status of steelhead in alaska brian marston area fisheries biologist alaska department of fish and...
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Status of Steelhead in Alaska
Brian MarstonArea Fisheries Biologist
Alaska Department of Fish and GameDivision of Sport Fisheries, Yakutat, Alaska
Presentation Topics
• Distribution
• Fisheries
• Monitoring Data
• Concerns and conclusions
Stock Status Assessment
• Snorkel surveys• Weir counts of kelts and or adults
upstream– Scale pattern ageing; PIT tags– Length sampling– DST and Blood samples
Southeast Alaska Steelhead Snorkel Survey Index Streams
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
-100%
-50%
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%Peterson CreekPleasant Bay (Seymour)McDonald LakeWhite RiverPetersburg CreekEagle/Luck CreekHarris RiverFord Arm CreekSitkohAverage for all SEAK Streams
Year
Dev
iatio
n fr
om m
edia
n co
unt
Weir Counts
Situk River Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
6,400 6,1137,964
12,462 12,265
15,003
12,438
7,312 7,302
5,335
7,458
Num
ber
of s
teel
head
kel
ts
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
29 28
36
12
47
35
75
21
15
9
34
Num
ber
of a
dult
stee
lhea
dSashin Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
Ratz Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
20
05
20
07
20
10
20
11
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
399
284
377
549
Nu
mb
er
of
ste
elh
ea
d k
elts
Karluk Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
2,147
1,501 1,518
954
1,366
1,775
2,376
1,429
1,879
2,203
3,687
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
Litnik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
118
67
221
63 5980
310 316
383
256
96
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
Ayakulik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
1,0901,148
995
93
591
319 342
790 769
585546
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber
of s
teel
head
kel
ts
Types of fishery harvest
• Sport Fish
• Subsistence
• Commercial – non target
Sport Fishery Regulations
• Southeast AlaskaHarvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 36 inches)
Catch and releaseSpawning area closuresTrout: 2 per day (11-22) in combination with cutthroat
• Southcentral AlaskaHarvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 20 inches)
Spawning area closuresWinter closuresKodiak Road Zone: C&RTrout: 2 per day (11-16) in combination
with cutthroat
• Upper Copper River
2 per day, 1 > 20 in. Catch and release Spawning closures
Statewide Catch Survey; Angling Catch
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Nu
mbe
r of s
teel
hea
d ca
ugh
t
Southcentral
Southeast
Total
Statewide Harvest Survey; Angling Harvest
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad h
arve
sted
Southcentral
Southeast
Total
Subsistence Harvest
609
34 37 37 4931 36 36 42 33
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1997 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Nu
mb
er
of
ste
elh
ea
d h
arv
es
ted
Harvest Recorded on Federal Permits
ADF&G (1997) Harvest Estimates for Craig, Hydaburg, and Klawock
19
60
19
62
19
64
19
66
19
68
19
70
19
72
19
74
19
76
19
78
19
80
19
82
19
84
19
86
19
88
19
90
19
92
19
94
19
96
19
98
20
00
20
02
20
04
20
06
20
08
20
10
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Rep
orte
d st
eelh
ead
harv
ests
in
com
mer
cial
fis
herie
sCommercial Steelhead Harvest in Southeast Alaska
Directed Harvest
Prohibited
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
Average total length (mm) of steelhead from the Situk River 1999-2011
Female Male
Tot
al le
ngth
(m
m)
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
50
100
150
200
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2001
Female
Male
All
Total length (mm)
Fre
quen
cy
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
20
40
60
80
100
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2009
Female
Male
All
Total length (mm)
Fre
quen
cy
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
50
100
150
200
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2005
Female
Male
All
Total length (mm)
Fre
quen
cy
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
6,400 6,1137,964
12,462 12,265
15,003
12,438
7,312 7,302
5,335
7,458
Nu
mb
er
of
Ste
elh
ea
d K
elt
s
Scale Pattern Analysis
• Scale pattern analysisof saltwater growth, SitukRiver
: University of Alaska
• Blood samples: University of
Idaho
• Data storage tags forsalt water movementpatterns, Situk River
: University of Norway
Management Issues:
Habitat Degradation
• Roads
• Hydroelectric Projects
• Timber Harvest Management
Undocumented harvest in commercial and subsistence fisheries
Angler expectation management
:what is a steelhead sport fishery?
Future management directions
• Stock status data needed
• Continue long term datasets
• Survey unknown streams
• Preemptive Management
• Trout management plan• Protection of habitat and
species interactions
• Maintain size and age attributes
• Emphasize importance of fishery
• Current conservative regulations provide for sustainability of steelhead stocks while allowing for a productive sport fishery.
• Harvests remain low.
• Size attributes remain within normal variation where assessed.
• Current abundances of steelhead in the assessed streams of
Alaska appear to be within normal variation• SE streams have remained near average, while SC streams have been
more variable but experienced recent above average counts .
• Sustainable fisheries, habitat conservation, and maintenance of current stock
attributes remains the primary focus.
Conclusion:
Questions?
Acknowledgements; Kelly Piazza, Mike Wood, Douglas Fleming, Troy Tydingco, Patrick Fowler, Dan Teske, Brian Glynn, Richard Chappell, Chet Woods, Steve McCurdy, Donn Tracy, Rodger Harding, Carol Coyle, David Love and Patrick McCormick