United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest

Research Station

General Technical

Report

PNW-GTR-814

July 2010

A Survey of Sport Fish Use

on the Copper River Delta,

Alaska

Dirk W. Lang
The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the

principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for

sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry

research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management

of the national forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by

Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

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and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion,

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part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not

all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

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and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights,

1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-

3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and

employer.

Author

Dirk W. Lang is a fisheries biologist, Chugach National Forest, Cordova Ranger

District, P.O. Box 280, Cordova, AK 99574.

Gordon Reeves of the Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW) assisted in the

design of this study, the statistical analyses, and commented on all phases of the

document. This report complements work being done by the PNW on the Copper

River Delta.

Cover photo

Cover photo Dirk Lang; background photo Thomas P. Dunklin.
Abstract

Lang, Dirk W. 2010. A survey of sport fish use on the Copper River Delta, Alaska.

Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-814. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 47 p.

Aerial counts, in-person interviews, and mail-in questionnaires were used to survey

sport fish use during the coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch Walbaum) season on

the Copper River Delta, Alaska from 2002 through 2006. Angler counts provided

an index of use on individual streams and were used to develop a spatial database

exhibiting patterns of use. In-person interviews and mail-in questionnaires were

used to determine the effort, catch, and harvest of coho salmon by both local

residents of Cordova and nonresident anglers. The estimated annual effort for nonresidents ranged from 5,230 to 5,663 angler-days from 2004 through 2006. The

highest use occurred in 2005, and it appears that use has risen since 2002, but has

remained relatively constant since 2004. Total annual effort for Cordova residents

sport fishing on the West Copper River Delta ranged from 2,372 to 4,720 anglerdays from 2004 through 2006, and steadily declined over the 3 years. Sport fish use

was concentrated on three stream systems of the West Copper River Delta: Eyak

River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough. Other streams had little to no use. Anglers were generally not found to use areas of streams with key spawning habitats.

Coho salmon was the targeted species, and nonresident anglers caught and harvested

more fish than Cordova resident anglers. Nonresident angler catches ranged from

15,192 to 28,473 coho salmon and harvests ranged from 6,887 to 10,554 coho

salmon over 3 years. Annual catch and harvest of coho salmon by Cordova residents

ranged from 2,116 to 6,033 and from 1,454 to 3,493 fish, respectively. For both

groups, catch and harvest was highest in 2004 and decreased through time. Selective harvest (catch-and-release) was widely practiced. Visiting anglers released 56

percent of the coho salmon they caught, whereas Cordova residents released approximately 33 percent of their catch. The information provided with this survey

will be used to assist in management of the area. Some examples of applications

include directing habitat monitoring and protection efforts, focusing interpretive

and educational materials toward the correct user population, evaluating human use

capacities, assessing access and infrastructure needs, and permitting guides.

Keywords: Recreational use, coho salmon, angler survey, sport fish, Copper

River Delta.
Contents

1 Introduction

1 Coho Salmon: A Vital Resource on the Copper River Delta

3 Improved Access to Cordova and the Coho Salmon Sport Fishery

4 Sport Fish Use, Fish Habitat, and the Potential for Impacts

5 The Need to Document Current Sport Fish Use

6 Objectives

6 Methods

6 Survey Design

7 Aerial Surveys

8 Airport and Ferry Terminal Interviews

10 Mail-in Surveys

12 Results

12 Aerial Surveys

19 Airport and Ferry Terminal Interviews

27 Mail-in Surveys

32 Discussion

36 Management Implications

36 Concentrated Use

37 Habitat Degradation

39 Coho Salmon Populations and Harvest Levels

40 User Conflicts, Safety, and Infrastructure

41 Options for Managers

42 Acknowledgments

42 English Equivalents

43 References
1

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Introduction

Coho Salmon: A Vital Resource on the Copper River Delta

The Copper River Delta, in south-central Alaska, is the largest contiguous wetland on the Pacific coast of North America (fig. 1). This expansive complex of

ponds, tidal sloughs, and braided channels is rich with flood-plain and off-channel

habitats (fig. 2) and creates excellent conditions for the production of coho salmon

(Oncorhynchus kisutch Walbaum). These slow-water habitats are preferred rearing

areas for juvenile coho salmon and can be especially important for overwinter

survival (Bustard and Narver 1975, Cunjak 1996). The amount and quality of this

habitat is often reflected in the production of smolts and therefore the potential

production of returning adult salmon.

Figure 1—Main stream systems of the Copper River Delta in south-central Alaska. The airplane denotes location of the Merle K.

“Mudhole” Smith Airport.
2

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Salmon are a keystone species in the Copper River Delta ecosystem. Marinederived nutrients supplied by spawning coho salmon are an important component

of the food web for aquatic (Hicks et al. 2005, Lang et al. 2006) and terrestrial

organisms (Ben-David et al. 1997, Carnes 2004, Willson and Halupka 1995). These

nutrients are likely critical to the annual production of fish and wildlife resources

on the Copper River Delta (Willson et al. 1998).

Cordova is the nearest community to the Copper River Delta, and it depends on

the return of coho salmon for a portion of its economy. The ex-vessel value1

 for the

drift gillnet coho salmon fishery ranged from $57,798 to $7,129,685 over the years

1994 through 2005 (Hollowell et al. 2007). The sport fishery provides an important

boost to the retail sector of the economy including hotels, restaurants, tackle shops,

and other businesses. Specific information is not available for Cordova, but in

2007, nonresident anglers in south-central Alaska spent an estimated $427.6 million

on fishing trip and equipment expenditures (Southwick Associates Inc. et al. 2008).

Statewide, it was estimated that nonresident anglers spent on average $448 per day

of fishing compared to $150 spent per day by residents (Southwick Associates Inc.

et al. 2008).

1

 Ex-vessel value is the price paid to commercial fishers on delivering fish to a processor.

Figure 2—The Copper River Delta showing the myriad ponds and sloughs that create excellent

rearing habitat for juvenile coho salmon.

Thomas P. Dunklin

The ex-vessel value

for the drift gillnet

coho salmon fishery

ranged from $57,798

to $7,129,685 over

the years 1994

through 2005. The

sport fishery provides an important

boost to the retail

sector of the

economy including

hotels, restaurants,

tackle shops, and

other businesses.
3

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

In recent years, the influx of sport anglers during the coho salmon season has

increased. In mid-August, the number of in-bound airline passengers increases,

with many of those passengers carrying fishing rod cases. The demand for lodging

from August through September often exceeds the available rooms, with many

rooms booked far in advance. Restaurants, grocery stores, tackle shops, and other

retail shops appear to be busier during these months. The value of the coho salmon

sport fishery to Cordova is likely substantial for retailers and is realized at the end

of summer when the commercial fishing and tourist seasons are diminishing.

Improved Access to Cordova and the Coho Salmon Sport Fishery

Cordova and the Copper River Delta are isolated, with no road access that would

allow people to drive directly to the area from other parts of the state. Nearly all

nonresidents come through the airport or ferry terminals. Daily air service to

Cordova is provided by Alaska Airlines and ERA Aviation. Some nonresidents

arrive in Cordova on a ferry that is part of the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The ferry can accommodate cars, recreational vehicles, and passengers. It links

Cordova to the rest of the Alaska road system through the ports of Valdez and

Whittier. Prior to 2005, the ferry travel time between Whittier and Cordova was

approximately 9 hours with only three scheduled sailings per week.

In 2005, access to Cordova greatly increased with improved ferry service.

Ferry landings occurred daily, and a new high-speed ferry began to service the

area at the end of September. The new ferry (capacity: 250 passengers, 35 vehicles)

cruises at a speed of 32 knots and can travel from Cordova to Whittier in about 3

hours. This vessel is stationed in Cordova and operates in Prince William Sound

during the summer. The improved service has made travel more convenient from

Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula via Whittier, and from interior Alaska via

Valdez.

Further expansion of the Alaska Marine Highway System in Prince William

Sound is planned (Brinckerhoff 2001). In 6 to 10 years, a second high-speed

ferry is proposed to provide service between ports during the peak summer season,

and by 2020 the estimated number of ferry trips between Cordova and the port

towns of Valdez and Whittier is expected to increase three- and tenfold, respectively

(Brinckerhoff 2001). Annual vehicle capacity on ferries landing at the port of

Cordova is estimated to increase by 4,181 vehicles (over 500 percent) under the

preferred alternative of the Prince William Sound Transportation Plan

(Brinckerhoff 2001).
4

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Improved access to Cordova will likely increase recreational use in the area,

including sport fishing. Access has an important influence on the amount of recreational use in a given area (Clark and Gibbons 1991). The number of people participating in sport fishing on streams in the Cordova area increased between the

1980s and 1990s (Miller and Stratton 2001) and catch and harvests are two- to

threefold greater from 2000 through 2004 as compared to the 1990s (Marston

2005). Further increases in recreational use are expected with the Alaska Marine

Highway’s improved ferry service and continued daily flight service to the area.

Increasing the service from three ferry landings per week to daily service has

doubled the potential number of vehicles that can access Cordova and the Copper

River Delta.

Sport Fish Use, Fish Habitat, and the Potential for Impacts

Most of the 750,000 acres that make up the Copper River Delta are part of the

Chugach National Forest and are managed by the U.S. Forest Service. National

forest lands of the Copper River Delta are managed with an emphasis on the

conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats (ANILCA 1980, USDA FS

2002). Much of the area is managed under the 501(b)–2 prescription of the

Chugach National Forest Revised Land Management Plan (USDA FS 2002). This

prescription emphasizes the conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats,

while providing opportunities for backcountry recreational activities in a more

natural landscape (USDA FS 2002).

Increased levels of sport fish use have the potential to affect fish habitat on the

Copper River Delta. Concentrated use by anglers can lead to habitat degradation

such as bank trampling and erosion (Clark and Gibbons 1991, King 2002). Bank

trampling reduces the amount of overhanging vegetative cover in riparian zones

(King and Hansen 1999). If vegetation is removed completely, it can reduce food

and nutrient inputs into the stream (Wipfli 1997). Erosion can reduce the quality

of spawning and rearing habitat through sedimentation of the stream (Suttle et al.

