searchable Database

Search Again
Division: Sport Fish
Title: Chinook salmon creel survey and inriver gillnetting study, lower Kenai River, Alaska, 2005.
Author: Eskelin, A.
Year: 2007
Report ID: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 07-87, 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 to 31 July 2005. For the early run, (16 May through 30 June) angler effort was 79,492 (SE = 3,365) angler-hours and Chinook salmon harvest was 2,876 (SE = 329). Unguided anglers accounted for 41% of the effort and 23% of the harvest versus guided anglers who accounted for 59% of the effort and 77% of the harvest. The early-run harvest was composed of 6.6% (SE = 2.1%) age-1.2 fish, 44.1% (SE = 4.3%) age-1.3 fish, 48.5% (SE = 4.3%) age-1.4 fish, and 0% age-1.5 fish, whereas early-run Chinook salmon passage at the sonar site was composed of 12.4% (SE = 2.0%) age-1.2 fish, 30.2% (SE = 2.7%) age-1.3 fish, 52.8% (SE = 2.9%) age-1.4 fish and 3.5% (SE = 1.1%) age-1.5 fish. For the late run, (1 July through 31 July) angler effort was 230,785 (SE = 8,028) angler-hours and Chinook salmon harvest was 15,313 (SE = 1,161). Unguided anglers accounted for 54% of the effort and 45% of the harvest versus guided anglers who accounted for 46% of the effort and 55% of the harvest. The late-run recreational harvest was composed of 2.5% (SE = 0.7%) age-1.2 fish, 18.3% (SE = 1.9%) age-1.3 fish, 76.1% (SE = 2.1%) age-1.4 fish and 2.7% (SE = 0.8%) age-1.5 fish, whereas the late-run (1 July through 10 August) Chinook salmon passage at the sonar site was composed of 6.9% (SE = 1.2%) age-1.2 fish, 18.5% (SE = 1.7%) age-1.3 fish, 70.5% (SE = 2.0%) age-1.4 fish and 4.2% (SE = 0.9%) age-1.5 fish. A standardized inriver gillnetting project was conducted near the Chinook salmon sonar site. The gillnetting project ran from 16 May to 10 August 2005. During the early run 497 Chinook salmon and 1,595 sockeye salmon O. nerka were captured. During the late run 1,057 Chinook salmon, 755 sockeye salmon, 2 coho salmon O. kisutch, and 1 pink salmon O. gorbuscha were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE averaged 0.36 in the early run and 0.62 in the late run.
Keywords: Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, gillnet, CPUE, age composition.