110 U. S, BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



NUYAKUK RIVER 



The Nuyakuk is the largest tributary of the Nushagak River, on the basis of 

 the vokime of water discharged. It carries the waters of the Tikchik lake system 

 over a distance of 60 miles in a southeasterly direction to the Nushagak River. 

 For the first 10 miles it flows through a mountainous country, which breaks ab- 

 ruptly into low, rolling hills well timbered with spruce and birch. There are 

 three rapids in the upper reaches. 



The first rapid, one-third of a mile long, is 10 miles below the outlet of First 

 Nuyakuk Lake. The river there breaks into three channels. Salmon ascend 

 easily and small boats can be lined up the right channel. 



The second rapid is 5 miles above the first rapid. Here the river falls fully 

 75 feet in a distance of one-eighth of a mile. Boats must be portaged when 

 traveling either up or down the river. The portage is on the west bank and is 

 300 yards long, with a rise of 100 feet going up river and 25 feet going down. 

 A windlass was used to portage the dory. Salmon ascend through a series of 

 eddies. 



The third rapid, half a mile in length, is at the outlet of First Nuyakuk Lake. 

 Salmon ascend easily and small boats can be lined up along the south bank. 



There are no native villages on the Nuyakuk River, and it has only one im- 

 portant tributary. Two native families camping at the mouth of this tributary 

 during the fishing season had caught about 1,000 salmon, a large proportion of 

 which were reds. These natives had no name for the stream, so it was called 

 Camp Creek. 



Camp Creek enters the left limit of the Nuyakuk River at the foot of the third 

 rapid. It is about 10 miles long and averages about 10 feet wide and 2 feet deep. 

 Its source is a series of small ponds to the north. Red, king, and silver salmon 

 fiscend the stream to spawn. It was estimated that 1,000 red salmon had 

 spawned in the stream and ponds. 



TIKCHIK LAKES 



The Tikchik lakes consist of a chain of three main lakes and three less important 

 ones. The main lakes — First Nuyakuk, Second Nuyakuk, and Chauiskuktuli — 

 are closely united. Of the others, Nishlik and Uppnuk are tributary to First 

 Nuyakuk and Chikoominuk is tributary to Chauiskuktuli. The country sur- 

 rounding the lakes is e.xtremely mountainous. Most of the streams flowing into 

 the lakes are small, short, and too swift for salmon to ascend, and consequently 

 are of little interest from a fishery standpoint. 



FIRST NUYAKUK LAKE 



First Nuyakuk is the smallest of the three main lakes. It is triangular in 

 shape, 9 miles in length, with a maximum width of 7 miles. The direction from 

 the outlet to the inlet is southwest. Except at the upper end the lake is shallow 

 and the bottom is strewn with large bowlders. The entire shore line was exam- 

 ined and the greater part found to be rocky and unsuitable for spawning. A few 

 red salmon were seen — about 25 in all — but none was found spawning. The 

 lake has two tributary streams. 



Creek No. 1 enters on the south shore near the inlet from Second Nuyakuk 

 Lake. It has an average width of 20 feet and depth of 2 feet for the first 2 miles. 

 The current is fairly swift and the bottom gravelly. No traces of salmon were 

 found. The source is apparently mountainous. 



Tikchik River is about 100 feet wide and 2 feet deep where it enters First 

 Nuyakuk Lake on the north shore about 6 miles above the outlet. No salmon 

 were seen in the mouth of the river or in its vicinity on September 6. Natives 

 reported that in former years immense runs of red salmon passed up this stream 

 to the two lakes above. F. A. Waskey, who descended the river during the tirne 

 of our examination, furnished a sketch of the river and its lake source — Nishlik 

 and Uppnuk Lakes. Lack of time prevented a trip to those lakes, but Mr. 

 Waskey reported having seen about 75 salmon during his trip down the river. 



SECOND NUYAKUK LAKE 



Second Nuyakuk Lake is next above First Nuyakuk Lake, to which it is joined 

 by what might best be termed a strait about 2 miles in length and one-fourth of 

 a mile in width. The water of the strait is very deep, with barely perceptible 

 current. 



