Abundance of the chinook salmon escapement on the Stikine River, 1996

Description

Abundance of large chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha that returned to spawn in the Stikine River in 1996 was estimated using a mark-recapture experiment. Age, sex, and length compositions for the immigration were also estimated. Drift gillnets were used to capture 785 immigrant chinook salmon during May, June, and July, 1996 of which 779 fish were marked with spaghetti tags, opercle punches and axillary appendage clips. During July and August, chinook salmon were captured at spawning sites and inspected for tags. Marked fish were also recovered from a Canadian commercial fishery. Using a modified Petersen model (n1 = 381, n2 = 2,303, m2 =542) an estimated 16,001 (SE = 1,955) chinook salmon immigrated to the Stikine River after 12 June, 1996. The estimated abundance for the entire season prorated for differences in sampling effort is 30,445 chinook salmon. The total count at the Little Tahltan River weir was 4,821, about 16% of the estimated inriver run. An estimated 3% of the Kakwan Point gillnet catch was age -1.2, 65% age -1.3, 30% age -1.4, and 1% age -1.5, with 398 males and 388 females captured. An estimated 4.6% of spawning ground samples were age -1.2, 69.4% age -1.3, 24.8% age -1.4, and 0.4% age -1.5, with 492 males and 540 females sampled.

Subjects

Series Statement

• Fishery data series -- no. 97-37.

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