July 13th Return Update-Hidden Falls produces

The big news this week is today’s Hidden Falls chum opener which, when it is all over today, will be the largest single day harvest in at least the past decade. Early estimates indicate total harvest may top 300k adult chum. This is fabulous news and puts us on a potential path to top a 1 millionchum return this year to Hidden Falls which hasn’t happened since 2013 (1.38m in 2013). Keep in mind we currently release approximately 50% fewer chum fry from Hidden Falls than we did in the brood years that made up the 2013 return. Today Hidden Falls is beginning their chum spawn and we currently estimate  that there are in total approximately 100k brood stock, combining numbers immediately off the barrier net and inside the barrier net. There are additional chum further out in Kasnyku and we will evaluate numbers in the bay tomorrow morning in order to determine area and lines for the Sunday (7/16) opener. Link below for those interested in seeing start of the fishery at Hidden Falls this morning. Reminds me of the old days.

The last few days cost recovery has ramped up at SE Cove and we are now 10% toward our $4.1 million dollar goal. Cost recovery is updated daily when harvest occurs. Due to the small size of chum returning this season meeting that goal will necessitate additional numbers of fish from SE Cove. There will likely be little to no common property opportunity at SE Cove this season unless we come in above forecast.

Deep Inlet continues to be dominated by 3-year old summer stock chum with no sign yet of the later fall stock chum in our last GN sample from 7/12. Sex ratio continues to be amazingly high and our GN 7/12 sample was 95% male and 63% 3-year olds with no age 5’s. We now have the largest number of summer Hidden Falls stock chum brood in Bear Cove (est 25k on 7/13), since we instituted releases of that stock from Medvejie Hatchery. Egg takes on the summer chum should begin any day at Medvejie. It is now abundantly clear we are having a tremendous survival event on our 3-year old summer chum at Deep Inlet giving early indication for good returns next year for the early chum return.