2004, Tappel and Bjornn 1983). Streams with road or easy boat access may be

particularly vulnerable because they tend to get more use. Anglers concentrate in

easily accessible areas if fish are abundant or holding in large groups.

Recreational anglers can negatively affect fish populations by the harvest of

adult fish that are returning to spawn or by killing eggs that are deposited in the

streambed gravels after spawning (Roberts and White 1992). Adult coho salmon

are aggressive fish that can be easily enticed into biting a fly or lure. There are

some streams on the Copper River Delta with small runs of coho salmon where

Increased levels of

sport fish use have

the potential to

affect fish habitat

on the Copper River

Delta. Concentrated

use by anglers can

lead to habitat degradation such as

bank trampling and

erosion.
5

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

even a low sport harvest might cause harm to the population. As fishing pressure

increases and popular areas become more crowded, some of the small and easily

accessible streams could be targeted by anglers looking for less crowded locations.

The fish populations in these small streams could be adversely affected by such a

shift in pressure. In addition, anglers wading through spawning habitat can kill fish

embryos (Roberts and White 1992), and reduce the survival of young fish the

following year. Concentrated use by anglers in areas of high-quality spawning

habitat may lead to reduced production and therefore affect adult returns to that

system. Therefore, it is important to identify the areas of overlap between sport fish

use and salmon spawning habitats.

The quality of the fishing experience may also be affected by increased

use of a fishing area. The Copper River Delta is an area largely unaffected by

human activity where anglers anticipate fishing in relatively wild isolated locations.

Crowds can be drawn to easily accessible areas that provide good fishing opportunities, often near road-stream intersections. In extreme cases, anglers can be standing

right next to one another competing for fish holding in small pools. This situation

can create unwanted conditions for some sport fishers. Additionally, anglers often

leave behind trash such as lure packaging, fishing line, food and beverage containers, and cigarette butts. Litter diminishes the natural scenic integrity of the landscape and may reduce the quality of some users’ experience.

The Need to Document Current Sport Fish Use

Before 2003, the levels of sport fish use on small streams and the spatial patterns

of use on the Copper River Delta were largely unknown. The Alaska Department of

Fish and Game (ADF&G) collects use, catch, and harvest data for the area through

an annual mail-in survey sent to randomly selected license holders (Howe et al.

1996, Marston 2005). These data provide catch, harvest, and effort estimates for

the high-use rivers, but do not provide reliable estimates for small streams because

of low response rates. Additionally, there is no spatial information collected with

the survey. Fished locations include the entire stream system with no finer scale

information to document concentrated use within a given stream.

The Copper River Delta coho salmon sport fishery is expected to grow as

people discover the improved access and the area becomes a desirable sport fishing

destination (Culver 2002; New York Times 2002, 2003; Richey 2008). Anecdotal

information and local knowledge indicate that use has increased in recent years.

Problems associated with crowding have developed and created conflicts between

local Cordova resident and nonresident users (Cordova Times 2004). The improved
6

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

access and increased use may affect national forest resources and users.

Given the importance of the coho salmon resource, land managers will need the

best available sport fish use data in order to manage fish resources and provide

services to sport fish users within the Chugach National Forest. Detailed data are

needed to monitor and evaluate the growth of the sport fishery over time. This

information will allow managers to identify the patterns of sport fish use on

streams across the Copper River Delta and implement projects that protect fish

populations and their habitat from degradation while providing important services

to sport fish users. These data will help to assess the need for access and infrastructure projects, evaluate capacity issues, and focus interpretive messages toward the

appropriate group at the appropriate locations.

The Chugach National Forest initiated the Copper River Delta Sport Fish Use

Survey in 2002. The information and experience gained from the first year helped

to modify and expand the survey from 2003 through 2006. This is the final report

for all years of the project. The report details the design, data collection methods,

analysis, results, management implications, and recommendations based on this

sport fish use survey.

Objectives

The main objectives of the survey were to:

• Identify areas of concentrated sport fish use.

• Determine the catch and harvest by species.

• Determine the relative use and harvest between local Cordova residents and

nonresident sport fish users.

• Establish baseline data to monitor trends in sport fish use over time.

• Describe the spatial patterns of use with a geographic information system

(GIS), and determine overlap of use with known coho salmon spawning

habitats.

Methods

Survey Design

Three types of surveys were used to collect data on sport fish use on the Copper

River Delta: aerial surveys, in-person interviews, and mail-in questionnaires.

Aerial surveys were used to count and document the location of anglers fishing

on streams. These data were used as an index for monitoring use over time, and

to examine spatial patterns of use. In-person interviews and mail-in questionnaires

Three types of

surveys were used

to collect data on

sport fish use on the

Copper River Delta:

aerial surveys, inperson interviews,

and mail-in questionnaires.
7

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

were used to obtain estimates of effort (angler-days spent fishing), catch (number

caught), and harvest (number retained) by the nonresident and the local Cordova

anglers. The aerial surveys and in-person interviews were conducted in August

and September because most sport fishing in the area coincides with the coho

salmon returns starting in mid-August and continuing through September. The

mail-in questionnaires were sent out on October 1. The interviews were similar

in design to completed-trip surveys at an access point (Pollock et al. 1994). With

limited access to the area and a small local resident population, this type of

design made it possible to obtain estimates of sport fish use from different

segments of the angling population: those who are residents (of Cordova) and

those who are not. The following describes the methods for each survey type.

Aerial Surveys

In 2003, a pilot project to count anglers by using aerial surveys was initiated.

Surveys were done on three randomly selected days each week from August 9 to

September 27. The selected days were stratified so that one weekend day and two

weekdays were selected each week. The flights covered all fishable water bodies

on the West Copper River Delta. The surveys were focused on the West Copper

River Delta because it contains most of the road-accessible streams and would

most likely experience concentrated use or increased use because of improved

road access.

A departure time for each flight was randomly selected for each day. The

starting times were stratified into three periods: morning (0700–1000 hours), day

(1000–1600 hours), and evening (1600–1900 hours). This stratification allowed

for the examination of temporal use patterns during the day and allowed researchers to determine the best time to capture peak use during the surveys.

When selecting the departure time, more weight was given to the daytime period,

as it contained more hours and was the expected time of peak use. The scheduled

start time would occur on the first hour of the selected period for each day.

During surveys, the pilot and one observer flew over each of the following

streams and lakes: Power Creek, Eyak River, Eyak Lake, Ibeck Creek, 11 Mile

Creek (Elsner), Cabin Lake, 18 Mile Creek, 20 Mile Creek (Goose Meadows),

Alaganik Slough, Pipeline Lakes, McKinley Lake, Sheridan River, Black Hole,

and Salmon Creek. Generally, a suggested flight path traveling from the Cordova

city airport toward the east was flown. During the flights, the entire stream

system or lake was covered; however, the flight path was sometimes altered

owing to weather conditions. Some flights were also cancelled owing to high

winds or fog.
8

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The aircraft flew at approximately 152 m (500 ft) elevation over each

stream system while the observer determined whether persons on the stream were

engaged in sport fishing. If a person had a fishing rod in hand, or was in a boat

with fishing gear, they were considered to be sport fishing. The number of boats

used for fishing was also recorded. In areas where people were concentrated, the

plane circled until all people could be assessed and accurately counted. The number

and location of all anglers and boats was recorded on data sheets and on a map during the flights. Some aerial counts on Eyak River were verified by simultaneous

on-the-ground counts conducted by ADF&G during the 2004 season.

All of the aerial survey data were entered into a GIS database to provide a

spatial representation of the anglers counted in the study area. This information

was used to visually identify patterns of concentrated use and to identify where

use overlapped with known spawning habitat. The known spawning habitat was

obtained from several sources, including the U.S. Forest Service corporate GIS

database, the ADF&G Anadromous Waters Catalog, and local knowledge from

agency fishery biologists.

From 2004 through 2006, aerial counts were scheduled daily starting on August

9 and continuing through September 30. The start time for each flight was selected

randomly between 0800 and 1800 hours. Data from the 2003 surveys indicated that

few anglers were seen in the earliest and latest 1-hour periods, and these start times

were removed. Flights were scheduled daily to best capture the variation over the

season and because some flights would inevitably be cancelled owing to weather.

The streams surveyed and other methods were consistent over the entire study

period (2003 through 2006).

Airport and Ferry Terminal Interviews

A pilot project was conducted during the 2002 coho salmon return to determine if

nonresident sport fish users could be surveyed effectively at the airport terminal.

All potential outbound flights were sampled between August 9 and September 30.

There were four outbound flights every day except Tuesday and Sunday, when

there were only three flights. Some flights were cancelled because of bad weather

or schedule changes. The ferry was not sampled in 2002.

The surveys conducted from 2004 through 2006 included both the airport and

ferry terminals. Approximately 60 percent of all departure days were randomly

All of the aerial

survey data were

entered into a GIS

database to provide

a spatial representation of the anglers

counted in the study

area. This information was used to

visually identify

patterns of concentrated use and to

identify where use

overlapped with

known spawning

habitat.
9

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

selected to sample without replacement from August 9 through September 30.

Surveyors attempted to interview all individuals departing Cordova on these

selected departure days.

Surveyors arrived 2 hours prior to each departure on each sampling day. One

person interviewed all individuals at the airport, and two persons sampled at the

ferry terminal. The surveys were conducted as passengers waited in the lobby or

waited in their car to board the ferry. At initial contact, passengers were informed

that the survey was voluntary and confidential. Passengers traveling as a group were

interviewed together. Refusals to participate in the survey were documented and

counted, but no other information was recorded. Local residents were not interviewed at these locations.

All nonresident passengers were asked whether they fished on the Copper River

Delta during their visit. For each individual or group that fished, the interviewers

recorded the locations, amount of time spent fishing, and how many fish of each

species were caught and harvested. A map of the area with the individual stream

system names was provided for the respondents to view in order to record accurate

locations. The final question asked passengers if they had any comments concerning

sport fish use on the public lands of the Copper River Delta.

