260 U-S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



WEIRS FOR COUNTING SALMON ESCAPEMENT 



A lack of funds prevented the operation in 1933 of many of the 

 weirs previously established for counting the escapement of spawn- 

 ing fish in typical salmon streams of Alaska as a means of determin- 

 ing the ratio of escapement to catch. The weirs at Karluk, Chignik, 

 and Olive Cove, however, were again operated in order that further 

 data might be obtained in regard to the runs in these localities, where 

 the Bureau has for a number of years specialized in scientific studies 

 of the life history and habits of the salmon. One weir was continued 

 also in Cook Inlet, and in the Alitak Bay district a count was made 

 at the cannery station during part of the season. 



Keports of operations of the weirs and of the counts of salmon in 

 1933 are as follows: 



OLIVE COVE 



Construction of the Olive Cove weir and of a special inclosure to 

 hold fish for scientific study was begun on June 7 and completed on 

 June 12. Pink salmon began to appear at the mouth of the creek 

 on July 6, and on July 12 a few were below the first falls. The first 

 count was on July 15, and the peak of the run occurred on July 21, 

 on which date 13,527 pink salmon passed through the weir. Count- 

 ing was continued to August 24, when the total escapement num- 

 bered 133,081 pink salmon, 107 chums, and 51 cohos. It was estimated 

 that approximately 7,000 spawning fish were in the stream below 

 the weir at the time the structure was removed. Walter Campen 

 was in charge of the work at this place, under the supervision of 

 Assistant Agent S. A. Baker. 



KARLUK RIVER 



The Karluk weir was completed on May 14, and the first count 

 was made on May 16, when a few king salmon passed upstream. 

 Red salmon began to appear on May 21, but it was not until June 2 

 that any appreciable numbers were tallied. Although the weir count 

 to June 1 was small, there were large numbers of salmon in the 

 closed waters of the lagoon ready to ascend to the spawning beds; 

 therefore, the opening of the fishing season was not postponed until 

 a later date. Good catches were made throughout June, with the 

 result that the total catch exceeded the weir escapement; therefore, 

 the Karluk area was closed from 6 o'clock postmeridian July 1 until 

 6 o'clock antemeridian July 10. The reopening of the district to com- 

 mercial fishing on the latter date was in order that the fishermen 

 might take advantage of the increasing run of pink salmon. It be- 

 came necessary, however, to close the section between Cape Karluk 

 and Cape Uyak on July 29 and the entire Karluk area on August 19, 

 and the only additional fishing permitted during the season was for 

 the week from September 11 to 16. 



The total count of salmon through the weir from May 16 to Oc- 

 tober 9, inclusive, was 986,765 reds, 107,663 pinks, 12,824 cohos, and 

 8,107 kings. The reported commercial catch of red salmon from 

 Cape Karluk to West Point was 842,733, indicating that 46 percent 

 of the Karluk run was caught and 54 percent escaped to the spawning 

 grounds. 



