Fish And\Fildlife
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Alasha Habitat ltlanagement Guide Wbstern and Interior Regions Distribution, Abundance, and HumanUse of Fish and\Fildlife Produced by State of Alasha Department of Fish and Game Division of Habitat Iuneau, Alasha l9E5 @TSEC BYTHE ALASKA DEPAPTMENT OF FISH AND GAIIIE Contents Achnowledgements xxvii Introduction 3 DTSrRIBUTION AIID ABUNDANCE OF SELECTED FISH AI.ID WITDLIFE wildlife Ma ri ne Marma I s e 19 Regionwicle 19 -BETilffiE-whalBowhead whale 23 Regionwide 23 Pacific wal rus 27 Regionwide 27 Pacific walrus population 31 Polar bear 35 Regionwide 35 Western Alaska subpopulation 39 ffiTerrestrial Marmal s Regionwide 43 Caribou 49 Regionwide 49 Chisana Herd 57 Denal i Herd 59 Kilbuck-Kuskokwim Mountains Herd 63 Andreafsky Mountains Herd 66 Delta Hero 66 Macomb Herd 70 Yanert Herd 70 Fortymile Herd 7L Beaver Mountains Herd 75 Sunshine Mountain Hercl 75 Big River (Farewell) Hero 76 Rainy Pass Herd 76 Tonzona Herd 76 Dal I sheep 83 Regionwide 83 Alaska Range 85 Moose 103 Regionwide 103 L1,L Contents (continued) GMU 12 105 GMU 18 106 GMU 19 106 GMS 2OA 106 GMS 2OB IO7 GMS 20C 107 GMS zOD IO7 GMS 20E 107 GMS zOF 108 GMS 21A 108 GMS 218 108 GMS 21C 108 GMS 21D 108 GMS 218 109 GMU 24 109 GMU 25 109 Bi rds and geese 115 Regionwide 115 -Ducks Yukon-Kuskokwim del ta LZt Innoko I24 Koyukuk 724 Tanana-Kuskokvrim L25 Yukon Flars L25 Tetl in-Northway I27 Management history 127 Fish Freshwater/Anadromous Fi sh en 133 Regionw'ide 133 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 135 South Slope Brooks Range Area 136 Fai rbanks Area I37 Arctic grayl i ng i41 Regionwide 141 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 145 South Slope Brooks Range Area 146 Fai rbanks Area I47 Broad whitefish 169 Regi onw'ide 169 Fai rbanks Area L7I Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area I72 Sc.ruth Slope Brooks Range Area L72 11' Contents (continued) Burbot 181 Regionwide 181 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 183 South Slope Brooks Range Area 183 Fai rbanks Area i84 Humpback whitefish 189 Regionwide 189 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area i91 South Slope Brooks Range Area L92 Fai rbanks Area 193 Lake trout 199 Regionwide 199 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 20I South Slope Brooks Range Area ?02 Fairbanks Area 202 Enhancement 203 Least cisco 207 Regional distribution 207 Areas used seasona'lly and for life functions 207 Factors affecting distribution 208 Movements between areas 208 Population size estimation 208 Northern pike ?LL Regionwide zLL Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 2I3 South Slope Brooks Range Area 2I4 Fai rbanks Area 214 Rainbow trout 2L9 Regionwide distribution and relative abundance 2L9 Regional distribution maps 219 Factors affecting distribution 2L9 Movements between areas 22I Salmon 223 Regionwide 223 Kuskokwim Management Area 225 Yukon Management Area 236 Sheefish 267 Regionwide 267 Kuskokwim River population distribution and abundance 268 Lower and middle Yukon River anadromous sheefish distribution and abundance 270 Nonanadromous sheefish distribution and abundance 27L Enhancement 273 Marine Fish --TaciTic hal ibut 279 Pacific herring 285 Regionwide 285 Contents (continued) Goodnews Bay and Security Cove districts 286 Nunivak Island and Nelson Island districts ?87 Cape Romanzof District 289 Saffron cod 29L Yellowfin sole 295 Shel I fi sh 303 Regionwide 303 -T]TdcraoNorton Sound 304 Saint Matthew-Saint Lawrence islands 305 Shrimp regional overview 309 Distribution and abundance 309 Management history and reported use 309 Management objectives and considerations 3Lz Period of use and harvest methods 313 Tanner crab regional overview 315 Distribution and abundance 315 Management history and reported use 3L7 Management objectives and considerations 319 Period of use and harvest methods 320 HUMAN USE OF SELECTED FISH Al.lD WILDLIFE Hunting and lfapping Brown bear 323 Population management history 323 cMU 12 323 GMU 18 326 GMU 19 327 GMU 20 328 GMU 21 330 GMU 24 331 GMU 25 332 Caribou 337 Population management history 337 Delta Caribou Herd (GMS 20C) 338 Fortymile Caribou Herd (GMU 12 ancl GMSs 208,20D,20E,25C) 341 Chisana Herd 348 Macomb Herd 351 Dal I Sheep 355 Population management history 355 , Tok Management Area (TMA) 357 114 Contents (continued) Delta Controlled Use Area (DCUA) - portions of GMSs ZOA, ?OD, and 138 360 cMU 12 - excluding TMA ano DCUA 363 GMS 168 366 GMS 198 367 GMS 19C 370 GMS 2OA 372 Gtvls 20c 375 GMS 208 - Glacier Mountain Control led Use Area (GtvtCUA) 316 GMS 20E (except GMCUA) and that portion of GMS 20D north of the Alaska highway 377 GMU 24 379 GMS 254 381 GMS 25C 383 Moose 391 Population management history 391 GMU 12 393 GMU 18 394 GMU 19 396 GMS 20A 397 GMS 208 398 cMS 20C 399 GMS 200 401 cMs 20E 40? GMS ZOF 403 GMS 21A 403 GMS 218 404 GMS 21C 405 GMS 21D 406 GMS 21E 407 GMU 24 408 GMU 25 409 Furbearers 459 Population management history 