Assessment of the 1995 return of steelhead to the Karluk River, Alaska
By: by Robert N. Begich.
Contributors: Alaska. Division of Sport Fish.
Series: Fishery data series -- no. 97-6.
Publisher: Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Anchorage, Alaska
Language: eng
Number of pages: 47
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)
Description: Beginning August 15, 1995, commercial set gillnet and purse seine catches from selected 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 95 steelhead were harvested for personal use and 37 were released from the set gillnet fishery. In the commercial harvest sampled from tender deliveries, no steelhead were observed among 126,144 salmon Oncorhynchus harvested by the set gillnet fishery and 14 steelhead were observed among 319,320 salmon in the purse seine fishery. The sampled purse seine fishery harvested and sold an estimated 71 steelhead. The total estimated incidental commercial catch of steelhead from waters included in the Karluk study area between August 15 and September 30, 1995 was 203 fish. Anglers interviewed at the Portage area of the Karluk River from September 29 through November 5 harvested 32 and released 2,466 steelhead. A mark-recapture experiment was conducted on the Karluk River in the spring of 1996. The estimated abundance of spawning steelhead was 7,252 (SE = 674). Most of the spawning population was composed of initial spawners (82%), followed by repeat (15%) and multi-repeat (3%) spawners. Mean length for all spawning steelhead was 652 mm. From May 25 through July 10, 1996 a total of 2,613 steelhead emigrated through a weir on the Karluk River after spawning. From recaptures of marked fish, the estimated spawning survival of steelhead was 36%. Spawning survival was 36% for females and 35% for males. Survival of male steelhead was 29% for initial spawners and 23% for repeat spawners; for females survival was 35% for initial spawners and 23% for repeat spawners. No multi-repeat spawners captured in the marking event were observed at the weir.
Notes: "February 1997"

Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-35).

Also issued online.