Our Living Resources — Akiskii 



.W 



Colville River fishery. Annual CLilci:es have 

 ranged from 6,000 fish in 1993 to 38.000 in 1983 

 (Fig. 3). Biologists believe that the annual vari- 

 ability observed in the catches reflects population 

 fluctuations associated with natural mortality and 

 fishing effects. The apparent decline in numbers 

 of least Cisco since 1991 cannot be explained by 

 the existing data, and consequently residents of 

 the North Slope Borough are closely monitoring 

 this fishery. 



Dolly Varden Char 



Major populations of Dolly Varden char occur 

 in the mountain streams and rivers of the eastern 

 Brooks Range. The char is growing in impor- 

 tance as a recreational species; an estimated 

 1.000-3,500 fish are harvested annually (Alaska 

 Department of Fish and Game 1993). 



There are no apparent trends in population 

 abundance (Fig. 2d). The Dolly Varden char is a 

 highly mobile and tolerant species that uses 

 freshwater, estuarine. and marine habitats. 

 Catches tend to be highest during early and late 

 summer when the fish are migrating near river 

 mouths. Recent findings show that char from the 

 eastern Alaska Beaufort Sea and Canada are pre- 

 sent in Prudhoe Bay during summer. 



Conclusions 



These fish differ in their susceptibility to 

 causeway changes in Prudhoe Bay. The broad 

 whitefish is highly susceptible because of its 

 more limited distribution and habitat preferences 

 in the Sagavanirktok River delta. Young-of-the- 

 year Arctic cisco must cross the Pnidhoe Bay 

 area to reach prime overwintering habitat; they 



80 

 70 

 60 

 50 

 40 

 30 

 20 



ARCS 



LSCS 



mil 



liirliiHi 



67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 



Year 



87 88 



90 91 92 93 



forage m these coastal waters for several years 

 thereafter. Continued exposure to habitat 

 changes that affect summer habitat quality, 

 access, or migrafion poses moderate risks to this 

 species. Much of the study area is at the eastern 

 limits of the Colville River population of least 

 Cisco and thus, at present, this species is consid- 

 ered at low risk from the existing causeways. 

 Similarly, Dolly Varden char are probably at low 

 risk because of their ability to use more offshore 

 marine waters for feeding and migration. 



References 



Alaska Department of Fisli and Game. 1993. North Slope 



sport fishery management plan. Sport Fish Division. 



Fairbanks. AK. 22 pp. 

 Benner. C.S.. and R.W. Middleton. eds. 1991. Fisheries and 



oil development on the Continental Shelf. American 



Fisheries Society Symposium 11. 172 pp. 

 Norton. D.W.. ed. 1989. Research advances on anadromous 



fish in Arctic Alaska and Canada. Biological Papers of 



the University of Alaska 24. 166 pp. 



Fig. 3. Total annual commercial 

 harvest of Arctic cisco (ARCS) 

 and least cisco (LSCS) for the 

 Colville River. 1967-93 (Endicott 

 Fish Monitoring Program, BP 

 Exploration [Alaska]. Inc.). 



For further information: 



Lyman K. Thorsteinson 



National Biological Service 



Alaska Science Center 



Anchorage. AK 99503 



Pacific salmon (Salmonidae) have played a 

 major role in the history and economy of 

 Alaska and its commercial, sport, and subsis- 

 tence fisheries; Alaska cunently produces about 

 80% of all salmon harvested in the western 

 United States and Canada. Before commercial 

 exploitation in the late 1800's, salmon were a 

 main food source for Alaska's Native peoples, 

 who subsisted by using an estimated 12 million 

 salmon annually (Pennoyer 1988). By the end 

 of the century, the total commercial harvest in 

 Alaska had expanded to an estimated 56,000 

 salmon in 1878 but rose to more than 21 million 

 by 1900 (Rigby et al. 1991). Since 1980 the 

 annual commercial harvest has exceeded 100 

 million salmon in all but one year and is 

 presently at a record high of more than 190 mil- 

 lion (Fig. I ). The annual sport harvest of salmon 

 in Alaska has averaged about 1 million fish over 

 the past several years (Mills 1993), as has the 

 subsistence harvest (INPFC 1992). 

 Science-based management, "limited-entry" 



fishing, effective law enforcement, and estab- 

 lishment of fixed escapement goals for specific 

 rivers are among the factors responsible for 

 increased salmon abundance. 



Apart from their economic, recreational, and 

 subsistence importance, salmon are a vital link 

 in various Alaskan ecosystems. Large popula- 

 tions of bears (Ursidae) and eagles 

 (Accipitridae) in some parts of Alaska, for 

 example, depend on late-spawning salmon as a 

 food source before winter. Also, the carcasses of 

 spawned-out salmon are a key element in other- 

 wise nutrient-poor lakes and rivers. Because 

 Alaska has a comparatively greater amount of 

 unaltered habitat and a larger number of wild 

 salmon stocks than do other parts of the 

 Northwest, monitoring population status and 

 trends is particularly important to aleil man- 

 agers to probleins before irreversible losses 

 occur. 



We summarize trends in harvest and escape- 

 ment (fish that survive sport, commercial, and 



Pacific Salmon 

 in Alaska 



by 



Carl V. Burger 



National Biological Service 



Alex C. Wertheimer 



National Marine Fisheries 



Senice 



