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Alaskii — Our Living Resources 



,200 

 i 150 



50- 



Q ■.■■nllll' 



miiiiiliil 



1891 



1901 



■liinfiia i^^ 



81 



Fig. 1. Statewide commercial 

 salmon harvest for all species of 

 Alaskan salmon lexcluding hatch- 

 ery-produced fish), 1891-1991 

 (Ricby etal. 1991). 



91 Western Central 



subsistence fishing) tor five species of salmon 

 in Alaska: pink (Oncorhynchus gorhiisclui). 

 chum {O. keta). sockeye {O. nerka). chinook 

 (O. tshawytsdui). and coho salmon (O. kisiitch). 

 We present historical records and data for three 

 major regions of the state: southeastern, cen- 

 tral, and western (Fig. 1). This summary is 

 based on data from similar efforts completed or 

 in progress by the Alaska Chapter of the 

 American Fisheries Society, the Alaska 

 Department of Fish and Game, the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Forest 

 Service. 



The data we present originate from the 

 Alaska Department of Fish and Game (various 

 Area Management Repoits). Information on the 

 annual status of Alaskan salmon populations 

 comes lix)m numerous state and federal publica- 

 tions and is presented in three ways. First, we 

 tabulate the trends in salmon escapement by 

 species. This tabulation was done for species in 

 central and western Alaska from 1968 to 1984 

 (Konkel and Mclntyre 1987), for pink and chum 

 salmon in southeast Alaska from 1960 to 1993 

 (Wertheimer in press), and for southeast sock- 

 eye, chinook, and coho stocks from I960 to 

 1992 (C. Halupka. U.S. Forest Service, person- 

 al communication). These trend summaries do 

 not include all populations, but are limited to 

 those for which escapement data are readily 

 available in a usable format. 



Second, we graph the historical harvest for 

 each species from 1891 to 1991 (Rigby et al. 

 1991). Because of Alaska's limited-entry fish- 

 ing policy (since 1975) and the use of fi.xed- 

 escapement goals, these summaries of commer- 

 cial harvest may be a useful indicator of popu- 

 lation trends. 



In our third approach, we graph the escape- 

 ments of pink, sockeye, chinook, and chum 

 salmon (data for coho salmon were inadequate) 

 in key areas of Alaska based on Department of 

 Fish and Game Annual Management reports 

 (1960 to 1992). This method provides an inde.x 

 of salmon abundance and is particularly rele- 

 vant in determining sockeye salmon trends 

 because management of this species is often 

 based on in-season escapement enumeration. It 

 also allows us to compare a species escapement 

 trend in a specific area (for example. Prince 

 William Sound) with its overall trend in other 

 areas of Alaska. Because many Alaskan stocks 



are managed to meet a target escapement goal, 

 however, a decreasing trend may not indicate a 

 decrease in overall productivity. 



Population Trends for Five 

 Species 



Pink Salmon 



The trend summary for pink salmon was 

 limited to the southeast and central regions of 

 Alaska, where much of the harvest occurs. Most 

 populations showed either no significant trend 

 or were increasing in size (Table). 



The plot of statewide harvest of pink salmon 

 over time (Fig. 2a) was similar to the lOO-year 

 statewide harvest totals for all species (Fig. I ). 

 Hatchery production of pink salmon is consid- 

 erable in the central portion of Alaska and may 

 account for up to 31% of the catch (Wertheimer 

 in press). Statewide, a record catch occurred in 

 1991. when 93 million wild pink salmon and 35 

 million hatchery pink salmon were harvested 

 (Fig. 2a; Weilheimer in press). 



Table. Summary of trends in escapement for populations 

 of Pacific salmon in Alaska by species and region over 

 time. Escapement trends were classified as increasing or 

 decreasing if the slope of the regression of escapement 

 over time was significantly different (P<0.05) from zero. 

 (NA — not available.) 



'Source of data: 



1— Wertheimer in press, 



2-Konkel and Mclntyre (1987). 



3 — C. Halupka, U.S. Forest Service, personal communication. 