The number of nonresidents who did not fish, the number of local Cordova

residents, and the number of refusals were recorded. The number of passengers

who boarded was obtained from the ticket agents immediately after each departure,

which provided a method to calculate the number of passengers, if any, who were

overlooked during the survey.

The data were analyzed as a simple random sample of departure days sampled

from total days available over the period from August 8 through September 30.

Based on survey data collected on these sample days, the estimated attributes of

interest (effort in angler-days, catch, and harvest) were calculated with equations

based on multistage sampling designs for access-point creel surveys used in Alaska

(Bernard et al. 1998). The effort, catch, and harvest were estimated with:

The surveys were

conducted as passengers waited in

the lobby or waited

in their car to board

the ferry.

h

d

i

hi

h h h h d

Y

Y D Y Y

h

   1

ˆ

ˆ ; ˆ ˆ
10

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

where

h = stratum.

i = first-stage unit.

d = number of sampled days.

D = number of days in total sample period.

v ́ = statistic of interest.

and with variance:

where

M = number of anglers exiting the fishery during the sampled period.

m = number of anglers interviewed during a sampled period.

f

1h = fraction of first stage-units sampled.

f

2h = fraction of second-stage units.

s

2

 = last-stage sample variance for measurements.

S2 = first- and second-stage sample variance for totals.

y = statistic of interest measured during the sample period hij.

Mail-in Surveys

Questionnaires were mailed to Cordova residents for the years 2004 through 2006

to estimate sport fish use by the local population. Each year, the current telephone

book file was obtained from the Cordova Telephone Cooperative, and all households with phone service were sent surveys. It was assumed that most resident

households would have phone service. Businesses were not included in the mailings. The mail-in surveys were sent out in early October to reduce potential problems with recalling the number of fish caught. A second, followup survey was sent

to nonresponding households in November. A telephone survey was conducted in

2005 and 2006 in December to estimate sport fish use of those households that did

not mail back the survey.

The mail-in surveys asked for the same information as the in-person interviews

conducted at the airport and ferry terminals. A cover letter was provided to explain
11

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

the purpose of the survey and that it was voluntary and confidential. A map showing the study area and stream systems on the Copper River Delta and a self-addressed return envelope were provided for each of the potential respondents.

Respondents were given a section to make comments concerning sport fish use on

the public lands of the Copper River Delta. No rewards were offered for returning

the surveys as high survey response rates were expected.

Telephone surveys of 10 percent and 20 percent of the total nonrespondent

households were conducted in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The surveyed households were chosen at random from all nonrespondents to the two mail-in surveys.

The questions on the mail-in form were asked by the interviewer and responses

were recorded.

In 2004, the estimates of effort, catch, and harvest were generated by expanding the response data to the entire local resident population. In this analysis, the

mean attributes for the response population were calculated for a given location

(e.g., angler-days per household for Eyak River). This value was then multiplied

by the total households sent the surveys (N) to provide the estimated total for a

particular attribute (e.g., effort on Eyak River). No variance component was

included in this estimate.

In 2005 and 2006, the estimated effort, catch, and harvest by residents were

generated from the combined mail-in and telephone surveys. The total households

sent the surveys (N) comprised three groups. Let N1 and N2

 represent the 1st and 2nd

respondent households, and N3 the nonrespondent households. The attributes of

interest, effort (angler-days), catch, and harvest, were calculated from the sum of

the estimates from the three groups of households;

1 2 3 Y  Yˆ  Yˆ  Yˆ

where

Y1 and Y2 are the sum of all attributes given by households that responded to the

1st and 2nd mailings:

The responses from these households were treated as completed-trip data of

absolute value with no error associated with it (variance = 0).

The mail-in surveys

asked for the same

information as the

in-person interviews

conducted at the

airport and ferry

terminals.

   

 

2

1

1 2 2 .

1

1

1 ;

N

i

i i

N

i

Y y Y y
12

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The sample attributes obtained in the telephone surveys were used to calculate

estimates for the nonresponse population (N3

). This method would be more accurate than using attributes from the response population to estimate those from the

nonresponse as they can often be much different from each other (Pollock et al.

1994). The total estimate for nonrespondent households was calculated by:

3 3 3 Yˆ  Nˆ 

where μ3 was the mean attribute obtained from the sample population (n3):

3

1

3

3

3

ˆ n

y

n

i

 i

  

with variance:

    





























  

3

2

3

3

2 3 3

3 3 ˆ ˆ

n

s

N

N n V Y N

and where:

 

  1

ˆ

3

2

2 3 3

3 

  

n

y

s

i  .

Results

Aerial Surveys

A total of 144 aerial surveys were flown over the streams of the West Copper River

Delta. Only 20 days were surveyed in 2003, which was the pilot project year. The

greatest number of days surveyed during a year was 45 in 2004. The number of

surveys completed each year was directly related to weather conditions. Some

flights were cancelled owing to high winds, rain, and poor visibility. Particularly

poor weather occurred in 2006, when only 39 aerial surveys occurred out of a

potential 52 scheduled days.

Anglers were readily observable from an airplane flying at 152 m, especially

in the open stream systems such as Alaganik Slough (fig. 3a). It was more difficult

to spot anglers on streams partially obscured by conifer canopy such as the upper

half of the Eyak River (fig. 3b). Multiple passes were made in areas with visual

obstacles to ensure that the counts were accurate. The aerial counts were generally
13

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Figure 3—Anglers on Alaganik Slough (a) and on Eyak River (b) as observed from an aircraft

flying at 152.4 m elevation (500 ft).

A

BD. Lang both photos
14

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

within one or two anglers of the counts done on the ground by ADF&G (Marston

2004). The ground counts were better able to distinguish boat passengers or others

who were not actively fishing from those who were fishing, which occasionally

resulted in higher counts from the aerial survey.

In total, 6,859 anglers were counted over the course of this study on the

streams of the Copper River Delta. The Eyak, Ibeck, and Alaganik stream systems

consistently had the highest counts of anglers, whereas other locations had comparatively few anglers (table 1). The highest counts occurred in 2004, which had a

peak count of 142 anglers in one survey and seven survey days of over 100 people.

The mean counts over the entire West Copper River Delta ranged from 37.6 to 55.7

anglers per flight during the survey years.

Angler counts indicated that there were yearly changes in use for individual

stream systems (table 1). On the Alaganik Slough, angler use changed from the

lowest levels in 2003 to the highest levels in 2004, and then decreased in 2005

and 2006. Angler counts at Ibeck Creek dropped to 4.1 anglers per flight in 2004

while they increased at both Eyak River and Alaganik Slough that year (table 1).

The highest counts of anglers consistently occurred during the last week in

August and the first week in September (fig. 4). This timing coincides with the

Labor Day weekend and is typically when the first big pulse of coho salmon

enters these streams as determined by ADF&G aerial surveys (see Ashe et al. 2005,

Hollowell et al. 2007). The run timing for coho salmon differs slightly between the

main rivers, with Eyak River fish generally arriving approximately 1.5 to 2 weeks

earlier than in the Alaganik Slough. This variation in run timing can be seen in our

angler counts for 2004 and 2005 (fig. 5).

Day-use patterns were observed with the counts as well. There were significantly (P = 0.02; one-tailed t-test) more anglers counted on weekend days (mean =

56.7) than on week days (mean = 44.7). Generally, most of the anglers (mean = 75

percent) were counted during the daytime periods between 1000 and 1600 hours.

However, in 2006 the proportion of angler use in the early morning and late

evening was relatively high at 35 percent.

The highest concentrations of anglers were found at locations on the Eyak

River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough. These stream systems are adjacent to

roads and trails where there was easy access for fishing and generally have healthy

coho salmon returns (Hollowell et al. 2007). There was also high use at the confluence of clear water tributaries with glacial channels, such as the confluence of

18 Mile Creek and Alaganik Slough. Mean angler densities ranged from 0 to 11.9

anglers per kilometer of stream with the highest densities consistently found in the

The highest counts

of anglers consistently occurred

during the last

week in August

and the first week

in September. This

timing coincides

with the Labor Day

weekend and is

typically when the

first big pulse of

coho salmon

enters these

streams as determined by ADF&G

aerial surveys.
15

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Table 1—Mean anglers counted per flight (± 1 SE) and peak counts of anglers on streams on the West Copper

River Delta, 2003–2006a

Year

2003 2004 2005 2006

Stream Anglers/day Peak Anglers/day Peak Anglers/day Peak Anglers/day Peak

Eyak River 18.1 (2.4) 37 30.0 (2.7) 66 17.7 (1.9) 42 18.0 (2.4) 70

Ibeck Creek 15.3 (2.2) 35 4.1 (0.8) 17 14.3 (2.7) 55 12.5 (2.2) 68

Alaganik Slough 3.7 (0.7) 11 16.8 (2.5) 64 10.7 (1.8) 40 6.4 (1.1) 26

18 Mile Creek 2.7 (0.6) 4 1.2 (0.3) 8 1.7 (0.5) 13 2.4 (0.1) 11

11 Mile Creek 3.5 (0.6) 8 2.0 (0.4) 14 1.6 (0.3) 6 3.1 (0.8) 18

20 Mile Creek 1.3 (0.3) 2 0.6 (0.2) 6 1.7 (0.5) 15 1.0 (0.3) 10

Cabin Lake 0.1 (0.1) 2 0.1 (0.1) 2 0.5 (0.2) 3 0.4 (0.2) 6

Power Creek 0.1 (0.1) 3 0.3 (0.2) 5 0.11 (0.1) 3 0.1 (0.1) 1

Sheridan River 0.1 (0.1) 1 0.2 (0.1) 3 0.1 (0.1) 2 0.2 (0.1) 3

McKinley Lake 0.2 (0.2) 3 0.3 (0.1) 4 0.2 (0.1) 3 0.2 (.01) 3

Eyak Lake 0 0 0.1 (0.1) 3 0.1 (0.1) 2 0 0

Pipeline Lakes 0.3 (0.3) 6 0 0 0 0 0 0

Salmon Creek 0.2 (0.2) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

Black Hole Creek 0 0 2.5 (1.5) 4 0.1 (0.1) 3 0.2 (0.2) 5

All locations 37.6 (4.5) 70 55.7 (5.3) 142 48.7 (5.3) 111 42.2 (4.4) 118

Total days ≥100 0 7 5 1

a Mean anglers counted for all locations for a given year, the peak daily count for a survey during that year, and the total number of

days where over 100 anglers were counted in a year is given at the bottom.
16

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Figure 4—Daily counts of anglers from aerial surveys conducted during the coho salmon season on

the West Copper River Delta, 2004 through 2006.
17

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Figure 5—Daily counts of anglers on Eyak, Ibeck, and Alaganik stream systems from aerial

surveys conducted during the coho salmon season on the Copper River Delta, 2004 through 2006.
18

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

1-km section of Eyak River near the Eyak River Trail terminus, and at Ibeck Creek

near the Copper River Highway crossing (fig. 6). However, relatively low densities

of anglers were found throughout most of the stream sections on the West Copper

River Delta. The densities of anglers and the locations people fished were consistent

among years, except for some minor increases observed with the high use in 2004.

