Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Manuscript Series No. 12-07, Anchorage
An Alaska Department of Fish and Game review team convened to evaluate salmon escapement goals for Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim (AYK) Region in preparation for the January 2013 Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) meeting. The review team makes recommendations for sustainable (SEG) and biological (BEG) escapement goals to the directors of the 2 fisheries divisions, who ultimately establish the final goals. This report documents the review team’s recommendations for escapement goals.
The Kuskokwim Management Area currently has 25 established escapement goals for 14 Chinook salmon, 4 chum salmon, 3 coho salmon, and 4 sockeye salmon stocks. The review team recommends establishment of a model-based drainagewide SEG for Kuskokwim River Chinook salmon; revisions to tributary SEGs for Chinook salmon in the Kwethluk, George, and Kogrukluk rivers; and elimination of the tributary SEG for Chinook salmon in the Tuluksak River. The review team also recommends elimination of the aerial survey-based SEG for chum salmon in the Kanektok River (Kuskokwim Bay) due to the unreliable nature of aerial survey assessments on this system.
The Yukon River Management Area currently has 15 established escapement goals for 6 Chinook salmon, 2 summer chum salmon, 6 fall chum salmon, and 1 coho salmon stocks. No changes are recommended for escapement goals in the Yukon Management Area.
The Norton Sound-Port Clarence Management Area currently has a total of 23 escapement goals for 5 Chinook salmon, 8 chum salmon, 3 coho salmon, 5 pink salmon, and 2 sockeye salmon stocks. The Kotzebue area currently has 6 escapement goals for chum salmon stocks. The review team recommends eliminating the aerial survey SEG for Chinook salmon on the Shaktoolik River due to the unreliable nature of aerial survey assessments on this system. No other changes are recommended for escapement goals in the Norton Sound-Port Clarence and Kotzebue management areas.
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