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Division: Sport Fish
Title: Chinook salmon creel survey and inriver gillnetting study, lower Kenai River, Alaska, 2006
Author: Eskelin, A.
Year: 2009
Report ID: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 09-38, Anchorage.
Abstract: A creel survey was conducted on the Kenai River to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the sport fishery between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from 16 May 2006 through 31 July 2006. For the early run, (16 May through 30 June) effort was 72,771 (SE = 4,256) angler-hours and harvest was 3,397 (SE = 412) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 38% of the effort and 25% of the harvest versus guided anglers who accounted for 62% of the effort and 75% of the harvest. The early-run harvest was composed of 1.1% (SE = 0.8%) age-1.1 fish, 15.5% (SE = 2.8%) age-1.2 fish, 38.5% (SE = 3.7%) age-1.3 fish, and 44.8% (SE = 3.8%) age-1.4 fish. There were no age-1.5 fish sampled in the early-run creel survey. Early-run Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 1.2% (SE = 0.7%) age-1.1 fish, 31.6% (SE = 2.8%) age-1.2 fish, 21.2% (SE = 2.5%) age-1.3 fish, 42.6% (SE = 3.0%) age-1.4 fish and 3.5% (SE = 1.1%) age-1.5 fish. For the late run, (1-31 July) effort was 257,700 (SE = 11,896) angler-hours and harvest was 13,190 (SE = 905) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 55% of effort and 45% of harvest versus guided anglers who accounted for 45% of effort and 55% of harvest. The late-run sport harvest was composed of 0.3 (SE = 0.3%) age-1.1 fish, 11.5% (SE = 1.8%) age-1.2 fish, 21.4% (SE = 2.3%) age-1.3 fish, 60.2% (SE = 2.7%) age-1.4 fish and 6.5% (SE = 1.4%) age-1.5 fish, whereas the late-run (1 July through 10 August) Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 1.3% (SE = 0.5%) age-1.1 fish, 27.5% (SE = 1.7%) age-1.2 fish, 14.6% (SE = 1.4%) age-1.3 fish, 49.6% (SE = 1.8%) age-1.4 fish and 7.0% (SE = 0.9%) age-1.5 fish. A standardized inriver gillnetting program was conducted near the Chinook salmon sonar site. The gillnetting program ran from 16 May 2006 through 13 August 2006. During the early run 308 Chinook salmon, 1,421 sockeye salmon O. nerka and 8 Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma were captured. During the late run 1,372 Chinook salmon, 586 sockeye salmon, 79 coho salmon O. kisutch, 326 pink salmon O. gorbuscha and 5 Dolly Varden were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE averaged 0.25 in the early run and 0.63 in the late run.
Keywords: Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, gillnet, CPUE, age composition.