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Salmon Spawning Ground Surveys in the Bristol Bay Area, Alaska, 2001

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Salmon Spawning Ground Surveys in the Bristol Bay Area, Alaska, 2001 SALMON SPAWNING GROUND SURVEYS IN THE BRISTOL BAY AREA, ALASKA, 2001 By James Browning Steve Morstad Tim Sands Keith Weiland Regional Information Report1 No. 2A02-14 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries 333 Raspberry Road Anchorage, Alaska 99518-1599 March, 2002 1 The Regional Information Report Series was established in 1987 to provide an information access system for all unpublished divisional reports. These reports frequently serve diverse ad hoc informational purposes or archive basic un-interpreted data. To accommodate timely reporting of recently collected information, reports in this series undergo only limited internal review and may contain preliminary data; this information may be subsequently finalized and published in the formal literature. Consequently, these reports should not be cited without prior approval of the author or the Division of Commercial Fisheries. AUTHORS James Browning is the Nushagak Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518. Steve Morstad is the Naknek/Kvichak Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 37, King Salmon, AK 99613. Tim Sands is the Togiak Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division, P.O. Box 230, Dillingham, AK 99576-0230. Keith A. Weiland is the Egegik and Ugashik Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AK 99518. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and the University of Washington, Fisheries Research Institute for equipment, personnel and funding they provided to help gather escapement data in 2001. "The Alaska Department of Fish and Game administers all programs and activities free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. The department administers all programs and activities in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information please write to ADF&G, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802-5526; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfield Drive, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203; or O.E.O., U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington DC 20240. For information on alternative formats for this and other department publications, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907-465-4120, (TDD) 907-465-3646, or (FAX) 907-465-2440." ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................ iv LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Naknek/Kvichak District ............................................................................................................................... 1 Egegik District................................................................................................................................................ 1 Ugashik District ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Nushagak District .......................................................................................................................................... 2 Togiak District ............................................................................................................................................... 4 METHODS ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Naknek/Kvichak District ............................................................................................................................... 5 Egegik District................................................................................................................................................ 5 Ugashik District ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Nushagak District .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Togiak District ............................................................................................................................................... 6 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................ 6 Naknek-Kvichak District ............................................................................................................................... 6 Egegik District................................................................................................................................................ 7 Ugashik District ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Nushagak District .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Togiak District ............................................................................................................................................... 9 LITERATURE CITED .................................................................................................................................... 11 TABLES ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................. 39 iii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Aerial survey counts of sockeye salmon, Alagnak River system, 2001 ............................................. 13 2. Aerial survey counts of chinook, chum, pink, and coho salmon, Naknek-Kvichak District, 2001............................................................................................................ 14 3. Aerial survey peak counts of chinook salmon escapement, Egegik District, 2001 ............................ 15 4. Aerial survey peak counts of chum salmon escapement, Egegik District, 2001 ................................ 16 5. Aerial survey peak counts of coho salmon escapement, Egegik District, 2001 .................................. 17 6. Aerial survey peak counts of sockeye salmon escapement, King Salmon and Dog Salmon Rivers, Ugashik District, 2001 ................................................................... 18 7. Peak survey counts of chinook salmon escapement, Ugashik District, 2001 ..................................... 19 8. Peak survey counts of chum salmon escapement, Ugashik District, 2001.......................................... 20 9. Aerial survey peak counts of coho salmon escapement, Ugashik District, 2001 ............................... 21 10. Peak aerial counts of live sockeye salmon and total escapement estimates, Wood River system, 2001 ................................................................................................................... 22 11. Peak aerial counts of live sockeye salmon and total escapement estimates, Togiak District, 2001 ........................................................................................................................... 25 12. Peak aerial counts of live chinook salmon and total escapement estimates, Togiak District, 2001 ........................................................................................................................... 26 13. Peak aerial counts of live chum salmon and total escapement estimates, Togiak District, 2001 ........................................................................................................................... 27 14. Peak aerial counts of live coho salmon and total escapement estimates, Togiak District, 2001 ........................................................................................................................... 28 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Bristol Bay management area, Alaska ................................................................................................ 29 2. Alagnak River drainage, Bristol Bay, Alaska ....................................................................................
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