Hugh Smith Lake sockeye salmon studies, 2011

Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 12-33, Anchorage

In 2011, we continued long-term population studies at Hugh Smith Lake designed to evaluate adult sockeye salmon abundance and juvenile production. A smolt weir was operated at the outlet of the lake from 19 April to 5 June, during which time an estimated 244,000 sockeye salmon smolt passed through the weir. We estimated 89% of the emigrating sockeye salmon smolt were freshwater age 1 and 10% were freshwater age 2. From 17 June to 11 November, we enumerated the adult salmon escapement through a weir, conducted a secondary mark-recapture estimate to confirm the weir count, and collected biological information to estimate the age, length, and sex composition of the Hugh Smith Lake sockeye salmon escapement. The 2011 weir count of 22,029 adult sockeye salmon was the eighth escapement in the past nine years to meet the optimal escapement goal range of 8,000–18,000 adult sockeye salmon. Age-2.2 fish represented an estimated 41% of the total spawning population composed of 45% 2-ocean and 55% 3-ocean fish. Peak foot survey counts in the two primary spawning tributaries were 2,132 fish in Buschmann Creek on 11 September and 468 fish in Cobb Creek on 12 September 2011. No area closures or time restrictions were implemented in nearby commercial fisheries as the projected escapement of Hugh Smith Lake sockeye salmon was above the lower bound of the optimal escapement goal range throughout the season.