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July 23-Return Update - Since closing for cost recovery Deep Inlet summer chum returns have continued at a steady yet slow pace and the summer run will likely come in at 200,000 adults, the lower range of our pre-season forecast. Through July 23rd we have harvested 40% of our cost recovery goal and have seen a small uptick in […]
Return Update-July 8th - NSRAA chum returns last week (stat week 27) seemed to flatline. There was minimal cost recovery completed in Deep Inlet and a moderate amount in SE Cove. The Hidden Falls chum weekly return last week took a slight dip to 50,000 from the previous stat week 26 return of 62,000. So far this week there […]
Return Update-June 25th - NSRAA chinook returns have been picking up the past several weeks with a total estimated harvest in Stat Week 25 of 1,341 adults. The spring chinook fisheries in the Sitka area have harvested over 2,000 Medvejie chinook making up 47% of the Sitka Sound area commercial troll harvest. Currently the return is looking like it […]
Gulf of Alaska Chinook Salmon do not warrant listing under Endangered Species Act - NOAA has concluded its 12-month scientific review to not list Chinook salmon in the Gulf of Alaska as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Action (ESA). PRESS RELEASE NMFS ESA Ruling
NSRAA Salmon Bake & Hatchery Tour - NSRAA will be offering hatchery tours and a BBQ lunch at Medvejie Hatchery on Saturday, June 27th. Lunch will consist of barbecued King Salmon, baked potato, green salad, rolls, watermelon and non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets are $15.00 per person- CASH ONLY and can be purchased during office hours at NSRAA- 1308 Sawmill Creek Road. (8-5 Mon-Fri) […]Deep Inlet Early Stock (Hidden Falls) Better than 2014
Contrary to the Hidden Falls stock at Hidden Falls, at Deep Inlet it is performing quite well. In fact better than in 2014. The run probably has another week to go but right now the return is 520,000 or roughly 2.5% marine survival and will likely end up at 3%. In rounded numbers, 23 million Hidden Falls stock fry released at Deep Inlet in 2011 resulted in 600,000 adults in 2015, while at Hidden Falls/Takatz 76 million fry released in 2011 resulted in perhaps 250,000 (a rough guess) adults. Three times the release but less than half the return. Same stock, same eggtake site (Hidden Falls), same incubation, but different result.
We are lucky to have this comparison as it strongly suggests the problem is post release of the fry. I believe it is predation by humpback whales, Pollock and other predators. I am working on a plan for addressing the disaster at Hidden Falls which will be delivered to the NSRAA board of directors this fall.
Let’s hope the fall run at Deep Inlet performs as well as the summer run.
Hidden Falls Update July 10
No new broodstock estimate today as the weather prevented survey so far today. Will update as soon as I have new numbers.
Hidden Falls Update – July 9
It seems certain Hidden Falls will not open for chum salmon again in 2015. Right now we are attempting to estimate numbers of chum in the area for broodstock. Two fish spotter pilots estimate there are 100,000 fish from Turbot to Cosmos and offshore. At least one fisherman believes the number is closer to 50,000. ADF&G has also looked at just Kasnyku Bay and estimated 50,000. I was on the water in Kasnyku on July 7 and estimated 20,000 chum.
Some good news is that the male ratio was 58% at Pt Gardiner, over 60% at Deep Inlet for the Hidden Falls stock, 58% male at Amalga, and finally 54% in the Augusta sample. So there should be a lot more fish on the way. I’ll be getting more pilot reports soon and will update tomorrow July 10.
Hidden Falls a Huge Disappointment – Will Close to Fishing
Hidden Falls chum salmon performance is far below the forecast and the fishery will need to be closed in order to ensure broodstock numbers. The broodstock goal is 180,000 fish for the Hidden Falls/Takatz programs (101 million eggs), Deep Inlet (24 million eggs), and Southeast Cove (55 million eggs). NSRAA secured the permit for up to 30 million eggs from DIPAC, and DIPAC has generously agreed to take up to the limit this year. So far about 35,000 chum have been harvested at Hidden Falls; the male ratio from Sunday June 28 was 68%. We could risk another opening given the sex ratio but this return might be the smallest return since the 1980s.
This is the second consecutive year that Hidden Falls has performed poorly while Deep Inlet using the same Hidden Falls stock is performing well. This lends further credence to the theory that Hidden Falls has greater predation than what exists at Deep Inlet. Humpback whales are certainly part of the predator complex but Pollock might be contributing to the high mortality as well.
The jury is still out on whether the 4.0 gram program will get the fry past the whales and Pollock. We have our first four year olds from the 4.0 program at Takatz and Kasnyku this year. Results will not be known until after the eggtakes at Hidden Falls in mid August. If we find the 4.0 program doesn’t produce results we will be in crisis mode. Alternatives such as new release sites and/or a new broodstock development site will need to be considered and analysed.
Southeast Cove will have the first 3 year olds returning in 2015. These adults were raised to 4.0 grams as fry so we are putting a lot of stock in the outcome this summer and next. Department of Commerce owns the Gunnuk Creek portion of the return, while adults with our (NSRAA) mark sold for cost recovery (Trident) will flow to NSRAA coffers.
Spring Troll Fisheries Underway
Spring Troll Fisheries have been in progress since mid-April, with catch rates increasing in recent weeks. A total of about 7,758 kings have been landed to date (through May 28) Southeast-wide.
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