Creel, escapement, and stock statistics for coho salmon on the Little Susitna River, Alaska, during 1993
By: by Larry D. Bartlett.
Contributors: Alaska. Division of Sport Fish.
Series: Fishery data series -- no. 94-29.
Publisher: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Anchorage, Alaska
Language: eng
Number of pages: 60
Subjects: Coho salmon -- Alaska -- Little Susitna River.; Fish stocking -- Alaska -- Little Susitna River.; Salmon fisheries -- Alaska -- Little Susitna River.
Description: Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch returns to the Little Susitna River were assessed with a creel survey to estimate sport harvest by boat anglers and a weir to estimate spawning escapement. Creel surveys were conducted at the Burma Road boat landing from 16 July through 2 September 1993 to estimate the effort for and the catch and harvest of coho salmon by boat anglers in the sport fishery. An estimated 11,051 coho salmon were harvested and an additional 1,260 coho salmon were caught and released during 26,613 boat angler-hours of effort. The contribution of hatchery-produced coho salmon to the sport harvest and escapement past the weir was estimated to be 28% and 29%, respectively. Returning hatchery coho salmon originated from 1992 smolt releases in Nancy Lake and in the mainstem Little Susitna River at Houston, Alaska; from a 1990 smolt release at Houston; and from two 1990 fry releases of Little Susitna River brood. Spawning escapement was 34,822 fish. Hook- and-release mortality was estimated to be 870 fish. Inriver exploitation (harvest plus hook-and-release mortality) by the boat angler sport fishery was estimated at 26%. A total of 45,873 coho salmon were estimated in the Little Susitna River during 1993. The actual inriver return, however, was somewhat greater because of the unsurveyed harvest by shore anglers and by boat anglers who exited the fishery through landings other than Burma Road. An unknown number of fish also passed the counting weir after it was removed. Coho salmon are rarely observed to spawn downstream of the weir. Hatchery releases of Little Susitna origin contributed an unknown harvest of coho salmon to the mixed-stock commercial fisheries of northern Cook Inlet.
Notes: "September 1994."

"Partially financed by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act ... under project F-10-9, job no. S-2-12."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-34).

Also issued online.