Status of Steelhead
in Alaska
Brian Marston
Area Fisheries Biologist
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Division of Sport Fisheries, Yakutat, Alaska
Presentation Topics
• Distribution
• Stock Status
• Fisheries
• Concerns
Juneau
Anchorage
Types of fishery harvest
• Sport Fish
• Subsistence
• Commercial – non sale
Sport Fishery Regulations
• Southcentral Alaska
Harvest Limit: 2 per day ( 1 fish > 20 in.)
2 Annually over 20 in.
Spawning area closures
Kodiak Road Zone: C&R
• Upper Copper River
Catch and release
Spawning closures
• Southeast Alaska
Harvest Limit: 1 per day,
2 Annually (> 36 in.)
Catch and release
Spawning area closures
Statewide Harvest Survey; Angling Harvest
800
# of steelhead harvested
Southcentral
700
Southeast
600
Total
500
400
300
200
100
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Statewide Catch Survey; Angling Catch
# of steelhead caught
50,000
45,000
Southcentral
40,000
Southeast
35,000
Total
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Subsistence Harvest
700
ADF&G (1997) Harvest Estimates for
Craig, Hydaburg, and Klawock
609
# of steelhead harvested
600
500
400
300
200
Harvest Recorded on Federal Permits
100
34
37
37
49
2003
2004
2005
2006
31
36
36
2007
2008
2009
0
1997
08
05
02
99
96
93
90
87
84
81
78
75
72
69
66
63
60
2,000
20
20
20
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
Reported steelhead harvests in commercial
fisheries
Commercial Steelhead Harvest in
Southeast Alaska
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
Sale
Prohibited
0
Stock Status Assessment
• Snorkel Surveys
• Weir counts Kelts and or adults upstream
– Scale pattern ageing; PIT tags
– Length sampling
– DIDSON Sonar applications
Southeast Alaska Steelhead Index Streams
Normalized Counts of Steelhead, Southeast Alaska
200%
Deviation from Median Count
150%
Peterson Creek
Pleasant Bay (Seymour)
McDonald Lake
White River
Petersburg Creek
Harris River
Eagle/Luck Creek
Ford Arm Creek
Sitkoh Creek
Average for all Streams
100%
50%
0%
1997
-50%
-100%
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Sitkoh Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
800
Number of Steelhead kelts
700
759
690
672
660
600
538
520
500
424
408
2008
2009
386
400
343
354
300
296
200
169
100
0
1982
1990
1993
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Sashin Creek Weir Counts, Southeast Alaska
80
75
Number of Steelhead Kelts
70
60
47
50
40
30
36
29
35
28
21
20
15
12
9
10
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Situk River Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
Number of Steelhead Kelts
16,000
15,003
14,000
12,462 12,265
12,438
12,000
10,000
7,964
8,000
7,312 7,302
6,709 6,400
6,113
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Litnik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
Number of Steelhead Kelts
450
383
400
350
310
316
300
250
200
150
100
221
185
118
67
63
80
59
50
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Karluk Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
2,500
2,376
Number of Steelhead Kelts
2,147
2,000
1,879
1,775
1,501
1,518
1,500
1,429
1,366
1,265
954
1,000
500
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
Ayakulik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
1, 4 0 0
1,148
1,090
Number of Steelhead Kelts
1, 2 0 0
995
1, 0 0 0
827
790 769
800
591
600
319 342
400
200
93
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004 2005 2006
2007 2008
2009
Length attribute sampling
Average total length (mm) of steelhead from the
Situk River 2000-2009
1,200
Male
1,100
1,000
900
800
700
600
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
Average total length of Steelhead
Female
Scale Pattern Analysis
DIDSON sonar
• Pros
– No weir across river to impact
fishery
– Recordable data countable by
computer
– Less technicians in field
– Observable images of data for
public
• Cons
–
–
–
–
Expense
Expertise
No species recognition
Requires power
• Total data loss if failure
Management Concerns:
Habitat Degradation
• Roads
• Hydroelectric Projects
• Timber Harvest Management
• Mining Projects
Undocumented harvest in commercial and
subsistence fisheries.
Future management directions
• More stock status data needed
• Continue long term datasets
• Creating habitat suitability
models for SE streams
• Preemptive Management
• Trout management plan
• Protection of habitat
• Maintain size and age
attributes
• Emphasize importance of
fishery
Conclusion:
Questions?
• Current conservative regulations provide for
sustainability of steelhead stocks while allowing
for a limited sport fishery.
• Sport fishery catch rates remain high and all harvests low
• Current abundances of steelhead in the assessed streams of
Alaska appear to be within normal variation
• Some SE streams have declined from recent high abundance, while
SC streams are at average or peak abundance after recent low
counts.
• Sustainable fisheries, habitat conservation and
maintenance of current stock attributes remains
the primary focus.