Also, during the 2006 season, anglers were seen farther upstream on Ibeck Creek

than in previous years, but still well below known spawning habitat.

Anglers were not observed fishing in areas with known spawning habitat except

in the Alaganik watershed, specifically on 18 Mile Creek and around McKinley

Lake near the Salmon Creek confluence (fig. 7). Eighteen Mile Creek contains

Figure 6—Mean density of anglers counted per aerial survey done on the West Copper River Delta during the 2004 coho salmon season.

Streams are divided into 1-km sections, and color-coded densities are shown for each section. The known suitable spawning habitats for

coho salmon on the West Copper River Delta are represented by heavier, light blue lines.

Anglers were not

observed fishing in

areas with known

spawning habitat except in the Alaganik

watershed, specifically on 18 Mile

Creek and around

McKinley Lake near

the Salmon Creek

confluene.
19

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

excellent spawning habitat throughout its length (Hodges and Buckley 1994, USDA

FS 1994–2008) and is accessible.

Airport and Ferry Terminal Interviews

On average, 58 percent of the departure days were surveyed each year. Over the 3

years of this study, 12,722 people were interviewed (table 2). Approximately half

of those interviewed fished during their visit. The majority of the nonresidents

surveyed who fished, traveled to the region by airplane rather than by ferry (table

2). Overall, very few boarding passengers were missed by the survey crews (2.4

percent), and less than 1 percent of those asked refused to complete the interview.

Figure 7—Mean density of anglers counted per aerial survey done on the Alaganik stream system during the 2004 coho salmon season.

Streams are divided into 1-km sections, and color-coded densities are shown for each section. The known suitable spawning habitats for

coho salmon on the West Copper River Delta are represented by heavier, light blue lines.
20

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Based on the interviews, the nonresident anglers fished at many locations

(fig. 8). On the West Copper River Delta, the highest numbers fished at Eyak River,

Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough. Lower numbers of anglers fished 11 Mile, 18

Mile, 20 Mile, Power Creek, McKinley Lake, Sheridan River, Cabin Lake, and

Pipeline Lakes.

Those anglers who fished for salmon in Prince William Sound waters usually

fished near the mouth of a stream. Road system streams included Clear Creek on

the East Copper River Delta, all the streams on the West Copper River Delta,

Fleming Spit, and Hartney Bay. Fleming Spit and Hartney Creek are two streams

in Prince William Sound where anglers fished that are accessible by car (fig. 8).

Other locations in Prince William Sound were outside of the study area for this

project, and those data were not analyzed further.

Nonresident anglers also fished in several streams off the road system, east of

the Copper River, including the Kiklukh, Martin, Katalla, and Tsiu Rivers (fig. 8).

These rivers are accessible by small planes landing on a beach or lake, or in some

cases by boat. The Kiklukh, Katalla, and Tsiu Rivers were fished primarily with

Table 2—Summary data for the airport and ferry terminal interviews, 2004–2006

Percentage of

departure days Number Number of Nonresidents Number Number

Year surveyed surveyed nonresidents who fished misseda refusedb

Airport:

2004 59 3,025 2,242 1,259 106 23

2005 61 3,518 2,915 1,659 60 19

2006 57 2,582 1,993 1,030 26 7

Ferry:

2004 68 761 412 168 74 6

2005 56 1,476 936 245 28 5

2006 50 1,360 900 203 28 0

Totals:

2004 64 3,786 2,654 1,427 180 29

2005 57 4,994 3,851 1,904 88 24

2006 54 3,942 2,893 1,233 54 7

a Total number of passengers who boarded the plane and were not interviewed at all by Forest Service crews when

conducting surveys. The number missed was computed by subtracting the total interviewed by the number that

boarded as reported by the ticket agents after each flight departed.

b Those who were contacted at the terminals but refused to take the survey.

Based on the interviews, the nonresident anglers fished

at many locations.
21

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

guides operating out of lodges. The Tsiu River is not part of the Chugach National

Forest and therefore was not included in this analysis. There is a public-use Forest

Service cabin that can be rented at the Martin River, but some anglers also camp on

the river when the cabin is not available.

Approximately 90 percent of the sport fish effort (angler-days) by nonresidents

was directed at Ibeck Creek, Eyak River, and Alaganik Slough (table 3). Effort was

greatest in 2004. The Eyak River had the greatest effort for 2 out of the 3 years

(table 3). Effort remained at a similar level from 2004 through 2006, but appears

to be higher than the effort observed in 2002 (fig. 9). The increase in effort could

not be attributed to ferry passengers over the 3 years (fig. 9, table 3).

 The estimated catch of coho salmon by nonresident anglers on the West

Copper River Delta ranged from 15,192 to 31,473 fish (airport and ferry estimates

combined, tables 4 and 5). There was a steady decrease in the number of fish

Figure 8—Number of interviewed nonresident anglers and locations that they fished over the

years 2002 and 2004 through 2006. Locations are grouped into three regions. The Tsiu River

is outside of the Chugach National Forest boundary and not on the Copper River Delta.
22

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Table 3—Estimated sport fish effort on the Copper River Delta by nonresidents based on interviews at the airport

and the ferry terminals from 2004–2006

Airport Ferry terminal

(angler days for year [SE]) (angler days for year [SE])

Stream system 2004 2005 2006 2004 2005 2006

West Delta:

Eyak River 2,399 (305) 1,649 (166) 1,653 (180) 344 (49) 160 (28) 216 (51)

Ibeck Creek 419 (92) 1,855 (286) 1,472 (198) 70 (17) 262 (56) 334 (80)

Alaganik Slough 1,199 (148) 1,172 (150) 738 (129) 330 (51) 247 (59) 127 (35)

11 Mile Creek 155 (26) 27 (5) 383 (63) 45 (12) 57 (16) 114 (24)

18 Mile Creek 71 (17) 65 (19) 153 (39) 5 (2) 8 (4) 5 (3)

20 Mile Creek 68 (15) 68 (19) 56 (12) 4 (2) 2 (1) 4 (2)

Cabin Lakes 9 (3) 12 (3) 28 (10) — — —

Sheridan River 3 (1) — 11 (4) — — —

Pipeline Lakes 7 (2) 7 (2) 5 (3) 3 (1) 1 (1) 2 (1)

Power Creek 36 (8) 12 (5) 18 (6) 1 (1) — 7 (5)

McKinley Lake 13 (3) 27 (10) 35 (17) 4 (1) 8 (5) 21 (10)

West Delta total 4,420 (378) 4,942 (489) 4,605 (464) 810 (79) 746 (114) 832 (136)

Road system 4,612 (377) 5,875 (533) 5,497 (492) 867 (82) 919 (130) 1,212 (203)

East Delta:

Clear Creek 54 (12) 93 (38) 131 (25) 3 (1) 6 (4) 36 (10)

Martin River 150 (38) 121 (59) 129 (36) — 1 (1) 52 (23)

Katalla River 378 (80) 671 (194) 429 (99) 6 (3) — 11 (7)

East Delta total 590 (132) 895 (301) 699 (167) 9 (3) 7 (3) 102 (41)

— = None of the anglers surveyed fished this location in this year.

Figure 9—Estimated sport fish effort

(angler-days + 95 percent confidence

interval)—by nonresidents and local

residents on the West Copper River Delta

during the coho salmon seasons of 2002

and 2004 through 2006.
23

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Table 4—Estimated catch and harvest of coho salmon on the Copper River Delta by nonresidents who arrived by

air, 2004–2006

Year

2004 2005 2006

Catch Harvest Catch Harvest Catch Harvest

Stream system (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE)

West Delta:

Eyak River 15,405 (1695) 5,574 (501) 4,428 (701) 2,700 (367) 5,846 (1317) 2,844 (385)

Ibeck Creek 1,758 (438) 640 (184) 8,748 (1454) 4,320 (733) 4,565 (745) 1,768 (290)

Alaganik Slough 9,543 (1343) 2,702 (373) 4,406 (734) 2,079 (335) 1,687 (440) 848 (176)

11 Mile Creek 572 (129) 282 (67) 18 (7) 16 (6) 597 (105) 436 (75)

18 Mile Creek 383 (87) 100 (24) 314 (116) 131 (48) 543 (166) 231 (70)

20 Mile Creek 294 (82) 78 (19) 255 (100) 134 (51) 79 (33) 34 (11)

Cabin Lakes 20 (13) 2 (1) 10 (6) 3 (2) 23 (12) 18 (11)

Sheridan River 0 0 81 (51) 32 (20) 16 (6) 4 (2)

Power Creek 0 0 0 0 27 (12) 7 (5)

McKinley Lake 78 (35) 8 (3) 59 (28) 26 (13) 14 (7) 4 (2)

West Delta total 28,136 (3,118) 9,448 (881) 18,360 (2,444) 9,346 (1,221) 13,218 (2,152) 6,030 (713)

Road system 29,784 (3,267) 9,941 (923) 20,034 (2,518) 10,530 (1,288) 15,300 (2,173) 7,189 (732)

East Delta:

Clear Creek 253 (77) 32 (19) 160 (41) 87 (23) 228 (75) 45 (14)

Martin River 2,135 (687) 100 (38) 715 (252) 69 (20) 1151 (93) 392 (25)

Katalla River 9,467 (3,231) 565 (127) 6,151 (1,612) 920 (347) 2,668 (718) 409 (126)

East Delta total 11,954 (401) 717 (193) 7,030 (1913) 1,093 (389) 4,071 (912) 864 (178)

SE = Standard error.

