3.0- 



2.0- 



1.0- 



- 



"52 '53 "54 '55 '56 '57 '58 '52 '53 '54 '55 '56 '57 '58 



Figure 17. — Red salmon escapements, Cook Inlet, 



of an unprecedentedly large run To the 

 Susitna River in July and of a good showing 

 in the Port Dick region on the ocean coast. 



Even though fishing was permitted in 

 the Cook Inlet area only two days per week 

 during June and July, escapements were 

 small. The red salmon escapements for Cook 

 Inlet are shown in figure 17. Pink salmon 

 runs have been too erratic in recent years 

 to make a prediction for 1959, but as 1959 

 is an off-cycle year it will probably pro- 

 duce below 1958. 



The problem of enumerating red salmon 

 runs in the turbid streajns that are typical 

 of Cook Inlet is under study on the Kenai 

 River. This research project, initiated in 

 1957, involved a program of test-fishing 

 with two metal fyke traps that were located 

 just offshore in the river on opposite banks 

 about 9 miles upstream from the river mouth. 

 The traps were fished throughout the red 

 salmon run on the Kenai. The catches gave 

 an indication of the relative day-to-day 

 abundance of fish, and the total for the 

 season was used to establish an index of 

 esceipement. In 1958 two traps were fished 

 in the Seime locations and in an identical 

 manner as in 1957 to give a comparison 

 between the two years. The total season's 

 catch of red salmon for each of the two 

 years was almost the szime, although the 

 runs differed somewhat in timing. In 1958 

 they peaked about one week later than in 

 1957 (figure 18). Two additional traps 

 were fished nearer midstreajn to determine 



if the rate of fishing were a function of 

 the fishing site. The catches of these off- 

 shore traps were considerably smaller than 

 those of the near-shore traps, demonstrating 

 that the red salmon migrate primarily along 

 the river banks. 



Supported by 

 Fisheries contract, 

 Institute conducted 

 the drift net fishe 

 California Rose , a 

 ped for high seeis t 

 tagging was conduct 

 shores of Cook Inle 

 Fair numbers of red 



a Bureau of Commercial 

 the Fisheries Research 

 tagging operations in 

 ry area from the M/V 

 large seine vessel equip- 

 agging. Additional 

 ed from traps on both 

 t and on Kalgin Island, 

 salmon (2,690) as well 



August 



Figure 18. — Comparative test -fishing catches of 

 red salmon on the Kenia River, 

 1957 and 1958. 



14 



