Hidden Falls will not open Sunday June 30. Chum runs throughout SE Alaska are late or weak, or both and Hidden Falls is no exception. We have had 4 openings, two each week and the catch has been poor, about 10,500 total chum. The sex ratio is 69% male, 9.5 lb average weight, and 82% four year olds, all of which suggest we are early in the run but it doesn’t provide a guide to the magnitude of the run. Given the chum program needs 200,000 brood fish to perpetuate the on-site and off-site chum programs, the only prudent action is to cease fishing until we have high certainty of attaining that goal.
In 2018, I provided a 5th opening based on a stronger than expected return and relatively high male ratio, but that one opening was a mistake as it was instrumental in not having sufficient chum for broodstock. Last year was the first time the egg goal was not attained at Hidden Falls. The NSRAA board was informed that harvest management would necessarily need to be more conservative in 2019.
Deep Inlet is seeing even worse chum returns this year. Only chinook are performing well on the Sitka side of Baranof Island.
Next week is the make or break week for Hidden Falls and Deep Inlet. In ’98, ’99, & ’00 less than 10,000 chum had been harvested by the end of the current stat week. However, in week 27 the run took a dramatic turn each year and finished with 2.2M, 2.7M, and 3.1M respectively. Not expecting that to happen, but it is to say in short order things can change dramatically .
We expect to keep SE Cove open through Thursday July 4 for common property openings, at which time it will be closed for cost recovery.
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