Table 5—Estimated catch and harvest of coho salmon on the Copper River Delta by nonresidents who arrived by

ferry, 2004–2006

Year

2004 2005 2006

Catch Harvest Catch Harvest Catch Harvest

Stream system (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE) (1 SE)

West Delta:

Eyak River 1,537 (223) 563 (79) 214 (60) 169 (48) 369 (108) 249 (95)

Ibeck Creek 189 (51) 35 (17) 1,029 (297) 435 (113) 1,355 (570) 434 (157)

Alaganik Slough 1,395 (460) 392 (97) 164 (44) 127 (40) 149 (65) 97 (38)

11 Mile Creek 160 (56) 76 (29) 146 (70) 40 (18) 81 (35) 81 (35)

18 Mile Creek 31 (21) 4 (2) 37 (24) 3 (2) 0 0

20 Mile Creek 9 (3) 7 (3) 0 0 18 (12) 4 (2)

West Delta total 3,337 (572) 1,106 (164) 2,233 (561) 1,073 (217) 1,974 (597) 857 (222)

Road system 3,643 (504) 1,127 (142) 2,454 (585) 1,223 (235) 2,496 (655) 1,205 (298)

East Delta:

Clear Creek 3 (2) 0 10 (6) 7 (4) 84 (38) 18 (12)

Martin River — — 2 (1) 0 179 (71) 11 (5)

Katalla River 235 (132) 3 (2) — — 90 (60) 22 (14)

East Delta total 238 (132) 3 (2) 12 (6) 7 (4) 373 (180) 52 (34)

— = None of the anglers surveyed fished this location in this year.

SE = Standard error.
24

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

caught over the 3 years, with the highest catch in 2004 and the lowest in 2006

(fig. 10; tables 4 and 5). Most fish were caught in the Eyak River, Ibeck Creek, and

Alaganik Slough. There was no apparent trend in the number of fish caught at these

locations. Eyak River had the highest catch in 2004 and 2006, whereas Ibeck Creek

had the highest catch in 2005.

Nonresident anglers harvested approximately 44 percent of their catch of

coho salmon on the West Copper River Delta. The estimated harvest by this group

ranged from 6,887 to 10,554 fish (tables 4 and 5). There was also a steady decrease

in the number of fish harvested over the 3 years (table 4 and 5). The harvest was

greatest on the Eyak River and Ibeck Creek, except in 2004 when Alaganik Slough

had the second highest harvest (table 4). More fish were released rather than harvested (the practice of selective harvest) in years with higher catches (i.e., 2004).

The catch and harvest estimates were much higher for nonresidents than for the

local resident population (figs. 10 and 11).

The East Copper River Delta had much less effort than on the West Copper

River Delta (table 3). The majority of this effort was on the Katalla River, and

most of the nonresidents fishing on the East Copper River Delta arrived by airplane (table 3). However, there was a slight increase in use on the East Copper

River Delta by the ferry passengers in 2006 (table 3).

Figure 10—Estimated catch of coho salmon (+ 95 percent confidence interval) by

nonresidents and local residents on the West Copper River Delta during the coho

salmon seasons of 2002 and 2004 through 2006.

Nonresident anglers

harvested approximately 44 percent of

their catch of coho

salmon on the West

Copper River Delta.

The estimated harvest by this group

ranged from 6,887

to 10,554 fish.
25

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

The estimated catch and harvest by nonresident anglers on the East Copper

River Delta was also less than on the West Copper River Delta (tables 4 and 5).

Annual catch ranged from 4,444 to 12,192 coho salmon (airport and ferry estimates combined). The Katalla River accounted for the majority of the catch.

Anglers harvested approximately 12 percent of the catch on the East Copper River

Delta, indicating high levels of selective harvest for this region. Nonresidents’

harvests of coho salmon ranged from 720 to 1,100 fish, with most fish harvested

from the Katalla River.

Most of the anglers who were interviewed at the airport and ferry targeted coho

salmon, but several other fish species were caught and harvested. These species

included cutthroat (O. clarki Richardson) and rainbow trout (O. mykiss Walbaum),

Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma Walbaum), and pink (O. gorbuscha Walbaum),

chum (O. keta Walbaum), and sockeye (O. nerka Walbaum) salmon and grayling

(Thymallus arcticus Pallas) (table 6). Some anglers targeted nonsalmon species in

stream systems without salmon, such as Pipeline Lakes, or in areas where fishing

for salmon is prohibited, such as Power Creek.

 Nonresident anglers traveling through the airport and ferry terminals had a

wide variety of comments regarding sport fish use on the Copper River Delta. The

Figure 11—Estimated harvest of coho salmon (+ 95 percent confidence interval) by

nonresidents and local residents on the West Copper River Delta during the coho

salmon seasons of 2002 and 2004 through 2006.
26

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

comments were made by 28 parties. The issues and general concerns associated

with the comments fell into the five categories listed here:

1. Law enforcement and regulations—Some felt that the current regulations on

bag limits, licenses, and selective harvest are not being enforced. The lack of

law enforcement presence was a concern.

2. Conservation—Respondents were concerned with the viability of the coho

salmon runs in Alaganik Slough. There was some concern that the limits were

too high and that spawning grounds were getting trampled by sport fish users.

3. Crowds and concentrated use—Respondents expressed the concern that the

concentrated use had created unsafe conditions. There are conflicts between

anglers and boat traffic on Eyak River.

Table 6—Reported catch and harvest of fish species other than coho salmon, in

number of fish, on the Copper River Delta by nonresidents based on interviews at

the airport and ferry terminals, 2004–2006

Year

2004 2005 2006

Species Catch Harvest Catch Harvest Catch Harvest

West Delta:

Dolly Varden 723 97 897 105 607 63

Cutthroat trout 110 8 206 28 163 11

Rainbow trout 1 0 1 0 1 0

Pink salmon 33 2 99 22 29 1

Sockeye salmon 23 6 30 19 163 31

Chum salmon 0 0 4 0 2 0

East Delta:

Dolly Varden 476 12 252 5 381 13

Cutthroat trout 100 1 124 1 38 0

Rainbow trout 27 0 24 0 17 0

Pink salmon 301 0 1437 31 129 0

Sockeye salmon 54 9 10 3 58 0

Chum salmon 13 1 20 0 1 0

Grayling 0 0 0 0 2 0

Total Copper

River Delta:

Dolly Varden 1,199 109 1,149 110 988 76

Cutthroat trout 210 9 330 29 201 11

Rainbow trout 28 0 25 0 18 0

Pink salmon 334 2 1536 53 158 1

Sockeye salmon 77 15 40 22 221 31

Chum salmon 13 1 24 0 3 0

Grayling 0 0 0 0 2 0
27

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

4. Information and education—Interviewees wanted more information regarding

the fishing locations, such as maps with information about where to fish and

better signs to find locations.

5. Public services and infrastructure—Some felt that more public services and

infrastructure are necessary. Many said that cleaning stations on Eyak River

would be desirable. The boat launch at Eyak River needed improvement for

flow of traffic and to add more launch space to prevent long lines. Facilities

such as toilets, trash cans, camping areas, boat ramps, and parking areas may

be needed, or the current ones may need to be improved. Alternatively, several

nonresident anglers expressed concern with current levels of use and did not

want any development for fear of increasing the use further. Others thought the

current levels were acceptable, but that no new development should occur.

Some nonresidents wanted to maintain the natural wilderness setting.

Mail-in Surveys

Over the 3 years, the mail-in questionnaires were sent to 2,216 households in

Cordova and 1,101 responded to either the first or second mailing (50 percent).

The response rate was highest in 2004 and lowest in 2005 (table 7a). The response

households contained 2,729 people, and 854 people in those households fished in

the Cordova area during August and September. An additional 115 households were

called by telephone in 2005 and 2006. Household attributes were similar between

the mailings and the telephone interview data (table 7b).

Cordova residents indicated that they fished at a number of locations on the

Copper River Delta and in Prince William Sound (fig. 12). The highest number

of residents fished on the West Copper River Delta, including Eyak River, Ibeck

Creek, and Alaganik Slough. Many residents also fished for returning hatchery

coho salmon at Fleming Spit, which is not far from downtown Cordova.

The estimated sport fish effort by Cordova residents on the West Copper River

Delta ranged from 2,392 to 4,720 angler-days (table 8). In general, there was a

decreasing trend in effort from 2004 through 2006 in all stream systems except

Ibeck Creek, which had higher levels of effort in 2005 (table 8, fig. 10). Eyak

River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough had the most effort and made up approximately 90 percent of all effort reported on the West Copper River Delta. The East

Copper River Delta received much less use, with effort ranging from 22 to 144

angler-days. Effort was greatest in 2004 for both regions of the Copper River

Delta.

Cordova residents

indicated that they

fished at a number

of locations on the

Copper River Delta

and in Prince William

Sound.
28

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

Table 7—Household response information (a) and mean response attributes for the responding households (b)

that were sent mail-in questionnaires, 2004–2006

(a)

Households Households Households

Households responding responding surveyed by Households Households

Year sent survey to mailing 1 to mailing 2 telephone responded that fished

2004 711 264 125 NAa 55% 50%

2005 746 259 84 40 46% 44%

2006 759 267 102 75 49% 35%

Total 2216 790 311 115 — —

a Telephone surveys were not done in 2004.

— = Total percentages not calculated.

