Yukon River Salmon In-Season Management Teleconference
Call #14 - August 29, 2006
Sponsored by: Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association (YRDFA)
Funded by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Office of Subsistence Management and the Yukon River Panel.
Agenda: Village identification and subsistence reports
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Management update by Alaska Department of Fish and Game; follow-up by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Local input by YRDFA Board Members, Coordinating Fisheries, Committee, Inter-Tribal consortiums, and/or Yukon River Panel Members.
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Communities involved in the call:
Rampart Rapids, Nenana, Huslia, Nulato, Kaltag, St. Mary’s, Emmonak
Government and Other Organizations/Entities:
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ADF&G - Emmonak, Anchorage, and Fairbanks, AK
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USF&WS - Fairbanks, Anchorage and Galena, AK
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USF&WS, OSM - Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK
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Subsistence Reports:
The Rampart Rapids reported: In between second and third pulse of fall chum salmon now. There are three fishers left in Rapids and all are still cutting dry dog food and later will be cribbing fish. Everyone is catching all they need although the bad weather has put fishers behind some. Fishers appreciate no closures. Water height just crested and is the highest for this time of year looking at 1996 to present. Water temperature has been up and down all season with temperatures running slightly cold at present. Rapids fish wheel video project numbers are down as we are in between pulses. Counting about 1800 a day now. As of August 28th, the cumulative 24 hour fall chum catch is 27,909. Discharge adjusted cumulative passage guess through Rapids is 249,136. Using 1996-2005 fall chum data at fishwheel site, run so far is above average.
Nenana reported: Using a fishwheel to collect more fish for dogs, and catching a couple hundred fish overnight comprised of fall chum, summer chum and a lot of whitefish. Nenana also reported water dropping and coho just starting to show up. The mix of chum fish being caught by the wheel appears to be 50% fall chum and 50% summer chum.
Galena reported: High water levels and high debris levels resulting in fishers pulling out set nets.
Huslia reported: Water too high to drift and most of the community out moose hunting instead.
Nulato also reported High water and no active fisheries effort. There is a school setting up for a culture camp in Nulato that will be likely to fish in the fall.
Kaltag reported: High water and debris with only the test fishery fishing at this time and catching twenty to twenty-five fall chum per day along with sheefish and wt. fish.
A fisher in Grayling caught fifty-eight fall chum over the past week and reported lots of fish jumping. The majority of fall chum subsistence fishing has ended in St. Mary’s with only two families smoking at this time. The majority of residents are preparing for moose hunting and there is one last commercial opening scheduled this week. Emmonak is also close to the end of subsistence fall chum fishing with only a few residents canning. Emmonak requested another commercial opening after the first.
Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Canada
The most recent data for escapement numbers is still being evaluated. The most recent cumulative numbers for Chinook can be found in last weeks teleconference notes (call #13). The fishway has an escapement of about 1,654 to date and a target escapement goal of 1,720. Several fish are still making their way to the fishway. There is a strong wild Chinook vs. hatchery component this year at the fishway and many large fish have made it to spawning grounds. The mark/recapture tagging program data indicates a conservative potential return of 43,000 to 49,000.
Fall chum border escapement has increased from 10 per day prior to August nineteenth to about fifty per day. At this time the cumulative fall chum border escapement is 422 which is below the ten year average of 493; however, numbers are building.
DFO will have a commercial opening later this week and/or early next week. The data from the opening will be used to better estimate border escapement numbers. DFO predicts that the upper Yukon will have average to above average run strength. The Porcupine River is the exception, and run strength is lower than expected. The Fishing branch weir is only 50% operational due to high water.
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Fall Run Assessment:
Currently 90% of the expected fall chum and 70% of the expected coho have entered the river system. As of August 28, Pilot Station sonar had counted 770,000 fall chum which is above the average of 595,000. The current projection for the run is between 800,000 and 900,000 fall chum. There is some uncertainty around the estimates due to a few straggling summer chums in the mix. At this time the first two pulses should be in the upper river. The coho projection is on target for 114,000 which is near the ten-year average but a lower return than the last three years.
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The first fall pulse is estimated at 85,000 fish which included some summer chum.
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The second pulse is estimated at 281,000 and should be nearing Circle.
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The third pulse is estimated at 128,000 and nearing Ruby.
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The fourth pulse is estimated at 40,000 and passing Anvik.
This year is unusual in that the fall chum run age class ratio at this time is 38% four-year olds and 61% five-year olds. Typically, four-year olds dominate the run.
The average weight of fall chum caught is 7.2 lbs. The average weight of coho caught is 6.2 lbs. Y5-B and Y5-C had a low commercial effort due to poor weather, high gas prices, and high water. Approximately 5,000 fall chum were caught in the Y5-B and 5Y-C fisheries.
The Department of Fish and Game is announcing the extension of the commercial salmon fishing season in District Y-1until September 5.
District Y-1 will be open for two additional 9-hour commercial salmon fishing periods. In District Y-1, commercial fishing will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, and on Tuesday, September 5.
The preliminary total Fall Season commercial harvest through August 29 is approximately 126,000 fall chum and 47,000 coho salmon. The Pilot Station Sonar passage estimate through August 29 is approximately 782,000 fall chum and 123,000 coho salmon. Salmon run assessment information indicates that both fall chum and coho salmon runs are near average and a portion of the fall chum guideline harvest range remains for the lower river districts.
Salmon quality is declining, but there is some continued market interest. Based on the harvest rate experienced the last three years during early September, the available surplus will be sufficient to accommodate the anticipated harvest.
In District Y-1, subsistence fishing is closed 6 hours before, during, and 6 hours after each commercial fishing period. Subsistence fishing in Districts Y-2 and Y-3 will remain open 7-days a week. District Y-1 will be open to subsistence fishing 7 days a week beginning 1:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 6. Districts 4 and 5 continue to have 7 days per week subsistence openings.
The Department does not anticipate making any more commercial announcements
For the most recent (8/29) ADFG fall run assessment news release, go to:
http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/newsrelease/view.php?year=2006&dist=YUF&species=400&num=28
USFWS
High water has temporarily rendered the Chandalar River weir project inoperable. The weir should be operational by August 30.
Discussion:
Question: When did the fourth pulse enter the river?
Answer: August 29th This appears to have been a condensed grouping of fish at first, but they spread out/dispersed before reaching the Pilot Station sonar.
Question: In Canada, how does this year’s return compare to last years?
Answer: It is still early to make this assessment. As it looks now – the run was late, but it appears stronger than it initially was projected. It is likely that the late run, high water and poor weather reduced the catch numbers used to assess the run. The size of the fish and numbers of the fish appearing on the spawning grounds look promising so far.
Comment: The lower river subsistence catches were also affected by high water and poor weather.
Comment: There was a request from Emmonak to extend the commercial season past September 1 st.
Response: ADFG extended the season following the conference.
Question: Is anyone still buying on the lower river?
Answer: Yes, QuikPak is still purchasing fish; Bering Sea Fisheries is reported as ending this week.
Comment: Huslia is having some difficulty catching enough fish for their dogs due to high water. There are seven to eight mushers with up to sixteen dogs each. The dog/chum salmon are being caught are ragged. As the water has started to recede, some people are considering putting out nets again. Whitefish, sheefish, and pike are running also.
Question: Is this the last teleconference of the season?
Answer: Yes, it is. |
Yukon River Salmon Fishery Teleconferences