Fishery Management Report No. 92-3 Area Management Report for the Recreational Fisheries of Northern Cook Inlet bY Larry J. Engel and Doug Vincent-Lang November 1992 Alaska Departmentof Fish and Game Division of Sport Fish I PREFACE This report is divided into two sections. Section I presents an introductory overview of the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area. Included in this section is a general geographic and organizational description of the management area; an overview of the Alaska Board of Fisheries processes; fishery resources of the management area; an inventory of the available fishery resources of the management area; a historical perspective of recreational angler effort and harvest within management area waters; an approximation of the economic value of the recreational fisheries of the management area; and, a general descrip- tion of stocking, research, management, partnership, aquatic education, view- ing, and access activities being conducted in the management area. A summary of the major fishery and social issues that presently occur in the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area is presented, as well as any recommendations for solving them including, but not limited to, research, management, access, regulatory changes, aquatic education, partnership, stocking, or habitat options. Section II provides a more detailed summary of all the major fisheries that occur in the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area. Included in this section is a description and historical perspective of each fishery; the objective governing the management of each fishery; description of the recent performance of each fishery; a description of recent Board of Fisheries actions with respect to each fishery; a description of any social or biologi- cal issues surrounding each fishery; and a description of any ongoing or recommended research or management activities directed at each fishery. -i- TABLE OF CONTENTS Paae PREFACE...................................................... i TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................ ii LIST OF TABLES............................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES.............................................. vi LIST OF APPENDICES........................................... X SECTION I: MANAGEMENTAREA OVERVIEW......................... 1 Management Area Description ............................. 1 Alaska Board of Fisheries Activities .................... 2 Fisheries Resource Inventory ............................ 3 Recreational Angler Effort .............................. 4 Recreational Fish Harvest ............................... 5 Harvest Distribution by Area ............................ 6 Harvest Distribution by Species ......................... 7 Recreational Fish Catch and Release ..................... 12 Commercial, Subsistence and Personal Use Fish Harvests . 12 Economic Value of Sport Fisheries ....................... 13 Existing Management Plans ................................ 14 Stocking Program Inventory .............................. 17 Ongoing Research and Management Activities .............. 18 Partnership, Aquatic Education, and Viewing Activities . 18 Access Programs ......................................... 19 SECTION II: MAJOR FISHERIES OVERVIEW........................ 20 Northern Cook Inlet Chinook Salmon Fisheries ............ 20 Little Susitna River Chinook Salmon Fishery ............. 24 East Susitna River Chinook Salmon Fisheries ............. 30 West Susitna River Chinook Salmon Fisheries ............. 39 West Cook Inlet Chinook Salmon Fisheries ................ 48 Northern Cook Inlet Coho Salmon Fisheries ............... 52 Little Susitna River Coho Salmon Fishery ................ 54 Susitna River Coho Salmon Fisheries ..................... 62 Knik Arm Coho Salmon Fisheries .......................... 67 Fish Creek Sockeye Salmon Fisheries ..................... 74 Stocked Lake Fisheries .................................. 80 Susitna River Rainbow Trout Fisheries ................... 87 LITERATURE CITED............................................. 94 APPENDICES................................................... 199 -ii- LIST OF TABLES Table Pace 1. Number of angler-days of sport fishing effort expended by recreational anglers fishing Northern Cook Inlet Management Area waters, 1977-1990........... 96 2. Angler-days of sport fishing effort for Knik Arm waters, 1977-1990...................................*.. 97 3. Angler-days of sport fishing effort for the eastside Susitna River drainage, 1977-lggo...................... 99 4. Angler-days of sport fishing effort for the West Cook Inlet-West Susitna River drainage, 1977-1990........... 100 5. Number of fish harvested by recreational anglers fishing Northern Cook Inlet Management Area waters, 1977-1990...................................... 