Hugh Smith Lake Sockeye Salmon, 2016 PDF Download

Author: Malika T. Brunette
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Escapement (Fisheries)
Languages : en
Pages : 43

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Book Description
In 2016, we continued long-term sockeye salmon population studies at Hugh Smith Lake designed to evaluate adult sockeye salmon abundance and juvenile production. An estimated 32,000 sockeye salmon smolt were counted through a smolt weir operated at the outlet of the lake from 20 April to 4 June. We estimated 85% of the smolt were freshwater age-1 and 14% were freshwater age-2. From 17 June to 13 November we enumerated the adult salmon escapement through a weir, conducted an ancillary mark-recapture study to confirm the weir count, and collected biological information to estimate the age, length, and sex composition of the sockeye salmon escapement. The weir count of 12,868 adult sockeye salmon was the 12th escapement in the past 14 years to exceed the lower bound of the optimal escapement goal range of 8,000-18,000 adult sockeye salmon. Age-1.3 adults were the dominant returning age class, representing an estimated 67% of the total spawning population. A count of 1,810 live spawners was observed in Buschmann Creek on 15 September. The reported subsistence harvest (404 fish) was the fifth largest harvest on record. Results from genetic stock identification analysis were used to estimate the contribution of Hugh Smith Lake sockeye salmon to southern Southeast Alaska commercial net fisheries. We estimated 35,600 Hugh Smith Lake fish were harvested in District 101-108 net fisheries in 2016 at an estimated commercial harvest rate of 73%.