27 



The Berners, Lace, and Antler/Gilkey rivers are the major 

 anadromous streams flowing into Berners Bay and produce four 

 species of salmon as well as rainbow, steelhead, and 

 cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. The peak recorded 

 escapements in these three systems combined are 13,300 coho, 

 4000 sockeye, 9100 chum, and up to 10,000 pink salmon. 

 Brown bear, black bear, moose, wolves, mink, marten, land 

 otter, beaver, and land and water birds are abundant in the 

 area. Mountain goats and bald eagles are moderately 

 abundant. Seals, sea lions, and whales are common in the 

 bay. 



The Berners Bay area is intensively used by sport fishers, 

 moose, bear, and deer hunters, kayakers, hikers, and 

 ccunpers. The Berners River is used by the ADF&G as an 

 indicator of the coho salmon production for the management 

 of the northern southeast coho fishery. 



Young Lake 



The Tongass Land Management Plan rated the Young's Lake 

 watershed and estuary as being of the highest productivity 

 class for fish. The ADF&G rates the area as 

 being of the highest value for fisheries, wildlife, and 

 sport fishing. The proximity of the area to Juneau makes it 

 an extremely popular recreation spot for fishing, hunting, 

 beach combingi_camping, and hiking. 



Admiralty Creek and adjacent streams produce three species 

 of salmon, with peak reported escapements of 90,000 pink, 

 10,000 chum, and several hundred coho. These drainages also 

 produce substantial populations of steelhead and cutthroat 

 trout, kokanee, and Dolly Varden. Admiralty Creek is 

 important in the management of the commercial salmon fishery 

 for the ADF&G has historically sampled the density of 

 pre-emergent fry in the stream gravels to estimate the 

 over-winter survival rate of salmon streams in the general 

 area. Sitka black-tailed deer, brown bear, marten, mink, 

 red squirrels, raptors, and waterfowl are abundant. Land 

 otters and beaver are moderately abundant. Whales and seals 

 are commonly observed in the nearshore waters. 



The Young Lake area is near Juneau/Douglas and accessible by 

 boat, skiff, floatplane, and wheel plane. The three Forest 

 Service cabins in the drainage receive the highest use of 

 any watershed on Admiralty Island. The area is intensively 

 used in the spring for steelhead fishing and brown bear and 

 grouse hunting. Summer use of the area includes fishing, 

 picnicking, camping, hiking, and bird-watching. Autvimn 

 brings deer and duck hunters to the area. The area is one 

 of the most popular deer hunting areas for Juneau/Douglas 

 residents, with 1654 hunters harvesting 468 deer in the 

 Young's Bay-Hawk Inlet area in 1987 (see attached map). The 

 system is classified by the ADF&G as a quality watershed for 

 sport fishing because of the quantity, quality, and 

 diversity of resident and anadromous fish and the high level 

 of recreational use. 



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