Estimation Of The Abundance Of Late Run Chinook Salmon In The Kenai River Based On Exploitation Rate And Harvest 1996 PDF Download

A stock-specific abundance and run timing model (SSART) was fit to relative and absolute estimates of abundance, genetic stock identification data, radiotelemetry data, and estimates of harvest for Kenai River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) from 2007 to 2014. The methods follow a model of the 2007-2012 data except that inference is restricted to Chinook salmon 75 cm mid eye to tail fork (METF) or longer for all results in this report. Bayesian statistical methods were employed to estimate inriver abundance and run timing by stock at river mile 8.6 of the Kenai River. Abundance of early-run Chinook salmon ranged from 1,940 (SE 307) in 2013 to 8,637 (SE 2,215) in 2007. Abundance of late-run Chinook salmon ranged from 9,949 (SE 2,138) in 2010 to 37,180 (SE 10,340) in 2007. Fish from Killey River-Benjamin Creek, Funny River-Slikok Creek, and Quartz-Crescent creeks migrated upstream primarily prior to 30 June; fish from Grant Creek and Russian River migrated upstream primarily between 16 June and 31 July; and fish from Mainstem Kenai River-Juneau Creek migrated upstream primarily after 16 June. Tributary stocks had greater relative abundance within the run before 16 June and the Mainstem-Juneau Creek stock had greater relative abundance after 30 June. Between 16 June and 30 June, tributary stocks had greater relative abundance in 6 of 8 years while Mainstem-Juneau Creek fish had greater relative abundance in the other 2 years.