101 6. Numbers and species harvested by recreational anglers fishing in Knik Arm waters, 1977-lggo.................. 102 7. Number of fish harvested at individual locations by recreational anglers fishing in Knik Arm waters, 1977-1990...................................... 103 8. Numbers and species harvested by recreational anglers fishing the eastside Susitna River drainage, 1977-1990.............................................. 105 9. Number of fish harvested at individual locations by recreational anglers fishing the eastside Susitna River drainage, 1977-lggo.............................. 106 10. Numbers and species harvested by recreational anglers fishing the West Cook Inlet/West Susitna River drainage, 1977-lggo.................................... 107 11. Number of fish harvested at individual locations by recreational anglers fishing the West Cook Inlet/West Susitna River drainage................................. 108 12. Numbers and species harvested by recreational anglers fishing Northern Cook Inlet Management Area waters, 1977-1990...................................... 109 13. Percent of fish released by recreational anglers in the Northern Cook Inlet Management Area for lggo.............................................. 110 -iii- LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table Page 14. Percent of fish released by recreational anglers in the Knik Arm Area, eastside Susitna River Area and Westside Susitna/West-Cook Inlet Area for 1990......... 111 15. Upper Cook Inlet commercial salmon harvests from all districts, 1977-lggo............................... 112 16. Estimated economic value of Northern Cook Inlet Management Area sport fisheries during 1986............ 113 17. Economic value for selected Northern Cook Inlet Management Area sport fisheries during 1986............ 114 18. Numbers and species of fish stocked (actual and planned) in Northern Cook Inlet Management Area waters, 1990-1992...................................... 115 19. Tyonek subsistence salmon harvests, 1980-1990.......... 116 20. Northern District commercial chinook salmon harvest, 1986-1990.............................................. 117 21. Harvest and effort for Little Susitna River chinook salmon, 1979-1989...................................,... 118 22. Number of chinook salmon smolt stocked into the Willow Creek drainage from 1985-1990.......... 119 23. Harvest of chinook salmon from eastside Susitna River tributaries, 1979-1989................................. 120 24. Chinook salmon escapement counts in eastside Susitna River streams, 1979-lggo............................... 121 25. Harvest of chinook salmon from westside Susitna River tributaries, 1979-1989................................. 122 26. Harvest of chinook salmon over 16 inches in length for the Deshka River, Alexander Creek and Lake Creek, 1986-1989....................................... 123 27. Chinook salmon escapement counts in westside Susitna River/West Cook Inlet waters, 1979-1990................ 124 28. Yentna River and Skwentna River estimated effort for chinook salmon, lggo............................... 125 29. West Cook Inlet harvest of chinook salmon over 16 inches in length, 1984-1989............................ 126 -iv- LIST OF TABLES (Continued) Table 30. Coho salmon stocking history for the Little Susitna River, 1982-1990 ....................................... 127 31. Harvest and effort for Little Susitna River coho salmon, 1977-1989 ...................................... 128 32. Little Susitna River coho salmon harvest and escapement indices, 1981-1990 ...................... 129 33. Estimated coho salmon harvest, catch and effort at the Little Susitna River, 1990 ......................... 130 34. Yentna River coho salmon escapements, 1981-1989 ........ 131 35. Coho salmon harvest for the Susitna River drainage, 1983-1989 .............................................. 132 36. Summary of coho salmon stocked into Cottonwood, Wasilla, Jim and Fish Creeks and Eklutna tailrace, 1977-1990 .............................................. 133 37. Fishing effort and coho salmon harvest from Knik Arm fisheries, 1977-1989 ................................... 136 38. Fish Creek coho salmon escapements, 1980-1990 .......... 137 39. Big Lake hatchery sockeye salmon fry releases into the Big Lake drainage, 1975-1990 ....................... 138 40. Fish Creek sockeye salmon harvests, 1987-1990 .......... 139 41. Northern Cook Inlet Management Area 1990 lake stocking summary for non-anadromous fish ............... 140 42. Harvest of Susitna River drainage rainbow trout, 1977-1989 .............................................. 147 -V- LIST OF FIGURES Firrure Page 1. Map of the Northern Cook Inlet sport fish management area..................................................