FISHERIES UPDATE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 9 – SEPTEMBER 15, 2018, Report #16

The purpose of the weekly fisheries update is to provide the reader with an overall summary of the status of subsistence related fisheries throughout the state of Alaska. The target audience is the Federal Subsistence Board and its Staff Committee. The report was compiled with the assistance of the Federal in-season managers and OSM staff that provided weekly updated information by the close of business on Friday of the reporting week. My goal is to have the report sent by the close of business the following Monday. Web links have been included to provide additional information. You may obtain additional information on a fishery of particular interest by contacting the in-season manager, provided contacts, follow the provided web links, or contact George Pappas.

09/18/2018

Last edited 01/25/2022

Contact Information

George Pappas
Office of Subsistence Management, USFWS
(907) 786-3822
George_Pappas@fws.gov

SOUTHEAST ALASKA

Sitka and Hoonah Area – Justin Koller, Forest Service, Tongass National Forest Justin Koller, (907)747-4297 jpkoller@fs.fed.us

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

SOUTHCENTRAL ALASKA

Prince William Sound – Copper River

Copper River, 8/18/2018 Update – Dave Sarafin, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve, (907) 822-7281, dave_sarafin@nps.gov

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

Links:

ADFG Miles Lake daily sonar estimates

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareacopperriver.salmon_escapement

NVE’s Chinook Escapement Monitoring project in the Copper River http://eyak.fishscan.com/Summary/DailySummary.aspx

ADFG Copper River Inseason Commercial Harvest Estimates

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareacopperriver.harvestsummary

ADFG Gulkana River counting tower

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/index.cfm?ADFG=main.displayResults&COUNTLOCATIONID=6&SpeciesID=410

ADFG Emergency Orders and News Releases

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm?ADFG=area.list&Year=2018&AreaID=33

PWS and Copper River Delta – Milo Burcham, Chugach National Forest, Cordova. (907) 424-4759 mburcham@fs.fed.us

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

Cook Inlet Area – Jeff Anderson, Field Supervisor, Kenai Fish and Wildlife Field Office (907) 260-0132 Jeffry_Anderson@fws.gov

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

Kodiak Island Area – Michael Brady, Refuge Manager, - Kodiak NWR

(907) 487-2600/0230 or michael_brady@fws.gov or Kevin Van Hatten (907) 487-0230 Kevin_VanHatten@fws.gov

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

Yukon River

Gerald Maschmann and Fred Bue, Fish Biologists, USFWS Fairbanks Office.

Gerald_Maschmann@fws.gov or Fred Bue Fredrick_Bue@fws.gov

The Emmonak Field Office is closed for the season. You can contact management staff at 907-455-1849 or 907-456-0406.

The 2018 Fall Chum Salmon run is essentially over in the lower and middle portions of the Yukon area. Most subsistence fishermen have transitioned to fall season activities such as moose hunting and preparing for the winter. Commercial fishing in the lower Yukon closed by regulation on September 10. The preliminary reconstructed run size based on the Pilot Station sonar plus the estimated harvest downstream is over 1.2 million fish, above the median of 801,300 fish and expectations. This level of abundance is typically sufficient to meet escapement and subsistence needs, and provide a surplus for commercial and personal use purposes. The Coho Salmon run appears to be tracking near the expected average total run size at this time. The preliminary reconstructed run size based on the Pilot Station sonar plus the estimated harvest downstream is 232,000 Coho Salmon, which is above the median of 200,500 fish.

Fall Assessment Information

Fall Chum Salmon assessment began on July 16 in the Lower Yukon Test Fishery (LYTF) and has a season ending cumulative CPUE through September 10 of 2,962, above the median of 1,520. The Mt. Village Test Fishery (MVTF) has a season ending cumulative CPUE through September 12 of 3,018, above the median of 2,052. The Pilot Station sonar transitioned to fall season assessment on July 19 and has a season ending cumulative passage estimate of 927,400 through September 7, above the median of 706,600. The run appears to be about seven days late this year based on the passage timing past the Pilot Station sonar. The Fall Chum Salmon genetics sampling program at the Pilot Station is showing stock proportions within expectations. The Chandalar River sonar began operations on August 12 and has an estimated passage of 43,500 Fall Chum Salmon through September 13, well below the median of 113,000. The Eagle sonar transitioned over the fall season on August 21 and has a cumulative passage estimate of 10,300 Fall Chum Salmon, well below the average of 38,500. Due to the late run timing in the lower river, low passage at both the Chandalar and Eagle sonar projects was expected. Fall Chum Salmon passage at both has been increasing over the last few days.

