Chinook Numbers at the Bethel Test Fishery Are Much Higher This Year than the Past Few...But What Does It Mean?

June 9,  2014

The Upper Boundary line of the Yukon Delta National Refuge in Aniak: Below which is being federally managed (sections 1,2,3) and above which is being state managed (sections 4 & 5)

Unprecedented subsistence restrictions are currently in place on the Kuskokwim River in an effort by all to protect the king salmon run.  

Currently, as of June 9, 2014 – the following restrictions are in place (differences between state and federal regulations noted in bold text):

Salmon fishing is currently closed in all sections of the river.  Harvest of whitefish is allowable based on the following restrictions:

From the mouth of the Kuskokwim to the boundary of the National Refuge border in Aniak:   
Gillnets are restricted to set gillnets, 4-inch or less mesh size not exceeding 60-feet in length. Subsistence fishing with dipnet will adhere to State fishing schedules (AS 16.05.060). Chinook salmon incidentally caught in gillnets may be retained. Chinook salmon incidentally caught using all other gear types must me immediately released. Fish wheels are allowed at this time. All fish wheels have to have a live box containing no less than 45 cu feet of water, must be checked every 6 hours, and all kings caught must be released. 

From the Refuge boundary line in Aniak up to the headwaters:
subsistence fishing for non-salmon species with gillnets is restricted to gillnets with 4-inch or less mesh size not exceeding 60-feet in length and 45 meshes in depth.  Gillnets are NOT restricted to set gillnets in this area. Chinook salmon incidentally caught in gillnets may be retained.  Fish wheels are not allowed at this time.
 

 

So the question is: Is it working?

The answer is not so simple, but in simplest terms, from my understanding: It's hard to tell.

 

Below are the numbers from the Bethel Test Fishery so far, keep in mind they show catch per unit effort on a cumulative basis, so the June 8th number is for total so far, not just June 8th catches: 

 

 



Based on numbers alone, it sure looks like the restrictions are working, and that more king salmon are making it past Bethel than previous years.  That's a good thing, but how is the run doing compared to other years, and will escapement goals be met this year?

Here is a graph showing this year's number of cumulative CPUE for Chinook, as compared to 2009-2013, taken from the ADFG website.  Note the resulting escapement results relative to an escapement goal of 65,000-120,000 fish to the left of the graph.  2014 is shown in red. So yes, the numbers look great and so does the comparison graph. But still, never before have we seen these types of subsistence restrictions on the whole river.  In most years, there is usually a lot of subsistence harvest taking place at the same time, and restrictions this year might be making Bethel Test Fish numbers look bigger than they have in other years.  So how are we to compare?  

Unfortunately, I don't have the answers.  The next meeting of the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group is to be held on June 17th at 1:30 PM in Bethel.  These meetings always prove to be very informational and valuable.  Input from up and down the river is encouraged and anyone can participate by calling into the teleconference number  1 (800) 315-6338 (MEET) Code: 58756# (KUSKO).

I am hoping that at the next call/meeting, in season managers will have a little bit more information on these numbers, and what it means for escapement.  In the meantime, we'll keep our fingers crossed that all of the effort being put forth by managers and users alike to protect this great resource will prove to be successful. 

Graphs and charts provided by the ADF&G, and can be accessed by anyone at this website. Map provided by FWS, which can be found at this link.