(b)

Year

2004 2005 2006

Mailing Mailing Mailing Mailing Telephone Mailing Mailing Telephone

1 2 1 2 12

Percentage of 49 50 43 44 33 37 32 37

households

that fished

Angler-day/ 6.2 3.6 3.5 5.3 5.1 3.1 3.9 3.2

household

People/ 2.5 2.7 2.4 2.7 2.9 2.4 2.1 2.6

household

People fished/ 1 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.5 0.8

household
29

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Table 8—Estimated effort for Cordova residents on the Copper

River Delta during the coho salmon fishing season in August and

September, 2004–2006

Angler-days for year (SE)

Location 2004 2005 2006

West Delta:

Eyak River 3,073 1,081 (608) 1,038 (186)

Ibeck Creek 538 1,327 (550) 717 (194)

Alaganik Slough 625 550 (126) 383 (106)

11 Mile Creek 212 163 (111) 149 (28)

18 Mile Creek 124 48 (0) 49 (9)

20 Mile Creek 111 111 (56) 48 (28)

Cabin Lake 11 1 (0) 5 (0)

Sheridan River 6 1 (0) 3 (4)

Pipeline Lakes 4 2 (0) 1.5 (0)

Salmon Creek 2 — 0.5 (0)

Power Creek 11 — —

West Delta total 4,720 3,298 (650) 2,392 (361)

Road system 5,969 3,987 (656) 3,695 (330)

East Delta:

Clear Creek 56 16 (9.2) 40 (24)

Martin River 85 7 (0) 18 (0)

Katalla River 4 — 1 (0)

East Delta total 144 22 (9) 53 (24)

— = No anglers reported fishing this location in this year.

SE = Standard error.

Figure 12—Number of Cordova resident anglers and locations that they fished over the

years 2004 through 2006. Locations are grouped into three regions.
30

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The catch of coho salmon on the West Copper River Delta by local anglers

ranged from 2,116 to 6,033 over the 3 survey years (table 9), while annual harvests

ranged from 1,454 to 3,493. On average, local anglers harvested 64 percent of all

fish that were caught annually. Yearly catch and harvest numbers for residents

decreased from 2004 through 2006 (table 9). Most coho salmon were caught on the

West Copper River Delta streams, especially in Eyak River, which contributed 55

percent of the whole Copper River Delta catch (table 9).

Some of the other fish species caught and harvested by Cordova resident

anglers included cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, pink salmon, and

sockeye salmon (table 10). Dolly Varden, cutthroat trout, and sockeye salmon were

mainly caught in the Eyak River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough. Cutthroat and

Dolly Varden were also taken in 18 Mile and 20 Mile Creeks. The rainbow trout

were caught in Martin River on the East Copper River Delta. Cutthroat trout appear

Table 9—Estimated catch and harvest of coho salmon (± 1 SE) by Cordova residents on the

Copper River Delta in August and September, 2004–2006

Year

2004a 2005 2006

Stream system Catch Harvest Catch Harvest Catch Harvest

West Delta:

Eyak River 4,396 2,478 1,377 (325) 468 (189) 1,003 (190) 690 (154)

Ibeck Creek 400 230 930 (254) 769 (184) 497 (122) 307 (92)

Alaganik Slough 813 543 765 (165) 637 (189) 254 (80) 224 (80)

11 Mile Creek 112 77 184 (23) 159 (20) 118 (23) 83 (23)

18 Mile Creek 241 127 108 75 65 (5) 45 (5)

20 Mile Creek 37 31 333 (231) 111 (50) 119 (83) 99 (83)

Cabin Lake 4 0 3 0 0 0

Sheridan River 26 7 1 0 52 (46) 0 (0)

Pipeline Lakes 0 0 0 0 0 0

Salmon Creek 0 0 — — 3 3

Power Creek 0 0 — — — —

West Delta total 6,033 3,493 3,712 (595) 2,741 (442) 2,116 (245) 1,454 (207)

Road system 8,078 4,413 4,403 (627) 3,245 (453) 3,056 (283) 2,145 (243)

East Delta:

Clear Creek 236 28 33 (28) 32 (28) 49 (41) 49 (41)

Martin River 22 7 15 4 86 10

Bering River 18 2 — — — —

Katalla River 11 11 — — 5 0

East Delta total 312 75 48 (28) 36 (28) 140 (41) 59 (41)

a There was no variance component in the 2004 estimates.

— = No anglers reported fishing this location in this year.

SE = Standard error.

On average, local

anglers harvested

64 percent of all fish

that were caught

annually.
31

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

to be targeted for harvest on the West Copper River Delta by some local anglers.

Approximately 54 percent of the cutthroat trout caught were harvested. Most of the

cutthroat trout harvest occurred on Eyak River, Alaganik Slough, and 18 Mile and

20 Mile Creeks.

The state of Alaska’s participation, catch, and harvest data (http://

www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Statewide/ParticipationAndHarvest/main.cfm) had similar

catch and harvest estimates for select streams on the Copper River Delta (table 11).

However, the effort estimates in the ADF&G sport fish mail-in survey were generally higher (table 11) as the survey includes all potential users over the entire year

rather than just the 2-month period during the coho salmon season as in this study.

It is important to note that the ADF&G mail-in surveys require a minimum number

of responses at a given location before reliable estimates are made for that location.

Thus, only those streams with reliable estimates on the Copper River Delta are

shown and compared in table 11.

Cordova residents also had a wide variety of comments regarding sport fish use

on the Copper River Delta. The comments were made by a total of 91 households.

Table 10—Reported catch and harvest of species other than coho salmon (in number

of fish) by Cordova residentsa on the Copper River Delta in August and September,

2004–2006

Year

2004 2005 2006

Species Catch Harvest Catch Harvest Catch Harvest

West Delta:

Dolly Varden 163 31 120 40 117 24

Cutthroat trout 146 70 96 55 46 31

Rainbow trout 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pink salmon 6 1 67 9 4 2

Sockeye salmon 172 165 60 54 169 134

East Delta:

Dolly Varden 21 2 5 4 13 10

Cutthroat trout 43 0 5 0 4 0

Rainbow trout 5 0 0 0 7 0

Pink salmon 0 0 0 0 1 0

Sockeye salmon 146 70 0 0 1 0

Total Copper

River Delta:

Dolly Varden 184 33 125 44 130 34

Cutthroat trout 189 70 101 55 50 31

Rainbow trout 5 0 0 0 7 0

Pink salmon 6 1 67 9 5 2

Sockeye salmon 318 235 60 54 170 134

a Data based only on those households responding to the survey and not estimated for all Cordova

households.
32

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The issues and general concerns associated with the comments fell into the same

five categories as those for the nonresident anglers, even though some of the subject

matter differed. For instance, in the law enforcement category, some local respondents wanted limits on the total amount of fish that are taken by nonresident users.

Others were dissatisfied with guides bringing large groups of anglers out onto the

Copper River Delta. In the crowds and concentrated use category, several respondents felt that the area has become too crowded, and consequently, they no longer

enjoy the fishing experience.

Discussion

This study provides some of the first information on the amount, timing, and

spatial patterns of sport fish use across national forest lands of the Copper River

Delta. Similar studies have used aerial count surveys in conjunction with access site

creel surveys to provide estimates of effort, catch, and harvest over a large area or

body of water (McNeish and Trial 1991, Pollock et al. 1994). Lockwood et al.

(2001) used aerial counts and interviews to determine sport use attributes in Isle

Royale National Park, Michigan. The main concern in that study was the sport harvest of a sensitive fish species. The Copper River Delta study describes sport fish

use across a large land and river network that has a special management emphasis

on the conservation of fish and wildlife resources (ANILCA 1980). The baseline

Table 11—Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)a and U.S. Forest Service (USFS)b comparison of sport

fish effort and catch and harvest of coho salmon on select streams of the Copper River Delta, 2004–2006

Year

2004 2005 2006

Stream system Angler-days Catch Harvest Angler-days Catch Harvest Angler-days Catch Harvest

ADF&G

Eyak River 7,982 25,746 10,234 4,832 10,639 5,228 5,332 6,579 3,328

Ibeck Creek — — — 1,615 4,120 2,437 1,066 1,803 913

Alaganik Slough 2,629 13,032 3,843 1,754 4,049 1,777 2,255 2,237 1,236

USFS

Eyak River 5,816 21,338 8,615 2,890 6,019 3,337 2,907 7,218 3,783

Ibeck Creek 1,027 2,347 905 3,441 10,707 5,524 2,523 6,417 2,509

Alaganik Slough 2,154 11,751 3637 1,969 5,335 2,760 1,248 2,090 1,169

a ADF&G estimates were generated from the annual state of Alaska mail-in sport fish survey, and cover an entire year. Source:

http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Statewide/ParticipationAndHarvest/main.cfm.

b USFS estimates are the summation of both resident and nonresident anglers over the 2-month period (August through September)

of each year.

— = Responses were not sufficient to develop estimates for this location for this year.

The issues and

general concerns

associated with the

comments fell into

the same five categories as those for

the nonresident

anglers, even

though some of the

subject matter

differed.
33

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

data obtained will help to proactively manage sport fish use and the critical coho

salmon resources of the area as access and popularity as a sport fishing destination

increase. This data collection was an important first step in documenting current

conditions so that future trends can be monitored and accurately evaluated.

The aerial counts were done to provide an index of sport fish use rather than to

generate estimates of effort. Usually estimates of effort are computed from the

expansion of point count data taken during aerial surveys (Lockwood et al. 2001,

Pollock et al. 1994). Index counts, on the other hand, provide measures such as

mean counts per flight and peak counts for the season. These attributes can be

compared over time to monitor general trends. The large study area would have

required great effort to conduct on-the-ground interviews in conjunction with the

aerial flights. This study relied on other survey methods to estimate the effort,

catch, and harvest of the sport fishery, whereas the aerial counts focused on trend

monitoring.

The aerial angler counts were affected by weather, but the results still provide

an index of use and capture peak periods of fishing. Flights did not occur during

periods of poor weather, but it was assumed that use was likely lower in poor

weather, and that peak use most likely occurred during the best weather when

flights were conducted. Peak use is important to know when dealing with index

counts, trend monitoring, and carrying capacity issues. Ground counts of anglers

during days that flights are canceled could be done in the future to verify the

assumption that use was low during periods of poor weather.

