The Deep Inlet fall chum return continues to come in strong. The past rain event took the bite off for the trollers but they continue adding to their record breaking harvest. Trollers have harvested over 740k chums between Deep Inlet and Crawfish with 650k of that coming from Sitka Sound. The current stretch of nicer weather could help to improve the catch for the trollers. The catch and effort in West Crawfish picked up the last few days with over 35 boats fishing in West Crawfish Friday morning. This will likely be the peak week for Deep Inlet with a combined gear harvest of approximately 500k fish for stat week 34. Most recent sex ratios from Deep Inlet chum were ~50% male with 10% 3-year olds and greater than 80% age 4 chum. While the catch did improve this week for the net fleets in Deep Inlet, the number of boats participating more than doubled from previous weeks.
Cost recovery continues at Crawfish Inlet and we are now approximately 25% complete. Last cost recovery sample from Crawfish Inlet indicated over 70% male with a mix of 3, 4, and 5 age chum (30%, 48%, and 21% respectively). We are continuing the harvest Friday and Saturday and there are indications that fish are beginning to build in West Crawfish and Shamrock Bay. To date all cost recovery has come from Crawfish Inlet. That may change if fish continue to build in West Crawfish. Typically once fish have built up enough to warrant fishing in West Crawfish cost recovery harvest wraps up pretty quickly. The most recent troll sample from West Crawfish on the 15th of August indicated a 65% male sex ratio. Cost recovery harvest will have to dramatically increase over the next two days for the possibility of a Thursday Crawfish Inlet seine opening. More than likely will not open until a week from this Sunday. Will open with a 48hr prior seine announcement.
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