Unalakleet River Chinook Salmon Escapement Monitoring And Assessment 2011 2012 PDF Download

Declining run sizes and ensuing state and federal restrictions and closures to Unalakleet River Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha fisheries highlighted the need to obtain more complete estimates of spawning escapement. In response, multiple agencies and entities began the Unalakleet River weir project in 2010 funded by United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Subsistence Management to obtain estimates of the mainstem Chinook salmon escapement and its age, sex, and length composition. An estimated 667 and 1,126 Chinook salmon were enumerated during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The central 50% of the Chinook salmon run was enumerated 7 July-18 July in 2013 and could not be determined in 2014 because Chinook salmon passage was not fully evaluated. In 2013, there were 3 days of partial counts. Interpolation of missed counts could not be completed in 2014 because of incomplete information about the exact duration and extent of unmonitored periods. Age composition could not be determined from the 2013 escapement samples because the minimum sampling goal was not achieved; sex composition was 52% female. In 2014, age-1.3 Chinook salmon comprised the majority (68%) of the escapement samples.