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, 2007 |
| Author: | Eskelin, A. |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Report ID: | Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 10-63, Anchorage |
| Abstract: | A creel survey to estimate angler effort, catch, and harvest of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha was conducted on the Kenai River between Soldotna Bridge and Warren Ames Bridge from 16 May 2007 through 31 July 2007. For the early run, 16 May through 30 June, effort was 70,256 (SE = 3,611) angler-hours and harvest was 2,645 (SE = 456) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 36% of effort and 27% of harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 64% of effort and 73% of harvest. The early-run harvest was composed of 20.0% (SE = 3.8%) age-1.2 fish, 57.3% (SE = 4.7%) age-1.3 fish, 21.8% (SE = 4.0%) age-1.4 fish, and 0.9% (SE = 0.9%) age-1.5 fish, whereas early-run Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 30.8% (SE = 3.1%) age-1.2 fish, 35.3% (SE = 3.2%) age-1.3 fish, 32.6% (SE = 3.2%) age-1.4 fish and 0.9% (SE = 0.6%) age-1.5 fish. For the late run, 1 July through 31 July, effort was 219,219 (SE = 7,917) angler-hours and harvest was 9,258 (SE = 637) Chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 51% of effort and 31% of harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 49% of effort and 69% of harvest. The late-run sport harvest was composed of 11.5% (SE = 2.0%) age-1.2 fish, 29.9% (SE = 2.9%) age-1.3 fish, 52.0% (SE = 3.2%) age-1.4 fish and 6.6% (SE = 1.6%) age-1.5 fish, whereas the late-run (1 July through 10 August) Chinook passage at the sonar site was composed of 20.4% (SE =1.9%) age-1.2 fish, 27.4% (SE = 2.1%) age-1.3 fish, 43.0% (SE = 2.4%) age-1.4 fish and 8.8% (SE = 1.4%) age-1.5 fish. A standardized inriver gillnetting program was conducted near the Chinook salmon sonar site. The netting program ran from 16 May 2007 through 10 August 2007. During the early run, 272 Chinook salmon, 1,210 sockeye salmon O. nerka, and 9 Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma were captured. During the late run, 794 Chinook salmon, 2,004 sockeye salmon, 42 coho salmon O. kisutch, 3 pink salmon O. gorbuscha, 13 Dolly Varden, and 1 rainbow trout O. mykiss were captured. The ratio of Chinook salmon CPUE to all species CPUE averaged 0.24 in the early run and 0.31 in the late run. |
| Keywords: | Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, Chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, gillnet, CPUE, age composition |