Kenai River Chinook salmon abundance and migratory timing

72 Pages·2013·0.71 MB·English

by  A. Reimer

Regional Operational Plan SF.2A.2013.14
Kenai River Chinook Salmon Abundance and
Migratory Timing
by
Adam Reimer

June 2013
Alaska Department of Fish and Game Divisions of Sport Fish and Commercial Fisheries
1
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REGIONAL OPERATIONAL PLAN SF.2A.2013.14
KENAI RIVER CHINOOK SALMON ABUNDANCE AND MIGRATORY
TIMING

by
Adam Reimer
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish, Soldotna

Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Division of Sport Fish
June 2013
The Regional Operational Plan Series was established in 2012 to archive and provide public access to operational
plans for fisheries projects of the Divisions of Commercial Fisheries and Sport Fish, as per joint-divisional
Operational Planning Policy. Documents in this series are planning documents that may contain raw data,
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different department reporting series or in the formal literature. Please contact the author if you have any questions
regarding the information provided in this plan. Regional Operational Plans are available on the Internet at:
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/publications/

Adam Reimer,
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish,
43961 Kalifornsky Beach Road, Suite B, Soldotna Alaska

This document should be cited as:
Reimer, A. 2013. Kenai River Chinook salmon abundance and migratory timing. Alaska Department of Fish and
Game, Division of Sport Fish, Regional Operational Plan ROP.SF.2A.2013.14, Soldotna.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................................... ii
LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................................................... ii
LIST OF APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................................................iii
PURPOSE...................................................................................................................................................................... 1
BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
Abundance Estimation ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Migratory Distribution and Timing ............................................................................................................................... 3
OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Secondary Objectives .................................................................................................................................................... 3
METHODS .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Study Design ................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Inriver Abundance .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Inriver run stock composition and index of abundance ................................................................................... 4
Kenai River Chinook Salmon Inriver Gillnetting Study – “Offshore” ....................................................... 5
Kenai River Chinook Salmon Inriver Gillnetting Study – “Nearshore” ..................................................... 5
Rivermile 21 Inriver Gillnetting ................................................................................................................. 5
Total abundance by reporting group ................................................................................................................ 6
Killey River Weir ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Funny River Weir ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Slikok Creek weir ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Grant Creek Weir ....................................................................................................................................... 7
Quartz Creek Weir ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Russian River Weir..................................................................................................................................... 7
Harvest estimates ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Downstream of the Soldotna Bridge .......................................................................................................... 8
Upstream of the Soldotna Bridge ............................................................................................................... 8
Harvest Stock Composition ............................................................................................................................. 9
Kenai River Chinook Salmon Creel Survey ............................................................................................... 9
Lower Kenai River Chinook Salmon Harvest Sampling .......................................................................... 10
Voluntary Guide Sampling ....................................................................................................................... 10
Middle Kenai River Chinook Salmon Harvest Sampling ......................................................................... 11
2007-2012 Inriver Abundance Estimates and Expected Precision for 2013 ........................................................... 12
Migratory Timing ................................................................................................................................................... 13
Radio Tag Deployments ................................................................................................................................ 13
Radio Telemetry ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Estimated Precision ....................................................................................................................................... 15
Slikok Creek Habitat Survey .................................................................................................................................. 15
DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................................................................................ 16
Biological Sampling ............................................................................................................................................... 16
Harvest sampling crews................................................................................................................................. 16
Rivermile 21 gillnetting crew ........................................................................................................................ 17
Laboratory Analysis ................................................................................................................................................ 17
Radio tracking ......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Slikok Creek Habitat Survey .................................................................................................................................. 19
DATA REDUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 19

i
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page
Harvest sampling and rm 21 netting data................................................................................................................ 19
Slikok Creek Habitat Survey .................................................................................................................................. 19
Telemetry data ........................................................................................................................................................ 19
DATA ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................................................................... 20
SSART model ......................................................................................................................................................... 20
Equal Catchability Assumption ..................................................................................................................... 23
Migratory Timing ................................................................................................................................................... 23
Slikok Creek Habitat Survey .................................................................................................................................. 24
SCHEDULE AND DELIVERABLES ........................................................................................................................ 24
BUDGET SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... 25
Budget Summary ......................................................................................................................................................... 25
Project Personnel ......................................................................................................................................................... 25
Budget Narrative.......................................................................................................................................................... 25
Line 100: Personnel ................................................................................................................................................ 25
Line 300: Contractual ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Line 400: Commodities .......................................................................................................................................... 25
RESPONSIBILITIES .................................................................................................................................................. 26
REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................................................................... 27
FIGURES AND TABLES ........................................................................................................................................... 28
APPENDIX A: GENETIC SAMPLING INSTRUCTIONS ....................................................................................... 35
APPENDIX B: ANALYTICAL METHODS .............................................................................................................. 38
APPENDIX C: SCHEDULES ..................................................................................................................................... 53
APPENDIX D: SAMPLING FORMS ......................................................................................................................... 55
APPENDIX E: DATA MAPS ..................................................................................................................................... 58

