Table 7.--Result8 of surveys of Cook Inlet streams to determine distribution, 

 timing, and magnitude of king salmon runs, 1958--Continued 



SUMMARY 



1. Cook Inlet king salmon are taken in com- 

 mercial, personal-use, and sport fisheries. 

 The commercial catch has declined despite 

 shortened commercial fishing seasons and 

 restrictions on the length of gear and size of 

 mesh. The 1958 personal-use catch was esti- 

 mated to be 951 cases. The sport fishery 

 catch is unknown, but there is evidence to 

 show that this fishery has increased in size 

 within the past decade. 



2. The peak weekly catch occurs earlier 

 in areas near the latitude of Anchor Point 

 than the peak catch in the inner areas of Cook 

 Inlet. A second run later in the season into 

 streams on the Kenai Peninsula south of 

 Boulder Point is indicated. 



3. Ten age groups were found in the com- 

 mercial catch, with groups ^2 » ^2 ' ^"'^ S °^~ 

 curring most frequently. Age group 6 2 was 

 dominant in 1958, 52 in 1959. 



4. Males were found to be smaller on the 

 average than females. A shift to a smaller 

 average size from 1958 to 1959 in both sexes 



was associated with the shift in age-group 

 dominance. 



5. In both 1958 and 1959, the lengths of 

 males increased as the season progressed. 



6. In 1959, the number of eggs per fish, 

 determined by actual count, ranged from 4,242 

 to 13,619, with an average of 8,517. The linear 

 regression of the number of eggs on length 

 was significant. 



7. Surveys made in 1958 to determine the 

 distribution, timing, and relative magnitude 

 of the escapement were not completely suc- 

 cessful because of turbid glacial streams, the 

 large number of small streams, and the vast 

 area involved. Escapement data are presented. 

 Spawning king salmon were found widely dis- 

 tributed on the periphery of the Cook Inlet 

 drainage basin. The pattern of spawning run 

 behavior, that of schools splitting into smaller 

 and smaller groups into smaller and smaller 

 streams, may be linked to the present decline. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 



The cooperation of John B. Skerry, former 

 District Supervisor of the Cook Inlet Manage- 



17 