Coho Salmon typically overlap the second half of the Fall Chum Salmon run. The Lower Yukon Test Fishery (LYTF) which has a season ending cumulative Coho Salmon CPUE through September 10 of 382, below the median of 443. The Mt. Village Test Fishery (MVTF) has a season ending cumulative Coho Salmon CPUE through September 12 of 679, below the median of 1,122. The Pilot Station sonar has a season ending cumulative Coho Salmon passage estimate of 137,400 through September 7, below the median of 160,300.

Fall Season Management Actions

The Coastal District and Districts 1 through 3 are open to subsistence salmon fishing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. District 4 and Subdistricts 5A, 5B, and 5C have had subsistence fishing opportunity increased from 5 to 7 days per week as an effort to compensate fishermen for foregone harvest when conserving Chinook Salmon earlier in the season. Subsistence fishing in Subdistrict 5D is open on its full standard schedule of 24 hours a day, seven days a week and Subdistricts 6A and 6B are on their standard schedules of two 42-hour periods per week. At this time, all areas allow 7.5” or smaller mesh gillnets and fish wheels during salmon fishing periods. Subsistence fishing in the Alaska portion of the mainstem Porcupine River has been restricted to 4 days per week to provide protection for Fishing Branch stocks that have shown lower productivity in recent years.

Twenty fall season commercial periods have occurred in District 1 and twenty-one in District 2 this season with a preliminary combined harvest of 370,266 Fall Chum Salmon and 106,079 Coho Salmon. Subdistrict 4-A had one fall season commercial period with an estimated harvest of 596 Chum Salmon. Commercial fishing is open 24-hours per day, seven days per week in Subdistricts 5-B and 5-C with 900 Fall Chum Salmon harvested through August 20. This is a small scale commercial fishery with an expected harvest of around 2,000 Fall Chum Salmon. Commercial fishing began in District 6 on August 17. Preliminary harvest estimates are 238 Fall Chum Salmon and one Coho Salmon.

Consultation

Extensive public outreach and consultation was performed during the fall of 2017 and spring of 2018 to inform and seek input from Yukon River fishermen and stakeholders. Outreach efforts continued during the season. The thirteenth and final YRDFA weekly teleconference was held on August 28 with very few subsistence fishermen reporting. Some fishermen were satisfied with their Chinook Salmon harvest this season and others were short of filling their subsistence needs. Furthermore, the fall season outlook and management strategies were discussed on the later YRDFA teleconferences. Participants communicated the importance of the fall chum salmon run in meeting their subsistence needs due the lack of Chinook salmon in this year’s harvests.

KUSKOKWIM RIVER

In Season Manager – Ken Stahlnecker, Refuge Manager, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Contact Kenneth_Stahlnecker@fws.gov; (907) 543-3151 or Lewis_Coggins@fws.gov or author Aaron Moses Aaron_Moses@fws.gov

Reporting concluded for season. Contact author with questions and comments at above contact information.

Yukon-Kuskokwim-Interior Alaska Web Links

Federal Subsistence Management Fisheries News Releases:

http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/news/fishing/index.cfm

Federal Subsistence Fisheries Regulations for Yukon–Northern Area

http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/regulation/fish_shell/upload/Yukon.pdf

Kuskokwim River Updates Hosted on OSM Website

http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/kuskokwim.cfm

Federal Subsistence Fisheries Regulations for Kuskokwim Area

http://www.doi.gov/subsistence/regulation/fish_shell/upload/Kusko.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.R3