Aug 4th Return Update
Today Hidden Falls completed their chum egg take with a total of 265k fish through the hatchery and a total of 210 million eggs taken making this the largest ever chum egg take at Hidden Falls. This record number assures all existing summer stock chum programs will have their full complement of green eggs going into incubation. This number includes an additional 40 million chum that will be incubated at Hidden Falls and released at Takatz, in the Hidden Falls THA, next spring. This new production is the result of collaboration with Armstrong Keta and are being released on their behalf. Egg...
Read MoreJuly 28th Return Update
The chum return to Hidden Falls continues to progress well and we are likely nearing the end of the return and through yesterday the seine fleet have harvested an estimated 800k chum salmon and including brood stock number we have topped a 1 million fish return. This is the largest return since 2013, and if we top 1.38 million by the end, unlikely, this would be the largest Hidden Falls return since 2009. Last sex ratio sample from Sunday (7/23) had a 35% male ratio and fish behavior in the THA definitely feels like we are nearing the end. Fish are not lingering outside of Kasnyku Bay and...
Read MoreJuly 21st Return Update
Returns to Hidden Falls have tapered since opening on Sunday July the 13th when 300k chum were harvested. Openings are continuing but have averaged around 40k adult chum each opening. Hidden Falls will be open this Sunday (7/23) with same lines as this past Thursday. While the returns have tapered quickly since the 23rd we will still most likely surpass 1 million total chum return to Hidden Falls. We continue to make strong progress with chum egg takes at Hidden Falls and are currently at 80 million taken of our 198 million goal and have utilized 100k adults to date. Our estimate is between...
Read MoreJuly 13th Return Update-Hidden Falls produces
The big news this week is today’s Hidden Falls chum opener which, when it is all over today, will be the largest single day harvest in at least the past decade. Early estimates indicate total harvest may top 300k adult chum. This is fabulous news and puts us on a potential path to top a 1 millionchum return this year to Hidden Falls which hasn’t happened since 2013 (1.38m in 2013). Keep in mind we currently release approximately 50% fewer chum fry from Hidden Falls than we did in the brood years that made up the 2013 return. Today Hidden Falls is beginning their chum spawn and we...
Read MoreJuly 5th Hidden Falls return update
Chum returns to Hidden Falls continue to improve and it is beginning to look like our forecast of 800k adults may be possible. To date approximately 213k adults have been harvested by the seine fishery. This will certainly be the largest commercial catch in the Hidden Falls THA in over a decade by the time it is over. While I am optimistic that the return is coming in strong and continuing to build, the Thursday July 6th Hidden Falls opener has had further area restrictions to begin to accumulate brood stock in Kasnyku Bay. Currently there is less than 5k adults behind the barrier net with...
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