Assessment of the 1994 return of steelhead to the Karluk River, Alaska
By: by Robert N. Begich.
Contributors: Alaska. Division of Sport Fish.
Series: Fishery data series -- no. 95-41.
Publisher: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Anchorage, Alaska
Language: eng
Number of pages: 63
Subjects: Steelhead (Fish) -- Alaska -- Karluk River -- Statistics.; Fishes -- Alaska -- Karluk River -- Statistics.; Fishing -- Alaska -- Karluk River -- Statistics.; Fish populations -- Alaska -- Karluk River -- Measurement.; Karluk River (Alaska)
Genres: Statistics.
Description: Waters along the southwest side of Kodiak Island were sampled for the incidental harvest of steelhead trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. From returns of catch calendars, an estimated 184 steelhead were harvested for personal use and 48 were released from the set gillnet fishery. The commercial harvest sampled from tender deliveries resulted in 32 steelhead observed among 100,728 salmon Oncorhynchus harvested by the set gillnet fishery and 22 steelhead observed among 53,093 salmon in the purse seine fishery. Sampled purse seine and set gillnet fisheries harvested and sold an estimated 109 steelhead. The total estimated incidental commercial catch of steelhead from waters included in the Karluk study area between August 15 and September 30 was 341 fish. Anglers interviewed at the Portage area of the Karluk River from October 4 through November 11 harvested 21 and released 2,598 steelhead. Subsistence fisheries harvested an estimated 35 steelhead. A mark-recapture experiment was conducted on the Karluk River in the spring of 1995. The estimated abundance of spawning steelhead was 10,802 fish (SE = 437). Most of the spawning population was composed of initial spawners (83%), followed by repeat (15%) and multi-repeat (2%) spawners. Mean length for all spawning steelhead was 671 mm. A record 7,014 steelhead emigrated through a weir on the Karluk River after spawning. From recaptures of marked fish, the estimated spawning survival of steelhead was 62%. Spawning survival was 68% for females and 54% for males. Survival of male steelhead was 55% for initial spawners and 46% for repeat spawners; for females survival was 75% for initial spawners and 38% for repeat spawners. No multi-repeat spawners captured in the marking event were observed at the weir.
Notes: "December 1995."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-53).

Also issued online.