Harvest estimates for selected marine boat sport fisheries in southeast Alaska during 1993
By: by Dennis J. Hubartt, Allen E. Bingham, and Paul M. Suchanek.
Contributors: Bingham, Allen E.; Suchanek, Paul M.; Alaska. Division of Sport Fish.
Series: Fishery data series -- no. 94-33.
Publisher: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Anchorage, Alaska
Language: eng
Number of pages: 106
Subjects: Fisheries -- Alaska, Southeastern.
Description: Creel surveys of the Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Petersburg, and Wrangell marine sport fisheries for chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were conducted during 1993. Estimates from these surveys were necessary to provide data for inseason management of the chinook salmon sport fishery in Southeast Alaska to meet an allocation determined by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. Dockside interviews of boat-parties or anglers completing trips were used to estimate angler effort for and total catch and harvest of chinook salmon. Harvest and total catches of other Pacific salmon and trout Oncorhynchus species, Pacific halibut Hippoglossus stenolepis, rockfish Sebastes species, and Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma were also estimated. In addition, harvests of crab and shrimp were estimated in Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell; harvest of crab was estimated in Juneau. Contributions of hatchery chinook salmon and coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch to these sport fisheries were estimated from coded wire tag recovery information, and a coded wire tag sampling program was conducted at Craig on Prince of Wales Island. Chinook salmon harvested by selected remote lodges or charter boat operations were also voluntarily sampled for coded wire tags. Scale samples and lengths were taken from chinook salmon for age composition and length-at-age estimates in all fisheries except Sitka and Craig, where only lengths were taken. Lengths of Pacific halibut were taken to estimate total round weight of the harvest from existing length-weight relationships. The estimated harvest of chinook salmon was 31,920 (SE = 1,442), and the estimated catch was 47,928 (SE = 2,018) in the boat sport fisheries monitored. Harvests of chinook salmon were higher than the long-term average in the Juneau fishery, but lower in the Ketchikan fishery. The largest number of Alaska hatchery chinook salmon was harvested in Ketchikan, where an estimated 42% of the harvest was of Alaska hatchery origin and 65% was of hatchery origin. Hatcheries produced about 18% of the chinook salmon harvest in Juneau, with Southeast Alaska hatcheries contributing 17% of the total harvest. The estimated Alaska hatchery contribution of chinook salmon was 11% in Sitka, 20% in Petersburg, and 10% in Wrangell. Hatcheries produced about 41% of the monitored chinook salmon harvest and 18% of the total harvest was of Alaska hatchery origin. An estimated 48,790 (SE = 3,283) coho salmon, 38,336 (SE = 5,404) pink salmon Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, 33,795 (SE = 1,498) Pacific halibut, and 15,496 (SE = 1,237) rockfish were also harvested in the sampled marine boat fisheries. In Juneau, the total harvest of coho salmon was about average; in Ketchikan, it was below average. Hatcheries produced 10% and 23% of the harvest, respectively. The Pacific halibut harvest of 6,928 (SE = 650) in Juneau was well below the long-term average, although the Ketchikan harvest of 12,783 (SE = 1,057) was the highest recorded. The total rockfish harvest of 10,573 (SE = 1,151) in Ketchikan was below average. Shellfish effort and Dungeness crab harvests were above average in the Juneau and Ketchikan fisheries.
Notes: "Partially financed by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act ... under project F-10-8 and F-10-9, job nos. S-1-1."

"October 1994."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-38).

Also issued online.