FECUNDITY OF RED SALMON AT BROOKS AND KARLUK LAKES, ALASKA 



BY WILBUR L. HARTNIAN AND CHARLES Y. CONKLE, Fishery Research Biologists 

 Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



Fecundity of red salmon, Onrarhynchus n^rka 

 (Walbiuiin), was studied at Brooks and Karluk 

 Lakes, Alaska, for use in estimating the repro- 

 ductive potential of spawning stocks. Eepro- 

 ductive potential is defined here as the total 

 number of eggs available for seeding in a partic- 

 ular spa^Tiing population. Such information 



Lake by way of Shelikof Strait, and Karluk Kiver 

 (fig. 1). The Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 maintains research stations at both lakes to investi- 

 gate factors responsible for fluctuations in the 

 abundance of salmon runs that have occurred in 

 these areas (U.S. Fish and "Wildlife Service, 

 1958). Certain specific problems ditfer between 



p I I I I I ^ii^ 



50 100 Mi 



FiGUUE 1. — Brooks and Karluk Lakes in western Alaska. 



forms the basis for determining sui-vival rates of 

 red salmon during various life-liistory stages in 

 fresh water. 



Adult red salmon enter Brooks Lake by way of 

 Bristol Bay and Xaknek I\iver, and enter Karluk 



N' il:. Ai.prciv.'il fur puWlOiition, .Ian. l;!, IDCIl. 

 Itiilli-tin ISO. 



552701—60 



the lakes, but all research is integrated info a 

 broad study of the physical, chemical, and bio- 

 logical facfore aft'ecting the fresh-water survival 

 of red salmon. 



I\ed salmon were sampled from spawning mi- 

 grations into Brooks Lake in I!).")" and 1958, and 

 into Karluk Lake in in5s. Karlier data are avail- 



53 