The high use observed in 2004 can be attributed to strong returns of fish, good

weather conditions, and low water that improved fishing. Aerial survey counts by

ADF&G in 2004 estimated 54,585 coho salmon in the three main river systems

(Eyak, Ibeck, and Alaganik) (Ashe et al. 2005). This estimate was well above the

10-year-average (1994–2003) escapements for coho salmon. Precipitation was well

below normal for August and the first two weeks of September (NOAA Satellite

and Information Service: http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/pls/plclimprod/

poemain.cdobystn). The lack of heavy precipitation resulted in low, clear water

conditions in the streams, producing excellent fishing and attracting large numbers

of anglers.

Not surprisingly, the amount of sport fish use was closely linked to run timing

in the major stream systems. Anglers went to locations where fish were present.

What is surprising is that it appears nonresidents are as aware of the locations and

run timing as residents. This information about where the “fish are in” is probably

transferred to anglers quickly through word of mouth from angler to angler and

The amount of sport

fish use was closely

linked to run timing

in the major stream

systems. Anglers

went to locations

where fish were

present.
34

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

through the hotels and lodges where they stay. Many nonresidents may also be

fishing or staying with residents, and thus have the benefit of local knowledge

regarding run timing and locations.

Our results indicate that a large majority of the nonresident anglers arrived by

airplane rather than the ferry, and that current levels arriving via air could be at

maximum capacity. At the airport, the number of nonresidents surveyed, the percentage who fished, and their levels of effort were relatively constant across the

survey years (2004 to 2006). The departing airplanes appeared to be full during

much of the coho salmon season. It seems possible that seat capacity on the arriving

and departing airplanes may play a major role in the amount of sport fish use on

the Copper River Delta. The availability of hotel or other lodging amenities may

also be a factor. At the ferry, over twice as many nonresidents were surveyed in

2005 and 2006 compared to 2004. More nonresidents came to Cordova via the

ferry when the service increased, but they did not fish. The percentage of nonresidents who fished decreased in the 2005 and 2006 ferry surveys. There appears to

be an increase in nonresident visitors to Cordova via the ferry as was expected;

however, there has not yet been a subsequent increase in sport fish use from this

population.

Effort by local residents decreased over the 3 years of the survey, while the

nonresident effort remained at approximately the same level. Participation by local

resident anglers may have decreased for a number of reasons including dissatisfaction with the fishing experience and recent changes in the federal subsistence regulations. Some comments by local residents referred to the crowded conditions,

especially in 2004 on the Eyak River. The decreasing trend may also have resulted

from higher than normal numbers of anglers in 2004 simply because of the good

fishing conditions. In 2005, the Forest Service began to issue federal subsistence

permits to local residents. Residents with this permit could fish for salmon with a

hook and line during the season, and were required to report harvests to the Forest

Service (Joyce 2005). The decreasing trend might occur if more local residents

were using subsistence permits and those individuals did not respond to the mail-in

survey. However, this is unlikely based on the reported effort by subsistence users

(Joyce 2005).

Nonresident anglers caught, harvested, and selectively harvested more coho

salmon than resident anglers. Nonresident anglers released approximately half of

the coho salmon that they caught, whereas local anglers harvested more fish than

they released. It is possible that local anglers fished to harvest fish, and did not

continue to fish long after a limit was obtained. Nonresident anglers who might

Our results indicate

that a large majority

of the nonresident

anglers arrived by

airplane rather than

the ferry, and that

current levels arriving via air could be

at maximum capacity.
35

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

not be accustomed to high catch rates continued to catch and release fish after

limits were obtained. At least at the airport, many of the nonresident anglers

seemed to be in Cordova specifically to fish and had plenty of time to spend fishing on the streams. The different fishing attitudes regarding retention and release

of salmon between local and nonresident anglers may also contribute to conflicts

between the user groups.

In 2003, the Alaska State Board of Fisheries enacted special handling regulations on the Copper River Delta that require all fish to remain in the water at all

times prior to release (http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/2005/

southcentral/PDFs). This regulation was an attempt to increase the survival of

released fish by reducing injury and stress. It is not known how many users are

complying with the regulation. Fish and wildlife enforcement on the Copper River

Delta is handled by ADF&G, the Alaska State Troopers, and the Forest Service.

However, it is a large area and both local and nonresident respondents commented

on the lack of enforcement of the current regulations regarding limits and selective

harvest. To help inform sport fish users of the regulations, the Forest Service and

ADF&G have created brochures that include detailed methods for selectively

harvesting fish.

The mortality associated with the selective harvest of fish was not included in

the harvest estimates for this study, although some level of mortality most certainly

occurred. Fish mortality from selective harvest depends on many factors (Muoneke

and Childress 1994), including fish size (Bendock and Alexandersdottir 1993,

Wertheimer 1988), water temperature (Dempson et al. 2002), and fishing methods

(Bendock and Alexandersdottir 1993). On the Copper River Delta, wide ranges of

fishing methods are employed and the environmental conditions can differ at

fishing locations during the coho salmon season. A detailed study of selective

harvest methods across the delta would be necessary to accurately determine the

additional mortality of coho salmon in this sport fishery.

The mail-in surveys may not have reached all households in Cordova as not

all residents may have had phone service. The assumption that all local households

had a telephone may underestimate the levels of use for residents. From 711 to 759

households were sent surveys each year based on the Cordova Telephone Cooperative file. The U.S. Census data indicated that 957 households were present in

Cordova in the year 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). However, recent population

estimates made by the state of Alaska indicated a slight drop in the local population

since 2000. The smaller number of households surveyed than indicated by the 2000

census could be due to a reduced population and because some households did not

have phone service.

The mortality associated with the selective harvest of fish

was not included in

the harvest estimates for this study,

although some level

of mortality most

certainly occurred.
36

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The telephone service database did provide all the information needed to reach

most Cordova households and complete followup telephone interviews with nonrespondents. At the time of this survey, cell phone coverage was limited in the area,

and most residents still relied on land-based phone lines for communication (i.e.,

most households had a phone line). In the future, improved cell phone coverage

may reduce the number of individuals with local phone service and thereby make it

impossible to estimate local use with the same methods.

Other methods for estimating local sport fish use were considered, including

using the state of Alaska sport fishing license file. This was ultimately rejected

because the license information was for the previous year, which could interject

recall bias. Also, the sport fishing file did not have complete addresses or telephone

numbers of all the license purchasers, information which was necessary to do a

complete survey of local residents and obtain followup telephone interviews.

Results of this study differed from those of the ADF&G mail-in surveys regarding use at Ibeck Creek during the years 2005 and 2006. Our effort, catch, and

harvest estimates were much higher, with Ibeck Creek showing the greatest use in

2005. Other reports of human use in the area also indicate that levels were high in

2005. The Copper River Watershed Project, a local nonprofit organization, monitored vehicle use at locations on the West Copper River Delta during the 3 years

of this study. They reported that vehicle counts at Ibeck Creek in 2005 were some

of the highest observed (FishWatch 2007). Ibeck Creek may have been an underreported fishing location in the ADF&G mail-in survey because it is known by

several names (Ibeck Creek, Ibeck River, 7 Mile Creek). It is also close to the Eyak

River, which might cause confusion for nonresidents. Even with a map it may be

difficult for those unfamiliar with the area to accurately report this location unless

they talked with someone familiar with the area in person as was done in this

survey.

The comments from local and nonresident respondents indicate that sport fish

use is important to the local community as well as nonresidents to the area. Conflicts between the two user groups appear to be growing and are expected to

continue (Campbell 2007, Cordova Times 2004). Addressing the issues raised in

these comments may help reduce user conflict in the future.

Management Implications

Concentrated Use

The Chugach National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan

provides direction for the management of recreation on the Copper River Delta.
37

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

The Recreational Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) classes found within this plan are a

conceptual management tool that places possible mixes or combinations of activities, settings, and probable experience opportunities along a spectrum or continuum

(Clark and Stankey 1979). The continuum ranges from Primitive to Urban, with

Semi-Primitive Motorized (SPM) lying in the middle of the continuum. In the

SPM ROS class, recreational opportunities are generally available within half a

mile of a road or moderately traveled waterway and the recreational user is expected to come in contact with 6 to 10 parties per day (USDA FS 1986).

In some years, the observed level of use on Eyak River, Ibeck Creek, and

Alaganik Slough came close to meeting maximum carrying capacity standards

based on the designated ROS classification. The peak aerial counts during the study

were 70 (Eyak), 68 (Ibeck), and 64 (Alaganik) people at one time within 3- to 4-

km sections of these rivers. Using the methods developed for the Chugach National

Forest, the estimated carrying capacity for a 4-km stretch of river on the West

Copper River Delta would have an upper limit of approximately 50 people at one

time (USDA FS 1994). Peak counts at Eyak River and Ibeck Creek were over 50

people in 2 out of 4 years, and it is likely that flights missed some periods of peak

use.

Some of the highest levels of sport fish use were observed in 2004. That year,

use was concentrated at Eyak River, and some anglers expressed dissatisfaction

with the fishing experience. Aerial counts found that use was at or above carrying

capacity (over 50 people at one time) for several days during the 2004 season. Low

water conditions had most of the fish concentrated in deep pools or channels and

anglers targeted those locations. Even though 50 people may be counted in a 3- to

4-km section of river, there may be 20 to 30 people fishing at one pool, very close

to each other. For some anglers this situation was not desirable and this level of use

may be above the desired conditions set forth in the Revised Land and Resource

Management Plan (USDA FS 2002). However, this level of use only occurred over

a very short period: a few days or weeks of the entire year, assuming use at other

times of the year was less. Most fishing locations on the rest of the West Copper

River Delta had far less use, and anglers wishing to encounter fewer people had

plenty of options.

Habitat Degradation

Concentrated recreation often affects fisheries habitat when banks get trampled and

eroded such that channels are widened, sediment is flushed into spawning gravels,
38

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

or both (Clark and Gibbons 1991, King and Clark 2004). Current levels of recreational use are causing some localized habitat degradation on the three main river

systems, but the overall impact on the habitat is small. The main fishing areas are

downstream of spawning habitat, so the potential for erosion and sediment to affect

egg and embryo survival is low.

