Fishery Management Report for Sport Fisheries in the Northwest/North Slope Management Area, 2011

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Management Report No. 12-45, Anchorage

Sport fisheries season summaries for 2011 and preliminary information for 2012 in the Northwest/North Slope Management Area are presented.  The Northwest/North Slope Management Area (NW/NSMA) consists of all waters north of the Yukon River drainage in Norton Sound, the Seward Peninsula, Kotzebue Sound (including the major drainages of the Kobuk and Noatak rivers), and all north-draining waters of the Brooks Range east to the Canadian border.  Sport and subsistence fisheries target king, coho, chum, and pink salmon, Dolly Varden, sheefish, Arctic grayling, and northern pike.  In 2011, angler-days totaled 18,794, with the largest proportion coming from the Seward Peninsula/Norton Sound area fisheries (0.60).  Dolly Varden was the predominant sport species harvested in 2011, with 5,254 fish taken, followed by coho salmon (3,593) and Arctic grayling (2,204).  Summaries of major sport fisheries within the NW/NSMA are detailed, including descriptions of recent performances, comparisons to commercial and subsistence harvests, Alaska Board of Fisheries regulatory actions, social and biological issues, and descriptions of ongoing research and management activities.