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Chum salmon returns have averaged 2.1 million fish over the last ten years, 1994-2003, with returns topping 3 million from 1998-2000. The commercial harvest has averaged 1.8 million fish over this same ten year period. A record 3.66 million chum returned in 1999. Most of the fish are harvested in the Deep Inlet harvest area located across Eastern Channel from Sitka by seiners and gillnetters. Trollers also harvest these chum salmon, primarily just outside of the terminal harvest area. Over the past ten years the troll catch has averaged 205,000 chum per year.
In recent years, Medvejie has been the most successful chinook program in Southeast in terms of commercial and sport contribution. Returns have averaged 32,000 chinook over the past 10 years. These fish are primarily harvested during special May and June openings for trollers. Contribution to the troll fleet has averaged 8,060 chinook over the past 10 years (1994-2003). The sport catch of Medvejie chinook has averaged over 2,700 fish over this period. In some years, Medvejie chinook have represented 30% or more of the chinook entered in the Sitka Salmon Derby.
Medvejie began a major expansion of its chinook program in 1997. This expansion, which involves rearing fry in net pens in Green Lake, has doubled the hatchery's chinook production. This increased production is just now being realized in terms of adult returns: 2003 marks the first year with the Green Lake fish contributing to all major age classes.
Our coho program has two components: a smolt release program near Sitka and a fry stocking program at Deer Lake , which is located about 50 miles south of Sitka. The smolt program primarily benefits the troll fishery, but does contribute to sport and net fisheries as well. Sitka area smolt releases occur at the hatchery (~10,000 smolts per year) and at our Shamrock Bay remote release site (~230,000 smolts per year).
The lake stocking program at Deer Lake generates large numbers of coho for the troll (1994-2003 average: 54,000 coho) and seine (1994-2003 average: 24,000 coho) fisheries and contributes about 2,000 fish each year to sportfishers. In 1999, a record 293,000 coho returned to this project. The Deer Lake project consistently ranks in the top three of all coho enhancement projects in Southeast in terms of commercial contribution.
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