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Status of Steelhead in Alaska Brian Marston Area Fisheries Biologist Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fisheries, Yakutat, Alaska
Status of Steelhead in Alaska
Brian MarstonArea Fisheries Biologist
Alaska Department of Fish and GameDivision of Sport Fisheries, Yakutat, Alaska
Presentation Topics• Distribution• Fisheries
• Monitoring Data• Concerns and conclusions
Stock Status Assessment
• Snorkel surveys• Weir counts of kelts and or adults
upstream– Scale pattern ageing; PIT tags– Length sampling– DST and Blood samples
Southeast Alaska Steelhead Snorkel Survey Index Streams
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
-100%
-50%
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%Peterson CreekPleasant Bay (Seymour)McDonald LakeWhite RiverPetersburg CreekEagle/Luck CreekHarris RiverFord Arm CreekSitkohAverage for all SEAK Streams
Year
Dev
iatio
n fro
m m
edia
n co
unt
Weir Counts
Situk River Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
6,400 6,1137,964
12,462 12,265
15,003
12,438
7,312 7,302
5,335
7,458
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
29 28
36
12
47
35
75
21
15
9
34
Num
ber o
f adu
lt st
eelh
ead
Sashin Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
Ratz Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska
2005
2007
2010
2011
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
399
284
377
549
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
Karluk Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
2,147
1,501 1,518
954
1,366
1,775
2,376
1,429
1,879
2,203
3,687
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
4,000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
Litnik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
118
67
221
63 5980
310 316
383
256
96
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad ke
lts
Ayakulik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area
1,0901,148
995
93
591
319 342
790 769
585 546
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad k
elts
Types of fishery harvest
• Sport Fish• Subsistence• Commercial – non target
Sport Fishery Regulations
• Southeast AlaskaHarvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 36 inches)
Catch and releaseSpawning area closuresTrout: 2 per day (11-22) in combination with cutthroat
• Southcentral AlaskaHarvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 20 inches)
Spawning area closuresWinter closuresKodiak Road Zone: C&RTrout: 2 per day (11-16) in combination
with cutthroat
• Upper Copper River
2 per day, 1 > 20 in. Catch and release Spawning closures
Statewide Catch Survey; Angling Catch
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
50,000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad c
augh
t
Southcentral
Southeast
Total
Statewide Harvest Survey; Angling Harvest
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Num
ber o
f ste
elhe
ad h
arve
sted
Southcentral
Southeast
Total
Subsistence Harvest
609
34 37 37 4931 36 36 42 33
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
1997 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Num
ber o
f st
eelh
ead
harv
este
d
Harvest Recorded on Federal Permits
ADF&G (1997) Harvest Estimates for Craig, Hydaburg, and Klawock
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Rep
orte
d st
eelh
ead
harv
ests
in
com
mer
cial
fish
erie
sCommercial Steelhead Harvest in Southeast Alaska
Directed Harvest
Prohibited
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
600
650
700
750
800
850
900
Average total length (mm) of steelhead from the Situk River 1999-2011
Female Male
Tota
l len
gth
(mm
)55
0
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
50
100
150
200
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2001
FemaleMaleAll
Total length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
20
40
60
80
100
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2009
FemaleMaleAll
Total length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
550
650
750
850
950
1050
1150
0
50
100
150
200
Length Frequency of Steel-head from Situk River 2005
FemaleMaleAll
Total length (mm)
Freq
uenc
y
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
6,400 6,1137,964
12,462 12,265
15,003
12,438
7,312 7,302
5,335
7,458
Num
ber o
f Ste
elhe
ad K
elts
Scale Pattern Analysis
• Scale pattern analysisof saltwater growth, SitukRiver
: University of Alaska
• Blood samples: University of
Idaho
• Data storage tags forsalt water movementpatterns, Situk River
: University of Norway
Management Issues:
Habitat Degradation• Roads• Hydroelectric Projects • Timber Harvest Management
Undocumented harvest in commercial and subsistence fisheries
Angler expectation management
:what is a steelhead sport fishery?
Future management directions
• Stock status data needed• Continue long term datasets• Survey unknown streams
• Preemptive Management • Trout management plan
• Protection of habitat and species interactions
• Maintain size and age attributes
• Emphasize importance of fishery
• Current conservative regulations provide for sustainability of steelhead stocks while allowing for a productive sport fishery. • Harvests remain low.
• Size attributes remain within normal variation where assessed.
• Current abundances of steelhead in the assessed streams of
Alaska appear to be within normal variation• SE streams have remained near average, while SC streams have been
more variable but experienced recent above average counts .
• Sustainable fisheries, habitat conservation, and maintenance of current stock
attributes remains the primary focus.
Conclusion:
Questions?
Acknowledgements; Kelly Piazza, Mike Wood, Douglas Fleming, Troy Tydingco, Patrick Fowler, Dan Teske, Brian Glynn, Richard Chappell, Chet Woods, Steve McCurdy, Donn Tracy, Rodger Harding, Carol Coyle, David Love and Patrick McCormick
