THE KING SALMON OF COOK INLET, ALASKA 



by 



Robert M. Yancey and Fredrik V. Thorsteinson 



Fishery Research Biologists 



Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



Auke Bay, Alaska 



ABSTRACT 



Runs of king salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in Cook Inlet, Alaska, are de- 

 clining. Paucity of information concerning the species led to an investigation in 1958 

 and 1959. Catch data show that the decline is real and not the result of restrictive 

 regulations. The personal-use and sport fisheries are important factors affecting 

 king salmon runs. 



Age groups 4 , 52, and 6 2 occurred most frequently. Age group 62 was dominant 



in 1958, 52 in 1959. Shifts in the average size between 1958 and 1959 are associated 



with shifts in age-group dominance. A significant linear regression of the number 

 of eggs on length was calculated. 



Surveys to determine distribution, timing, and magnitude of the escapement 

 proved impractical because of glacial melt, the vast area involved, and the great 

 number of tributary streams used for spawning. 



INTRODUCTION 



Historically, the king salmon (Oncorhynchus 

 tshawytscha) is one of the most important 

 species of salmon in the Cook Inlet area of 

 Alaska (fig. 1). As early as 1787, Russians 

 traded them to the English for Hawaiian 

 produce. Native Alaskans and early settlers 

 utilized them heavily for food for their fami- 

 lies and work dogs. 



Runs of king salmon in the Cook Inlet area 

 underwent a severe decline between 1953 and 

 1959, To reach their spawning grounds, king 



salmon had to pass through a commercial and 

 personal-use (subsistence) fishery in salt 

 water and a personal-use and sport fishery 

 in fresh water. Concern over the decline and 

 the effects of this fourfold exploitation and also 

 over the lack of information on the biological 

 characteristics of the king salmon prompted a 

 study by the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries 

 during the fishing seasons of 1958 and 1959. 

 The study was essentially an inventory and had 

 the following objectives: (1) to review the 

 commercial fishery catch and regulations; (2) 

 to learn the magnitude, location, and catch of 

 the personal-use and sport fisheries; (3) to 