Where use is concentrated on the three stream systems, there are already high

erosion and sediment loads owing to natural processes. The concentrated use occurs

in stream reaches characterized by low gradient glacial channels in the GO1 channel type (glacial outwash flood-plain side channel) (USDA FS 1992). These

channels frequently migrate across the floodplain and contain a large amount of

naturally eroded and unstable streambanks. In addition, recent tectonic activity (the

1964 earthquake) in the area uplifted the Copper River Delta approximately 1.8 m

(6 ft), resulting in down-cutting of the stream channels and further bank erosion. If

angler use remains in the lower reaches of these channels, the potential for shoreside habitat degradation will be low. Hardened trails and other means of bank

protection such as revegetation could minimize impacts at selected high traffic

areas.

Most of the sport fish use on Eyak River was from boats, so there is very little

concern about bank trampling from high volume foot traffic along the streambanks.

When anglers were out of boats, they tended to stand on sandbars within the stream

channel and thus not affect the riparian bank area. At Alaganik Slough, most of the

anglers use a Forest Service access trail to reach the stream. This trail directs

people to several open sandbars where anglers tend to stay. These stream sections

are dominated by sand substrates and are used as a migratory corridor, but not for

spawning by salmon.

Some areas on the West Copper River Delta are susceptible to habitat degradation if use increases or expands in the future. In 2006, anglers fished further

upstream on Ibeck Creek than had been previously observed, but still below coho

salmon spawning habitats. During aerial surveys, observers noted that angler trails

were being established over the course of the season, which could lead to riparian

and bank damage. Angler use does overlap with spawning habitats on 18 Mile

Creek and some of the upper Alaganik system. These flood-plain channel types

provide important juvenile salmon rearing habitat and can be susceptible to impacts

from concentrated use (USDA FS 1992). These areas should be monitored closely

in the future.

Current levels of

recreational use are

causing some localized habitat degradation on the three

main river systems,

but the overall impact on the habitat

is small.
39

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

Coho Salmon Populations and Harvest Levels

Based on ADF&G estimates, there were strong returns of coho salmon to the

Copper River Delta streams over the 3 years of the surveys (Botz et al. 2008). The

return of 2004 was particularly large (685,060 fish), which corresponds with the

highest catch and harvest estimates during this study. Ibeck Creek had consistently

high numbers through the 3 years, with peak counts of 32,000 to 36,300 coho

salmon (Botz et al. 2008). Sport fish harvest levels on this system were relatively

small and likely would not adversely affect the population.

At Alaganik Slough and Eyak River, escapement indices indicate that coho

salmon numbers decreased over the 3 years (Botz et al. 2008), and there was a

concurrent decrease in the levels of fish taken through sport harvest. However,

harvests on these streams in 2005 and 2006 made up a relatively large fraction of

the escapement. On Eyak River, the sport harvest surpassed the escapement index

in both years (ADF&G escapement indices = 2,852 and 2,460, respectively). The

actual number of fish in the system was likely greater because the escapement

indices are only peak counts, and they greatly depend on weather, water conditions,

and observer efficiency (Botz et al. 2008). All of these factors probably contributed

to the low escapement numbers observed in these systems, given the amount of

sport fish catch and harvest.

The sport harvest of coho salmon on the Copper River Delta over the study

period was only a small fraction of the total commercial harvest. Commercial harvests of coho salmon on the Copper River District were 467,859 in 2004, 263,465

in 2005, and 318,285 in 2006 (Botz et. al 2008). With this study, the sport harvest

on the Copper River Delta over the same 3 years was estimated to be 15,077 in

2004, 14,301 in 2005, and 9,298 in 2006 (East and West Delta combined). The

average sport harvest was 3.8 percent of the commercial harvest during this time.

Cumulative effects from commercial and sport fish harvests, and the potential

for habitat degradation on small streams, are a concern for the delta’s coho salmon

populations. Water turbidity and canopy cover make escapement estimates on some

of these streams using aerial surveys difficult. On years with low escapement, concentrated sport, commercial, and subsistence effort and harvest on stocks bound for

small streams can limit spawning numbers and therefore reduce juvenile production

potential for the next 1 to 2 years. Harvest and escapement monitoring programs

should continue or be improved in some small systems in order to document levels

of use and evaluate population trends. Ensuring escapement into these small

systems will help to maximize the production of smolts for future returns.

Cumulative effects

from commercial and

sport fish harvests,

and the potential for

habitat degradation

on small streams,

are a concern for

the delta’s coho

salmon populations.
40

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

The ADF&G mail-in surveys are the best monitoring tool for coho salmon

harvest in large systems where the response rates are high. The Forest Service does

not need to duplicate this effort in the future. However, in small streams that have

low levels of use, and if overharvest becomes a concern owing to small population

size, there should be an alternative method for obtaining estimates. Additional

efforts to monitor coho salmon harvests and escapements on the Copper River Delta

should concentrate on these small populations and be headed by the ADF&G. In

such cases, onsite creel surveys targeting a particular stream would probably be

best, and the Forest Service could provide valuable assistance in data collection

with these surveys.

User Conflicts, Safety, and Infrastructure

Conflict between boat traffic and anglers standing in the river channel on Eyak

River is increasing. This river is relatively shallow with meandering deep channels.

It is primarily accessed by boat and has considerable boat traffic during the coho

salmon fishing season. Many of the boats are powered with water jet units because

of the shallow water. Jet boats operate best at high speed in shallow waters to prevent grounding and for additional maneuverability. During low-water periods,

shore-based anglers are able to wade into the main channels, creating a hazard for

both the jet boat operator and the angler. There have been instances of boats nearly

running over anglers (Cordova Times 2004). To address the safety concerns of the

boats and anglers, interpretive signs were installed at access points to the river, and

brochures that warned of the hazards and recommended preventative actions were

created and distributed to anglers.

Limited vehicle parking at the Ibeck Creek Bridge on the Copper River Highway has created unsafe conditions for anglers. The highway and a small segment of

adjacent land is a state right-of-way managed by the Alaska Department of Transportation. Up to 30 vehicles have been parked along the road at one time

(FishWatch 2007). The highway shoulder does not provide sufficient room for

parked vehicles to remain totally clear of the highway surface. Pedestrian traffic

can be heavy in the area as well. This unsafe condition needs to be addressed to

reduce the potential for serious accidents.

Access problems, congestion, and unsafe conditions at the Eyak River and

Alaganik Slough boat ramps also exist. Both ramps are Forest Service recreation

sites. The Eyak ramp is poorly located, making it difficult to launch boats. Traffic

flow is not directed in the parking and ramp area, which also complicates launching

boats. The boat ramp at Alaganik Slough has buckled and deteriorated, and the
41

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

exposed reinforcement bar makes launching a boat difficult. Sand has covered most

of the lower section of the boat ramp, rendering it unusable during low water.

Many boaters back their boat trailer off the side of the ramp through large rocks to

access water deep enough to launch a boat. The boat ramp area is also used as a

camping site during the peak coho salmon season, which reduces the parking area

available for vehicles and boat trailers.

Options for Managers

The fishery for coho salmon on the West Copper River Delta provides valuable

recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. Additionally, it generates

economic benefits to the local community. Potential options to protect and sustain

this fishery include:

1. Aerial surveys could be conducted every 3 years to monitor sport fish use and

changes over time on the West Copper River Delta.

2. Detailed stream surveys could be done to document current habitat conditions

on streams where spawning areas overlap with current sport fish use (e.g., 18

Mile and Upper Alaganik).

3. All coho salmon spawning habitat on the West Copper River Delta could be

documented. Sport fish users could be made aware of these areas by signs, maps

in fishing brochures, and notification of guides and lodges. Users could be

encouraged to avoid spawning areas: this information could be added to the

ADF&G Anadromous Waters Catalog to provide necessary protection.

4. Work could be done with a local citizen action group to discuss issues and assist

in management of the sport fish use in the area. Issues include safety on Eyak

River, selective harvest, enforcement, interpretive and education opportunities,

and improvements at sites.

5. Agency presence on the Eyak River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough could

be increased by hiring hosts or interpreters. These individuals could provide

interpretation and education services to nonresidents, including current regulations and proper catch-and-release methods. They could also document and

report violations to the appropriate law enforcement officers. The presence of

an authority figure might deter potential illegal activities.

6. Law enforcement presence could be increased, and salmon harvest and selective

harvest regulations enforced on Eyak River, Ibeck Creek, and Alaganik Slough.
42

GENERAL TECHNICAL REPORT PNW-GTR-814

7. Work with the Forest Service recreation and engineering departments, and the

Alaska State Department of Transportation could improve access safety while

considering long- and short-term recreation use goals.

8. A study on the mortality associated with selective harvest of coho salmon using

several gear types could be developed with ADF&G.

9. The Forest Service could collaborate with ADF&G and the Copper River

Watershed Project’s Fish Watch Program to develop a small-stream monitoring

crew that conducts ground escapement counts in stream systems where it is

difficult to count fish with aerial surveys. This would result in a more accurate

estimate of spawning numbers, which could be used to improve management of

small stocks at risk of overharvest and habitat degradation.

10. The data reported in this study, and all future data, could be made available to

other resource agencies and to the public through open meetings, written reports

available upon request, and electronically through the Chugach National Forest

Web site.

Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible without the long hours and dedication of

the Cordova Ranger District Fisheries Crew: Ken Hodges, Tim Joyce, Kirsti Jurica,

Rosa McIver, Jonathan Kirsch, Sean Meade, Brian Neilson, Samantha Greenwood,

Traci Walters, and Deyna Kuntzsch. Program support and direction was provided

by Becky Nourse, Deyna Kuntzsch, and Rob Spangler. David Hankin provided

statistical advice and review. Draft versions of the manuscript were greatly improved by the reviews of Tim Joyce, Steve Moffitt, Don Martin, and Brian

Marston. Kathryn Ronnenberg copy edited the manuscript and enhanced many

of the graphics.

English Equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Kilometers (km) 0.621 Miles

Meters (m) 3.2808 Feet
43

A Survey of Sport Fish Use on Copper River Delta, Alaska

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