Improved king returns present management challenges

Although most Mat-Su Valley king salmon fisheries have been restricted by Alaska Department of Fish and Game emergency order fishing regulations from May 1 to July 13, Mat-Su anglers were able to enjoy a full season of king salmon fishing opportunity with no outright fishery closures. Of primary importance, according to Fish and Game Fisheries Management Biologist Sam Ivey, is that spawning escapements to most Mat-Su Valley streams should be above spawning escapement minimums. Since most king salmon escapements are measured by aerial spawner surveys, final results will not be available until later this month.

Primary king salmon harvest opportunities

While all Mat-Su locations where sport fishing focuses on catching wild king salmon started the season with substantial emergency restrictions on May 1, three Mat-Su Valley king salmon fishery locations stand out for providing better sport harvest opportunities. Those locations are Eklutna Tailrace, where harvest is focused on hatchery fish and no emergency restrictions occurred for the entire season; Deshka River, where Fish and Game has a previously established weir-based escapement goal and a weir in place to keep an up-to-date count of returning king salmon; and Little Susitna River, where Fish and Game has daily weir counts and for the first time in 2015 posted a comparison between past weir counts and post-season aerial escapement results. With weir counts at Deshka and Little Su Rivers showing spawning escapement needs should easily be met, Fish and Game gradually eased off all emergency restrictions from both of these systems, and finally provided an emergency, 11-day bait fishing opportunity at the end of the Little Susitna River king salmon season. It should be noted that this was the first time bait has been legal during the king salmon season on the Little Su since 1994.

Fish and Game manages the Eklutna Tailrace as a totally put-and-take fishery with no escapement needs whatsoever, since the smolts released to maintain this fishery are obtained from eggs taken from another location. The Deshka and the Little Su both have early run timing in comparison with many other Mat-Su king salmon fishery locations combined with weir-based, in-season assessment. Lacking such acknowledged in-season assessment ability, all other Mat-Su king salmon sport fishery locations remained restricted for the entire season.

Harvestable king salmon at other Mat-Su locations

Since all other Mat-Su king salmon fisheries are primarily assessed by post-season aerial escapement counts, it is impossible to say with all certainty that harvestable surplus king salmon were available at any other location. We still don’t know, and will not know until those aerial surveys have been flown. However, in the past Fish and Game has mentioned a relationship between Deshka River king salmon returns and king salmon returns throughout the rest of the Susitna River drainage. With the Deshka River weir count at 23,500 fish (as of July 7) and above the Deshka River escapement range mid-point of 20,500 fish, the likelihood of additional harvestable surplus king salmon certainly existed in the Susitna River Drainage for the 2015 season.

Hatchery enhancement at Willow Creek

If a logical person was to consider where harvestable surplus king salmon would likely be available in the Susitna River Drainage, because of the Fish and Game hatchery enhancement program at Willow Creek, that location should be at the top of the list. Considering the larger-sized smolt now being raised at the new Jack Hernandez Hatchery in Anchorage, and that the Willow Creek chinook stocking program has also seen a step up in smolt release numbers, Willow Creek’s stock should be rocketing to the top. In addition, I’ve heard from multiple sources this year about the large numbers of king salmon returning to Willow and other Parks Highway streams. With fin clipping of hatchery-raised smolt, there is even an easily usable system to harvest surplus hatchery fish while minimizing harvest of wild fish. These fish likely mix in the stream mouths up and down the Parks Highway where there harvest could be allowed at all locations.

Summary and suggestions for 2016

For the 2015 Mat-Su Valley king salmon fishing opportunities that lasted throughout the entire season I am very grateful. For the opportunity to harvest hatchery fish at Eklutna Tailrace I am grateful and benefitted by harvesting a couple this year. For the in-season removal of no longer necessary restrictions on the Deshka and Little Su Rivers, I am grateful and benefitted. For the opportunity to fish bait on the Little Su, I saw many anglers who went out and enjoyed the opportunity. All of these things were good happening in Mat-Su Valley king salmon fisheries.

With better king salmon returns occurring throughout the Mat-Su Valley and a substantial number of those fish early returning male kings, the outlook for 2016 should be even larger returns of king salmon. Therefore, I would put forward some thoughts for consideration:

1. Before even compiling Deshka weir data and making a 2016 Deshka River king salmon projection, I believe it would be beneficial for Fish and Game to develop and make public a Deshka River projected run size at which Fish and Game would be comfortable starting the 2016 season with no emergency restrictions throughout the Susitna River Drainage.

2. I would like to see any emergency king salmon regulations become effective starting on June 1 instead of May 1. Yes, a few more king salmon would be harvested, but the key word is few — this would provide some opportunity to harvest those few prime king salmon from the Parks Highway streams with minimal impact.

3. Concerning the Parks Highway streams I would put forward a suggestion from Deshka Landing Manager, Justin High: If emergency regulations are necessary, develop a schedule to open a set of Parks Highway streams on different weekends for harvest on a rotating basis. Many anglers who don’t own a boat would welcome an opportunity to harvest a few king salmon from these streams.

4. I would like Fish and Game to start the season with the standard five-fish seasonal limit. Currently, with the emergency regulation of a two-fish seasonal limit, plenty of folks either do a lot of catch and release fishing (which has its own impacts) or simply get one or more proxies and keep harvesting. Therefore I see an emergency regulation of a two-fish seasonal limit as mainly a complication that accomplishes little.

5. Develop a strategy allowing harvest of surplus Willow Creek hatchery fish.

Andy Couch has guided sportfishing trips in the Mat-Su Valley for over 30 years. Visit his Fishtale River Guides website at fish4salmon.com