459 Interior Region (GMUs 12, 19, 20, 2I, 24, and 25) 463 Western Region (GMU 18) 476 Commercial Fishing Pacific hal ibut 513 Population management history 5I3 Management objectives 52I Management considerations 522 Comnercial and subsistence harvest of pacific herri ng 527 Population management history 527 Security Cove and Goodnews Bay districts 533 vuu Contents (contirrued) Nelson Island and Nunivak Island districts 535 Cape Romanzof District 539 Conmercial and subsistence harvest of sa'lmon 543 Population management history 543 Kuskokwjm Management Area 544 ' Al 1 -species harvest 546 Chum salmon harvest 551 Coho salmon harvest 555 Chinook salmon harvest 558 Pink salmon harvest 563 Sockeye salmon harvest 567 Management objectives 57I Management considerations 573 Yukon Management Area 575 A'l 1 -speci es ha rvest 577 Chum salmon harvest 582 Chinook salmon harvest 588 Coho salmon harvest 593 Management objectives 599 Management considerations 601 ShelIfish King crab 611 Popu'lation management history 611 Norton Sound Section 616 St. Matthews and St. Lawrence islands sections 619 Shrimp regional overview 309 Distribution and abundance 309 Management h'istory and reported use 309 Management objectives and consiclerations 3L2 Period of use and harvest methods 313 Tanner crab regiona'l overview 315 Distribution and abundance 315 Management history ancl reported use 3L7 Management objectives and considerations 319 Period of use and harvest methods 320 Spor6shing Management history 625 Alaska statewide sportfishing harvest monitoring 626 Regional harvesr summary 627 Harvest survey areas 628 Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 628 South Slope Brooks Range Area 634 Fai rbanks Area 638 VL L.L Contents (continued) Subsistence and Other l.ocal tlses of Resources Location and environment 679 History and patterns of human activity 683 Population 686 Regional economy 688 Transportation 690 Use of fish ancl game and other natural resources 691 Interior Reqion 78L Location and environment 78L History and pattern of human activity 783 Population 792 Regional economy 793 Transportation 794 Land status 795 Contemporary subsistence use of wild resources 795 Appendices A. Di rectory of reviewers and contributors 845 B. Abbreviations 847 C. l.lildlife management goals and obiectives 849 IV[aps Wildlife Distribution and Abundance Brown bear 1. GMUs of the Western and interior regions 44 Ca ri bou 1. Distribution of the Chisana Caribou Herd 50 2. Ranges of the Delta, Yanert, and Macomb caribou herds 52 3. Annual distribution of the Forrymile'ley Caribou Herd in Alaska 53 4. The upper Kuskokwim Ri ver va1 54 5. Major caribou calving grounds of the Denali Caribou Herd 60 6. Distribution of the Fortymile Caribou Herd 73 Dal I sheep l. NPS survey areas in the Wrangell Mountains 86 Maps (continued) Moclse 1. GMUs of the l,lestern and Interior regions 104 Ducks and geese l. USFI.{S waterfowl breeding population survey strata L20 Fish Distrlbudon and Abundance Arctic char/Dolly Varden 1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 134 Arctic Arayl ing 1. l,lestern and Interior regions sport fish survey areas L42 Broad whitefish 1. Arctic, Western, and Interior regions sport fish survey areas L70 Burbot 1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 182 Humpback whitefish 1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 190 Lake trout 1. Western and interior regions sport fish survey areas 200 Northern pike 1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 212 Pacific hal ibut 1. Regulatory areas for the Pacific halibut fishery 28I Yel lowfin sole 1. Yellowfin sole biomass in metric tons 297 Sh ri mp 1. Shrimp commercial fishing clistricts of the Bering Sea in Statistical Area J 311 Tanner crab 1. Tanner crab fishing subdistricts and sections of the Bering Sea District in Statistical Area J 316 Hunting and Tfapping Brown bear 1. Gl'lUs of the tr'lesten and Interior regions 324 Ca ri bou 1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 339 Dal I sheep 1. GMUs of the tlestern and Interior regions 356 2. Locations of the Tok Managenent Area and the Delta Controlled Use Area 351 Moose 1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 392 Maps (continued) Fu rbea rers 1. Boundaries of the Western and Interior regions of Alaska and game management uni ts 460 2. Boundaries of the nat'ional parks and preserves wjihin the Interior Region 468 Commercial Fishing Pacific hal ibut 1. Regulatory areas for the Pacific halibut fishery, I9BZ 515 2. Regulatory areas for the Pacific halibut fishery, 1983 516 3. Regulatory areas for the Pacific halibut fishery, 1984 517 Pacific herring 1. Herring statistica'l area boundaries 528 2. Security Cove and Gooclnews Bay herring cormercial fishing di stri cts 534 3. Nunivak Island and Nelson Island herring commercial fishing di stri cts 536 4. Cape Romanzof commercial herring fishing district 540 Sa I mon 1. Salmon commercial fishing districts of the Kuskokwim ltlanagement Area 545 2.