2018 Kodiak salmon season: a mixed bag, but weak overall

Sockeye salmon schooling in Hidden Lake. (Photo by USFWS/Katrina Mueller)

Managers expect Kodiak pink salmon to meet escapement goals although the harvest remains weak.

The situation for sockeye salmon is much more dire.

Some Kodiak-area river systems are performing better than others. Kodiak had its lowest sockeye harvest in 38 years this season.

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That’s according to ADF&G Research Biologist Kevin Schaberg. “It is a mixed bag of doing okay or doing poor,” said Schaberg.  “I wouldn’t say anything is doing good or doing fantastic. But we, I think, managed effectively in the areas that have fish to achieve escapement for commercial fishermen and subsistence users and things when we can.”

Even though many river systems are meeting escapement, the total run size is low. That is especially true for smaller river systems close to the City of Kodiak.

Those are the areas that local people rely on for subsistence fishing, and where sport fishermen spend time, like the Buskin, Litnik, and Pasagshak.

All three were closed to fishing early in the season because of low escapement.

For example, on August 15, the total number of sockeye counted at the Buskin weir was just over 4,000 where the expected escapement was 5,000 to 8,000 fish.

Schaberg says there is variation throughout the region.

Kodiak is a complex management area for salmon because you have salmon running to a number of rivers.

So, the managers have to balance openings and closings into all those rivers at the same time, and they have to balance different species going into those rivers where the run times overlap for red and pink salmon.

Schaberg is doing research into why this year was so bad, especially for sockeye.

He says there are several theories. Increased food competition from hatchery-raised fish and the blob, a persistent warm spot in the Gulf of Alaska.

The blob lasted for about three years and started to dissipate last year.

“Those fish spend two or three fish in the ocean, right in that area. And, when you have high temperatures, you have changes in the typeS of fish that are there. If anything can survive. You have different types of food. And high temperature is not good for salmon growth. They have to eat a lot more food to maintain growth and maintain size which is very critical to survival from predators and disease and other things that are in the ocean,” said Schaberg.

Shaberg says he and other researches are taking a closer look at this, and some patterns are beginning to emerge.

“A lot of the systems that are doing more poorly than others are systems that are comprised of fish that spend three years in the ocean. Whereas the systems that are doing okay, are systems that have a large component of fish returning that only spend two years in the ocean. So, the fish that are returning are smaller at age because, again because of the lack of food and the lack of environmental conditions in the ocean,” said Schaberg.

In Uganik, a set-netting area on the west side of Kodiak Island, Toby Sullivan says he’s having a slow season.

He started fishing in 1975 – for crab. He’s fished halibut and herring, among other things. Now he fishes exclusively for salmon.

Sullivan says he remains optimistic about sockeye.

“In June, we weren’t doing very well. And then in July, we weren’t doing very well either. And we are kind of hoping to see a few more fish in the nets,” said Sullivan.

August 16 was the beginning of a new fishery, where Kodiak area biologists are managing for both late run sockeye and pink salmon.

Sullivan says the fishermen he’s talked with are just hoping the late sockeye run will save the season.

“The pink salmon going to Karluk this year looked really good. The red salmon — we’re still waiting to see what happens,” said Sullivan.

Escapement on the Karluk River, the largest pink run on Kodiak, is above average, but it is less than half of the record, according to ADF&G.

A possible bright spot could be silver or coho salmon. Schaberg says early indicators show they could provide a big boost for local fishermen.

 

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