SOUTHEAST ALASKA

Sitka and Hoonah Area – Forest Service, Tongass National Forest

Jake Musslewhite, 907-789-6256  jacob.g.musslewhite@usda.gov

May 31, 2022

Herring – The 2022 Sitka Sound commercial sac roe herring fishery was conducted between March 26 and April 10, and harvested approximately 25,500 tons of herring.  The harvest represented 56% of the guideline harvest level of 45,164 tons set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.  Aerial and boat-based surveys mapped 91.5 miles of herring spawn between March 27 and April 28. This was the fifth largest estimate since 1953 and higher than the 10-year average of 63 miles of spawn.

Sockeye Salmon – Sockeye Salmon fisheries in the area have not begun for the season.

Falls Lake – The Falls Lake weir project was operated for the 21^st consecutive year in 2021. The project monitors escapement and terminal harvest of Sockeye Salmon returning to Falls Lake each year. In 2021, an estimated 1,189 Sockeye escaped to the lake, while 315 were harvested in terminal subsistence and sport fisheries (Figure 1). The escapement and harvest were lower than in recent years. However, spawn-recruit analyses indicate that maximum recruitment of Falls Lake Sockeye Salmon occurs at lower escapements – around 2,000 fish. So, the low escapements seen in 2020 and 2021 may still provide for an adequate number of returning adults in several years.

The Falls Lake project was not funded for operation in 2022.

Figure 1. Escapement estimate and onsite harvest estimate for Falls Lake Sockeye Salmon, 2001-2021.

Petersburg and Wrangell Area – Robert Cross, Forest Service, Tongass National Forest  Robert Cross, (907)772-5944 robert.cross@usda.gov

No report submitted for this reporting period.

Juneau and Yakutat – Forest Service, Tongass National Forest

Jake Musslewhite, 907-789-6256  jacob.g.musslewhite@usda.gov

May 31, 2022

Sockeye Salmon - Sockeye Salmon fisheries in the area have not begun for the season. Most subsistence fisheries begin in late June, as returning fish start to show up at the mouths of streams.

Sitkoh Lake – The Sitkoh Lake weir is a cooperative project between the Forest Service and the Angoon Community Association, and monitors Sockeye Salmon escapement to the lake using a remotely monitored video weir. In 2021, we counted a total of 5,303 Sockeye Salmon through the weir. This was an improvement from the poor escapements of 2017-2019, but less than the 8,000-12,000 fish seen in previous years (Figure 1). The Sitkoh Lake project will continue to operate in 2022, with the weir to be installed in early July. Returns are likely to be on the low side, based on the poor escapements in parent years.

Figure 1. Estimated cumulative escapement of Sockeye Salmon into Sitkoh Lake through video weirs, 2015 to 2021.

Neva Lake – The Neva Lake weir is a cooperative project operated by the Forest Service and the Hoonah Indian Association, and uses a video weir to count Sockeye Salmon entering Neva Lake, near the community of Excursion Inlet. In 2021, we counted a total of 4,262 Sockeye Salmon through the weir. Escapements have generally improved since a low point in 2015 (Figure 2). The Neva Lake project will continue to operate in 2022, with the weir to be installed in mid June.

Figure 2. Estimated escapement of Sockeye Salmon at the Neva Lake weir, 2002-2021.

Yakutat- The preseason forecast for Situk River Chinook Salmon is 1,600 large fish, and the escapement goal range is 450 – 1,050 fish. In order to ensure that the escapement goal is met, subsistence and commercial fisheries on the mouth of the Situk have been closed until further notice (Figure 3). Escapement of Chinook Salmon will be monitored at the Situk weir, and fisheries may reopen if adequate escapement is seen through the weir.

Figure 3. Situk-Ahrnklin Inlet waters closed to commercial and subsistence fishing in 2022.

Prince of Wales and Ketchikan District Area – TBA, Forest Service, Tongass National Forest. (907) 826-1649

USFS Weekly Summary Author position vacant - TBA.

Southeast Alaska Web Links

Tongass National Forest News Room http://www.fs.usda.gov/news/tongass/news-events

Federal Subsistence Fisheries Regulations for Southeastern Alaska Area http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/regulation/fish_shell/upload/Southeast.pdf

ADF&G Sport and Personal Use Fishing News Release and Emergency Order Link http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm?ADFG=region.R1

ADF&G Commercial Fisheries News Release and Emergency Order Link http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=cfnews.main

Weekly ADF&G Sport Fishing Reports for Southeast Alaska http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports/index.cfm?ADFG=R1.home

SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA

PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND –
COPPER RIVER

Copper River, 5/29/2022 Update – Dave Sarafin, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), (907) 822-7281, dave_sarafin@nps.gov

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) provided preseason forecasts of 40,000 Copper River Chinook Salmon and 1,379,000 wild stock Copper River Sockeye Salmon. Relative to recent 10-year averages, these forecasts are 13% below average for Chinook Salmon and 29% below average for Sockeye Salmon. In early May, Federal and State fisheries managers met to discuss this forecast, regulatory changes, anticipated early season management strategies, and plans for maintaining communications with local stakeholders throughout the season.

The commercial fishery in the Copper River District has been limited in response to low early season numbers of salmon. Three 12-hour open commercial fishing periods have occurred through May 28. ADFG reports preliminary cumulative commercial harvest to be 93,733 Sockeye Salmon and 7,476 Chinook Salmon. Commercial harvest from the most recent 12-hour period was 69,338 Sockeye Salmon and 1,976 Chinook Salmon. For this most recent open period, the projected harvest was 51,100 Sockeye Salmon. The Copper River District is currently closed.

The ADFG sonar at Miles Lake (located just downstream of the Million Dollar Bridge in the Copper River) began limited operation of only the North Bank sonar on May 17. Salmon passage was first recorded on May 18. Early season ice flow delayed the operation of the South Bank sonar, which began operation on May 25. As of May 29, 15,350 salmon have been estimated migrating upstream for the season. This estimate is 14% of the cumulative management objective of 111,123 for this date. A daily estimate of 4,921 salmon migrated by the sonar on May 29.

Performance in the commercial fishery and in river sonar salmon passage estimates are the primary early season assessments of the Sockeye Salmon return to the Copper River. The initial two commercial fishing periods resulted in relatively low harvest. However, the most recent period had a significant increase in Sockeye Salmon harvest, which did exceed the projected harvest for this period. Daily sonar estimates have shown a significant increasing trend since May 26 (which was the first day of both bank sonar units). It is important to keep in mind that the Copper Basin experienced record snowfalls during the winter of 2022. This and a delayed timing of the melt off could be associated with a delayed start to the salmon return. It is too early to differentiate the low numbers in the return from a delay in run timing. Federal managers will continue to monitor run strength indices to evaluate the need for appropriate fisheries management actions in the Copper River Drainage. No Federal Special Actions have been issued by the in-season manager this season.

The State subsistence fishery in the Glennallen Subdistrict is scheduled to open June 1. The State personal use fishery in the Chitina Subdistrict is tentatively scheduled to open for a 24-hour fishing period on June 7. However, this initial open period may be delayed due to poor early season run assessments.