Table 9.— Summar>' of estimated catches by the fish- 

 ery of Chignik sockeye salmon by stock, 1888-1921 

 (Dahlberg 1968). 



Pedersen and Petersen^^). Annual reports for the Chignik 

 Management District are compiled each year by the area 

 management biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and 

 Game, and filed with the regional office in Kodiak, 

 Alaska. Detailed records of the runs by stock, age group, 

 and sex for the period 1922-66 can be found in Dahlberg 

 (1968). 



I used the information on age composition, catch, and 

 escapement to estimate spawner-return relationships for 

 the two stocks of sockeye salmon in the Chignik River 

 system (Dahlberg 1973). Subsequent estimates of target 

 escapements from these spawner-return functions have 

 been considered by the management agency in control- 

 ling the annual catch. 



SUMMARY 



I. The abundance of stocks of sockeye salmon at 

 Chignik, Alaska, decreased from an average of 1.9 mil- 

 lion during the period 1922-39 to an average of 0.9 mil- 

 lion during the period 1949-66. The average rate of 



'fPedersen, P. C, and D. Petersen. 1971. Forecast of the 1971 

 Chignik system red salmon run. Alaska Dep. Fish Game Inf. Leafl. 151, 

 13 p. 



exploitation during the two periods was nearly the 

 same — 0.428 in the early period and 0.422 in the re- 

 cent period. 



2. The high-seas and coastal distributions of Chignik 

 sockeye salmon were investigated to determine 

 whether or not Chignik sockeye salmon were inter- 

 cepted by fisheries along the coast of the Alaska Pe- 

 ninsula. The Cape Kumlik fishery and, later, the Cape 

 Igvak fishery harvest an important portion of the 

 sockeye salmon bound for Chignik. This catch should 

 be counted as part of the annual Chignik run. 



3. Chignik sockeye salmon have been exploited since 

 1888; several companies operated canneries in the ear- 

 ly phase of the fishery. The salmon canning industry 

 coordinated their operations in the 1930's. From 1953 

 through 1966, two companies operated in the area, 

 Chignik Fisheries Company and the Alaska Packers 

 Association. 



4. Enforced regulation of the fishery did not exist before 

 1922; after that year, management agents were sta- 

 tioned at Chignik each year to inspect the fishing gear 

 during periodic closures. The White Act required an 

 escapement equal to 50*^0 of the yearly run; this re- 

 quirement was met in most years. 



5. Catch records and weir counts were used as a basis for 

 studying the productivity of the system during the 

 last 40 yr. Since there were no escapement records 

 from 1940 through 1948, a ratio of escapement to catch 

 was used to estimate the missing data. 



6. Separation of the catch and escapement records for 

 the two stocks was facilitated by time-of-entry re- 

 lationship. Results from tagging studies of 1962-66 

 were used to estimate the relationship; an average 

 time of entry curve was used to analyze the records 

 before 1962. 



7. Estimated annual catches and escapements for each 

 of the two stocks were compiled for the period 1922-66, 

 based upon the methods summarized above. 



LITERATURE CITED 



ALASKA FISHERY and FUR-SEAL INDUSTRIES. 



1917-50. In U.S. Bur. Fish., Appendices to Rep. U.S. Comm. Fish. 

 1918-1941 and U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Stat. Dig. 1942-1953. 

 .ATWOOD. W, W. 



191 1. Geology and mineral resources of parts of the Alaska Pe- 

 ninsula. U.S. Geol. Serv. Bull. 467, 137 p. 

 BURGNER, R. L.. C. J. DiCOSTANZO. R. J. ELLIS. G. Y. HARRY. 

 ,IR.. W. L. HARTMAN, O. E. KERNS, .JR.. 0. A. MA THISEN. and 

 W. F. ROYCE. 

 1969. Biological studies and estimates of optimum escapement* of 

 sockeye salmon in the major river systems in southwestern 

 Alaska. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv.. Fish. Bull. 67:405-459. 

 COBB. .J. N. 



1930. Pacific salmon fisheries. U.S. Bur. Fish., Rep. U.S. Comm. 

 Fish., 1930, append. 13:409-704. 

 COOLEY. R. A. 



1963. Politics and conservation. Harper and Row. N.Y,, 230 p. 

 DAHLBERG, M. L. 



1968. Analysis of the dynamics of sockeye salmon returns to the 

 Chignik lakes, Alaska. Ph.D. Thesis, Ui.iv. Washington, Seattle, 

 .337 p. 



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