Creel, escapement, and stock statistics for coho salmon on the Little Susitna River, Alaska, during 1992
By: by Larry D. Bartlett and Allen E. Bingham.
Contributors: Bingham, Allen E.; Alaska. Division of Sport Fish.
Series: Fishery data series -- no. 93-32.
Publisher: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Anchorage, Alaska
Language: eng
Number of pages: 64
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 1992 to estimate the effort for and the catch and harvest of coho salmon by boat anglers in the sport fishery. An estimated 8,739 coho salmon were harvested and an additional 3,048 coho salmon were caught and released during 42,945 boat angler-hours of effort. Harvested coho salmon were of age 1.1 and 2.1 in similar proportions. The contribution of hatchery-produced coho salmon to the sport harvest and escapement past the weir was estimated to be 17% and 11.5%, respectively. Returning hatchery coho salmon originated from 1991 smolt releases in Nancy Lake and in the mainstem Little Susitna River at Houston, Alaska. Small numbers of coho salmon also returned from a 1990 Little Susitna River drainage smolt release and from a smolt release into the Knik Arm, Cook Inlet drainage of Fish Creek. A total of 29,223 coho salmon were estimated in the Little Susitna River during 1992. The actual inriver return, however, was somewhat greater than 29,223 because of the unsurveyed harvest by shore anglers and by boat anglers who exit the fishery through the Port of Anchorage. Hatchery releases of Little Susitna origin contributed an estimated harvest of 1,355 coho salmon to the mixed-stock commercial fisheries of northern Cook Inlet. A total of 8,739 coho salmon were harvested in the boat angler sport fishery: 8,401 fish below the weir and 338 fish above the weir. Spawning escapement was estimated at 20,844 fish. Coho salmon are rarely observed to spawn downstream of the weir. Inriver exploitation by the boat angler sport fishery was estimated at 29%.
Notes: "September 1993."

"Partially financed by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act ... under project F-10-8, job no. S-2-12.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-37).

Also issued online.