Fishery Management Report No. 91-1 Annual Management Report for Sport Fisheries in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Region, 1987 William D. Arvey, Michael J. Kramer, Jerome E. Hallberg, James F. Parker, and Alfred L. DeCicco April 1991 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish FISHERY MANAGEMENT REPORT NO. 91-1 ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT FOR SPORT FISHERIES IN THE ARCTIC-YUKON-KUSKOKWIM REGION, 1987l William D. Arvey, Michael J. Kramer, Jerome E. Hallberg, James F. Parker, and Alfred L. DeCicco Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish Anchorage, Alaska April 1991 Some of the data included in this report were collected under various jobs of project F-10-3 of the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777K). TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES............................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES.............................................. V LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................... vii ABSTRACT ..................................................... 1 PREFACE...................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION................................................. 3 TANANA AREA DESCRIPTION ...................................... 3 Geographic and Geologic Setting ......................... 3 Lake and Stream Development ............................. 10 Climate................................................. 13 Primary Species for Sport Fishing ....................... 13 Status and Harvest Trends of Wild Stocks ................ 13 Chinook Salmon ..................................... 13 Coho Salmon ........................................ 13 Arctic Grayling .................................... 15 Northern Pike ...................................... 16 Lake Trout ......................................... 16 Burbot............................................. 17 Whitefish .......................................... 17 Sheefish........................................... 18 Rainbow Trout ...................................... 18 ARCTIC, YUKON, AND KUSKOKWIM AREA DESCRIPTION ................ 19 Geographic and Geologic Setting ......................... 19 Lake and Stream Development ............................. 20 Lower Yukon and Kuskokwim River sub-area........... 20 Seward Peninsula/Norton Sound sub-area............. 26 Northwest Alaska sub-area.......................... 28 South Slope Brooks Range sub-area.................. 34 North Slope Brooks Range sub-area.................. 40 Climate................................................. 45 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Pane Primary Species For Sport Fishing ....................... 45 Status and Harvest Trends of Wild Stocks ................ 45 Chinook Salmon ..................................... 45 Coho Salmon ........................................ 46 Pink Salmon ........................................ 52 Arctic Grayling .................................... 52 Northern Pike ...................................... 53 Lake Trout ......................................... 57 Dolly Varden/Arctic Char ........................... 58 Burbot............................................. 59 Whitefish.......................................... 59 Sheefish........................................... 60 STAFF ORGANIZATION ........................................... 60 Regional Staff Responsibilities......................... 60 Synopsis of Major Sport Fisheries Research in 1987 .... 62 AREA FISHERY REPORT .......................................... 67 Harvest and Effort in 1987 .............................. 67 MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES ........................................ 72 1987 In-Season Regulatory Measures ...................... 72 Emergency Orders ................................... 72 Emergency Regulations .............................. 74 News Releases. Announcements. and Articles ......... 76 Preseason and Postseason Regulatory Activities .......... 79 Advisory Committees ................................ 79 Alaska Board of Fisheries .......................... 80 Development of AYK Sport Fishing Regulations ....... 84 AYK SPORT FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT .............................. 84 AYK Region Lake Stocking Program ...................... 84 1987 Stocking Results ................................... 85 Anadromous Fish Releases by State Hatcheries ............ 88 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page LAND USE, HABITAT AND WATER QUALITY .......................... 92 Habitat-Related Fisheries Issues ........................ 92 Placer Mining ...................................... 92 Gravel Mining ...................................... 93 Industrial Metals Development ...................... 93 Oil and Gas Development ............................ 94 Timberland Development ............................. 94 Highway Development ................................ 95 Commercial Utilization of Fisheries Resources ........... 95 Wilderness Lodges and Guiding ...................... 95 Commercial Fisheries ............................... 95 Land Withdrawals, Status, and Planning .................. 96 ANILCA ............................................. 97 National Parks, Monuments, and Preserves ........... 97 National Wildlife Refuges .......................... 99 Wild and Scenic Rivers ............................. 101 Wilderness Land Designations ....................... 101 Natural Factors Affecting Sport Fisheries ............... 101 Fires.............................................. 101 Snowpack Assessment ................................ 102 Stream Discharge Assessment ........................ 102 Mean Air Temperature and Precipitation ............. 104 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................. 104 LITERATURE CITED ............................................. 107 APPENDIX A ................................................... 116 APPENDIX .................................................... 118 APPENDIX C ................................................... 122 APPENDIX D ................................................... 138 I LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Tanana Area sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987 ......................... 14 2. Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Region sport fish harvests by species, 1977-1987. ................................ 47 3. Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim sub-area sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987............ 50 4. Seward Peninsula-Norton Sound sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987 .............. 51 5. Northwest Alaska sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987 ............................ 54 6. South slope Brooks Range sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987.................. 55 7. North slope Brooks Range sport fish harvest and effort by fisheries and species, 1987.................. 56 8. AYK Region creel surveys, 1987 ......................... 68 9. Comparison of 1987 Alaska Sport Fish Survey and Tanana River drainage creel census harvest estimates.............................................. 70 10. Number of sport anglers, fishing trips, angler days and total freshwater fish harvested in the Tanana River drainage, AYK and the entire state of Alaska, 1987 ........................................ 71 11. Number and size of rainbow trout stocked in AYK waters in 1987 ......................................... 86 12. Number and size of Arctic grayling stocked in AYK waters in 1987 ...................................... 89 13. Number and size of Arctic char, chinook salmon and sheefish stocked in AYK waters in 1987 ............. 90 14. Number and size of coho salmon stocked in AYK waters in 1987 ......................................... 91 15. Gaging station records of mean and maximum discharge for 1987, and mean and maximum discharge for the period of record, for eleven rivers in AYK .......................................... 103 - iv- LIST OF FIGURES Fimre Page 1. The Arctic Yukon Kuskokwim Region . Dashed lines indicate boundaries between harvest reporting areas U . Z............................................ 4 2 . The Tanana River drainage .............................. 5 3 . Waters and highways of the middle Tanana River valley ................................................. 6 4 . Tanana River waters near Fairbanks ..................... 7 5 . Map of the Tangle Lakes system ......................... 8 6 . Tributaries of the upper Tanana River .................. 9 7 . Middle Yukon River and Porcupine River drainages ....... 11 8 . Major highways in interior Alaska ...................... 12 9 . Waters of the lower Kuskokwim River valley ............. 22 10 . Waters of the upper Kuskokwim River valley ............. 23 11. Lower Yukon River and eastern Norton Sound drainages .............................................. 25 12. Middle Yukon River and Koyukuk River drainages ......... 27 13. Upper Koyukuk River and North Slope Haul Road .......... 29 14. Porcupine River drainage ............................... 30 15. Waters of the Seward Peninsula ......................... 31 16. Kotzebue Sound and surrounding area .................... 33 17. Waters of the Noatak River ............................. 35 18. Waters of the upper Kobuk River ........................ 36 19. Federal land designations within the AYK region ........ 37 20 . Chandalar River system ................................. 39 21. Waters of the Arctic Slope ............................. 41 22 . Principal tributaries of the Colville River ............ 43 -V- I LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) Figure- Page 23. Principal tributaries