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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) […]Hidden Falls Sunday July 7th Opening Doubtful
Hidden Falls catch is estimated to be about 150,000 chum, not quite what I expected for the day. The sex ratio slipped a bit more to 44% male, whereas size remained at 6.8 lb average. Processor roe recovery for this past Sunday was 7.2%, another sign the run is nearing the end. Roe recovery at Hidden Falls can get up to 9%.
Currently we have 35,000 brood chum behind the barrier thanks to F/V Pillar Bay, Reality and Voyager. Given the current sex ratio, roe recovery, broodstock needs, and where I believe we are at in the run I do not see opening Hidden Falls on Sunday. I will continue to evaluate catch and on the water observations throughout the morning and early afternoon.
Hidden Falls & Deep Inlet Update
Good catches at Hidden Falls on Sunday, estimated at 250,000 plus or minus 25,000 chum. We’ll hone the estimate by mid afternoon today. Male proportion slipped to 45%, a dramatic change from Thursday. Multiply samples were taken to confirm the sex ratio. This strongly suggests we are at the mid point of the Hidden Falls return. Average size was 6.8 lb in last night’s sample. We will begin collecting broodstock in Kasnyku Bay this morning if we see the opportunity. F/V Reality, John Curry and F/V Voyager, Sven Stroosma are the designated broodstock collection boats for now.
Broodstock is the main concern at the moment, although I believe we will open Thursday. However if the sex ratio continues to slide on the Thursday opening we’ll need to evaluate whether a Sunday opening is wise.
Deep Inlet had decent catches for gillnetters and seiners last week with a total of 120,000 chum (including 5,000 for troll in Eastern Channel area). Only 1996 had a larger return in week 27. The difference is 1996 was a all time record return while this year’s return is likely to be an inordinately early return for the Hidden Falls stock. Hidden Falls is also on track to peak very early.
Sunday’s catch at Deep Inlet has not been estimated as of this writing, but it was described as a steady scratch all day and might reach a 10,000 pound average. Male ratio was 52% and average size was 6.2 lbs.
Hidden Falls Second Opening, Deep Inlet mention
Impressive second opening with an estimated 72,000 chum caught, making the weekly total 107,000 chum. This is the largest return for Hidden Falls through week 25 except for 2001 when we had the inordinately large 5 year old return. In 2001, the run eventually fizzled out due in part to low 4 year old return component (1.58 million all age class return). This year it appears the age class is not skewed like it was in 2001.
Certainly good news so far, but the run could just be early and within forecast range (the pessimists view), or it could be larger than expected (for optimists) which we are all rooting for. We’ll see as the next week unfolds. The sex ratio for the Thursday opener was 61% male but I suspect that may not be a representative sample as I believe the male ratio should be in the 70%+ range. Average weight was 8.5 pounds.
Deep Inlet chum although doing well and better than the past few years is not huge at this point. However, 16,000 chum have been caught by all gear types to date which is far ahead of 18 year average. The Chinook return to Medvejie/Deep Inlet is well ahead of forecast and will likely surpass the 30,000 fish predicted preseason.
Deer Lake Sets Another Coho Record
For the second year in a row a record number of coho smolt have emigrated from Deer Lake. Since April, 2.2 million coho have left the lake. It is likely another hundred to two hundred thousand smolt will add to that total by the end of next week. A dual strategy, beginning with rearing the fry in net pens to keep them from the jaws of rainbow, and rearing them until late December for release into the lake when they are 20 grams in size. A portion (25%) of the net pen fish are kept in the pens throughout the winter and released into the outlet stream late in May the following year.
Two million smolt emigrated from Deer Lake in 2012; if marine survival is 6% we should see a return of some 120,000 adults this summer and fall.
Spring FishRap
The Spring 2013 edition of NSRAA’s newsletter, the “FishRap” has been published.
You can read the full edition here:
FishRap – Vol 31 No. 1 : May, 2013
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