Chilkat River Salmon Research
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Division of Sport Fish will be continuing Chinook (king) and coho (silver) salmon research projects on the Chilkat River in 2009. In addition, the Commercial Fisheries Division will be conducting sockeye (red) and chum (dog) salmon research on the Chilkat River in 2009. The results of these ongoing studies will provide fishery managers with tools to more effectively manage Chilkat River salmon stocks.
The Chilkat River is a large glacial system that originates in British Columbia, Canada, flows through rugged, dissected, mountainous terrain, and terminates in Chilkat Inlet near Haines, Alaska. The Chilkat River produces the third or fourth largest runs of Chinook and coho salmon in Southeast Alaska.
These stocks provide fish to various fisheries, mainly in southeast Alaska. Previous studies have shown that Chilkat River Chinook salmon are harvested in commercial and sport fisheries primarily in the inside waters of northern Southeast Alaska, and less so in the Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound, and Kachemak Bay. In contrast, most Chilkat River coho salmon are harvested in the commercial troll fishery on the outer coast and to a lesser degree in commercial and sport fisheries in the inside waters of Southeast Alaska.
The objectives of these projects are to estimate the overall return of wild Chinook and coho salmon to the Chilkat River drainage; how many are harvested in sport, commercial, and subsistence fisheries; how many successfully escape to spawning grounds; and how many smolt are produced from the escapement.
