BRISTOL BAY 



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As anticipated, the 1957 sockeye production of Bristol Bay fell below that of 1956. 

 However, the pack of ii72,000 cases (fig. 27) plus 900,000 fish to freezers is not out of 

 line with recent production, although the Nushagak run fell considerably short of expecta- 

 tion. With fishing effort almost doubled 

 over that of 195^, it was necessary to 

 severely restrict the amount of fishing 

 time to obtain necessary escapements. 



Escapement into all major rivers 

 was counted from towers or weirs. Thus 

 the escapement data plus the catch data 

 provides a good estimate of the total 

 run and the proportion caught. Compari- 

 son of catch and escapement for the major 

 systems is as follows: 



1920 '25 '30 '35 '40 '45 '50 '55 

 Figure 27. --Bristol Bay red salmon production 



TogiaJj; 



Nushagak 



Kvi chalc-Nalcnek 



L'gegik 



Ugashilc 



Total 

 Percent 



Catch 



37,967 

 535,392 



h,6hQ,673 

 789,875 



_362ja^5 



6,370,052 

 57^ 



Escapement 



32,000 



if65,000 



3,729,000 



3^+0,000 



205, 000 



ij, 771, 000 



King salmon fishing on the Nushagak has steadily increased in intensity over the past 

 several years and produced a record catcli of 73,1^2 fish during 1^57. It \rill be necessary 

 to reduce weekly fishing time in succeeding years to get spawning escapements safely up- 

 stream . 



Research work continued in all major red salmon producing areas of Bristol Bay througli 

 coordination of the K-sheries Research Institute and the Pish and Wildlife Service. 



The Institute maintained its industry-sponsored studies of the Ugashik and Wood River 

 reds gathering data primeu"ily on seaward migration, spawning escapement, and lake produc- 

 tivity. Commercial catches and escapements to these two areas were systematically sampled 

 for age, sex, and size composition. 



Continued for the third consecutive year by the Fisheries Researcli Institute were 

 the Kvichak studies which were financed by the federal government. T!ie Kvichak is the 

 most important red salmon producing area in Alaska. The Institute sampled the Naknek- 

 Kvichak catch througliout tlie season to gain information regai'ding the sexes, sizes, and 

 age classes present in order to contribute to the knowledge of the nature of Kvichak runs 

 as they pass througli the fishery. Towers located at Igiugig wei'e used to enumerate a 

 2,965,000 escapement into Iliamna Lake. Emphasis was placed on developing methods of 

 increasing accuracy and economy. About 6,000 reds wei-e seined as they escaped into the 

 lake, and the daily observations taken, when compared with catch samples, will permit an 

 evaluation of the sex ratio, size, and age composition of the run. More than i+,000 of 

 these fish were tagged to study timing, distribution, and spawning of individual races. 



The spawning escapement of 9,000,000 Into Iliamna Lake in 1956 appears to have pro- 

 duced good numbers of fry, but environmental studies indicate an increase in the abundance 

 of predators and food competitors of salmon. Development of an annual index of seaward 

 migrating smolts was continued to determine the relationship of known spawning escapements 

 to young produced and to measure marine and freshwater survival as a basis for forecasting 

 future runs. Bie 1957 catcli of 26,000 smolts was a decrease from the 32,000 and 200,000 



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