the smaller runs of sockeye salmon to the Naknek and 

 Kvichak Rivers in 1955 than in 1956 and 1957 (Table 

 3), so that a greater proportion offish of Egegik origin 

 were probably taken in the Naknek-Kvichak fishing 

 district in 1955 than in 1956 or 1957. 



Fishery recoveries and escapement observations of 

 sockeye salmon tagged between Middle Bluff and the 

 entrance to Egegik Bay showed that Egegik River fish 

 were the most abundant stock in this area (Figs. 13 

 and 15). The runs of Naknek and Kvichak River fish 

 outnumbered Egegik fish in all years of tagging, but 

 probably were offshore and outside this tagging area. 

 The recoveries of sockeye salmon tagged at the outer 

 east side boundary of the Naknek-Kvichak fishing 

 district, however, showed that Naknek and Kvichak 

 River fish became the most abundant stocks in the 

 nearshore area north of Middle Bluff. Most Egegik 

 River fish apparently left the offshore waters for the 

 coast and their home-river system south of the outer 

 boundary of the Naknek-Kvichak fishing district. 



The recoveries of sockeye salmon tagged south of 

 the entrance to Egegik Bay in 1956 (Fig. 15) showed 

 that Egegik fish were abundant in the coastal areas as 

 far south as the entrance to Ugashik Bay. Egegik 

 River sockeye salmon were probably the most abun- 

 dant stock north of site 15 (Fig. 15), while Ugashik 

 River fish, as pointed out above, were the most abun- 

 dant in the area between tagging sites 18 and 16. Most 

 fish bound for the Naknek, Kvichak, and Alagnak 

 rivers were apparently farther offshore outside the 

 area of tagging. 



Distribution of Naknek and Kvichak River 

 Sockeye Salmon in Inner Bristol Bay, — Sockeye 

 salmon tagged as far south as the entrance to Ugashik 

 Bay on the east side of inner Bristol Bay were 

 recovered in the Naknek-Kvichak fishing district and 

 observed in the Kvichak River escapement (Fig. 15). 

 Sockeye salmon tagged on the west side of Kvichak 

 Bay (Fig. 16) and in outer Nushagak Bay off Etolin 

 Point (Fig. 14) were recovered in the Naknek-Kvichak 

 fishing district and observed in the Kvichak River es- 

 capement. The results of the taggings discussed thus 

 far, however, have shown that the main migration 

 route of sockeye salmon bound for the Naknek and 

 Kvichak River systems was offshore outside the area 

 of tagging on both the east and west sides of inner 

 Bristol Bay. Naknek and Kvichak River sockeye 

 salmon stocks become abundant in the coastal waters 

 only north of Middle Bluff on the east side and 

 northeast of Etolin Point on the west side of Kvichak 

 Bay. In this region, Kvichak Bay is only about 32.3 

 km wide and Naknek, Kvichak, and Alagnak River 

 stocks probably occupy the entire area during the 

 migration to their home-river systems. 



The escapement recoveries of fish tagged in 1955 

 and 1956 at the same locations on the east and west 

 sides of Kvichak Bay (Fig. 19) indicates that sockeye 

 salmon on the west side of the bay were largely 

 Kvichak River stocks. Most of the escapement obser- 



vations of fish tagged on the west side of the bay were 

 made in the Kvichak River system but a few were 

 made in the Naknek River system. The results were 

 similar for sockeye salmon tagged at site 1 on the west 

 side of Kvichak Bay in 1957 (Fig. 16). 



The escapement distribution of fish tagged on the 

 east side of Kvichak Bay between the Naknek River 

 mouth and the outer boundary of the Naknek- 

 Kvichak fishing district indicated that a mixture of 

 Naknek, Kvichak, and Egegik stocks occurred there 

 (Figs. 13-15). More fish from these taggings were 

 observed in the Naknek River system than in the 

 Kvichak River system in 1955 (Fig. 19), indicating a 

 greater abundance of Naknek fish in the area of tag- 

 ging. 



This dominance of Naknek River sockeye salmon in 

 the area of tagging is also reflected in the age composi- 

 tion of fish tagged at sites 1 through 7 in 1955 (Fig. 

 20). The age composition of sockeye salmon in the es- 

 capements to the Naknek, Kvichak, and Egegik 

 Rivers differed significantly in 1955. These differences 

 are discussed here as supporting evidence for my in- 

 terpretation of the distributions of Naknek, Kvichak, 

 and Egegik stocks based on the results of inshore tag- 

 ging. The dominant age groups in the escapements 

 were: 2.3 in the Egegik River, 1.3 in the Naknek River 

 (Fig. 20), and 1.2 in the Kvichak River. The propor- 

 tion of the 2.3 and 1.3 age groups at each tagging site 

 changed between the mouth of the Egegik and 

 Naknek Rivers (Fig. 20). The 2.3 age group decreased 

 in abundance north of the Egegik River mouth, and 

 the 1.3 age group increased in abundance. This show- 

 ed a change from the Egegik River stock to 

 predominantly Naknek River stock, consistent with 

 the results of tagging discussed above. 



O 



ESCiPEMENT 



JI 



ESCAPEMENT 



ESCAPEMENT 



I I 1.3 AGE GROUP 

 ■ 2.3 AGE GROUP 



1 



TAGGING SITES 



Figure 20.— Distribution in the spawning escapement of 1.3 and 

 2.3 age groups of sockeye salmon tagged at seven sites in the 

 Naknek-Kvichak and Egegik fishing districts in 1955. (See Fig. 

 13 for location of tagging sites.) 



21 