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
1. Tributaries to the Kenai River which support populations of Chinook Salmon. ........................................... 29
2. Kenai River Study Area. ............................................................................................................................... 30

LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. SSART v4.3 model estimates for 2007-2012 and expected precision for 2013. ........................................... 31
2. Number of Kenai River Chinook salmon in Gene Conservation Laboratory database by sampling
program, 2007-2012. ..................................................................................................................................... 33
3. Ratio of Kenai River Chinook salmon upstream of the Soldotna Bridge to total harvest, Statewide
Harvest Survey and Guide Logbook program. .............................................................................................. 34
ii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix Page
A1. Collection of Axillary Process Tissue Samples for DNA Analysis, ADF&G Gene Conservation Lab,
Anchorage. .................................................................................................................................................... 36
B1. OpenBUGS code for Bayesian estimation of inriver abundance................................................................... 39
B2. OpenBUGS code for harvest stock composition. .......................................................................................... 46
C1. Supplementary Chinook salmon harvest sampling schedule. ........................................................................ 54
D1. Fixed station site log. .................................................................................................................................... 56
D2. Fixed station download form. ........................................................................................................................ 57
E1. Harvest sampling data map. .......................................................................................................................... 59
E2. Fixed station telemetry data map. .................................................................................................................. 60
E3. Manual tracking telemetry data map. ............................................................................................................ 61
E4. River mile 21 gillnetting data map. ............................................................................................................... 62

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PURPOSE
The primary purpose of this research is to provide an estimate of Chinook salmon abundance
entering the Kenai River that is independent of existing sonar programs. These estimates of
abundance will be used, in conjunction with sonar based estimates of abundance to develop
escapement goals for Kenai River Chinook salmon. A secondary purpose of this research is to
monitor Chinook salmon migration within the Kenai River drainage for the purpose of informing
management decisions with respect to time and area.
BACKGROUND
The Kenai River watershed encompasses approximately 2,200 square miles of the Kenai Peninsula
including diverse landscapes such as glaciers, large lakes, high mountains, and vast lowlands. The Kenai
River mainstem is approximately 82 miles long including a 15 mile stretch where it flows through Skilak
Lake. Tidal influence extends up to rivermile (rm) 12.
Populations of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, coho salmon O. kisutch, sockeye
salmon O. nerka, pink salmon O. gorbuscha, Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma, and rainbow trout
O. mykiss live in the Kenai River and support valuable commercial and recreational fisheries.
For example, Kenai River Chinook salmon support the largest recreational fishery for this
species in Alaska. (Jennings et al. 2009). Kenai River fisheries will likely support substantial
angler effort into the foreseeable future due to its reputation, easy accessibility and location near
major Alaskan population centers.
For management purposes, Kenai River Chinook salmon are separated temporally into two runs;
early-run fish are those that enter the river prior to July 1 and late-run fish are those that enter the
river on or after July 1. Accurate enumeration of run size has proven difficult because of
uncertainty surrounding the inriver run estimate. The total annual run of early-run Chinook
salmon has ranged from 5,605 (cv=0.09) to 23,800 (cv=0.12) Chinook salmon (McKinley and
Fleischman 2013). Early-run fish are harvested primarily by the inriver sport fishery, but also by
a marine sport fishery in Cook Inlet and a small subsistence fishery in the estuary. The total
annual run of late-run Chinook salmon has ranged from 28,550 (cv=0.09) to 99,690 (cv=0.10)
Chinook salmon (Fleischman and McKinley 2013). Late-run fish are harvested primarily by an
inriver sport fishery and a marine commercial set gillnet fishery in Cook Inlet, but also by marine
sport, commercial drift gillnet, subsistence and personal use fisheries. These estimates of run
size are model estimates because of uncertainty surrounding the inriver run component which is
the subject of considerable research.
Biologically, Kenai River Chinook salmon are separated into tributary and mainstem spawning
populations. Most populations of tributary spawning Chinook salmon arrive from late-April to
early-July (Bendock and Alexandersdottir 1992; Burger et al. 1983) although some tributaries
(Russian River and Grant Creek) have demonstrated later return timing. Tributaries of the Kenai
River (Figure 11) which support populations of Chinook salmon include Beaver Creek, Slikok
Creek, Funny River, Moose River, Killey River, Russian River, Juneau Creek, Quartz Creek,
Ptarmigan Creek, and Grant Creek (Bendock and Alexandersdottir 1992; Burger et al. 1983).
Benjamin Creek, tributary of the Killey River, and Crescent and Dave’s creeks, tributaries of
Quartz Creek, also contain Chinook salmon. Mainstem spawning Chinook salmon arrive from
late-June to mid-August (Bendock and Alexandersdottir 1992; Burger et al. 1983; Hammarstrom
1