Deep Inlet Chum Brood Stock Closure Beginning August 19th.

NSRAA has requested that ADFG close the Deep Inlet THA to commercial fishing beginning on Aug 19th (Troll day) until further notice.  It is our intention to complete brood stock collection by Aug 25th and reopen to Troll gear in the THA on Saturday Aug 26th. If brood collection proceeds quicker than anticipated NSRAA will reopen as soon as possible beginning with a troll day. If brood collection is slower than anticipated the closure will be extended until brood goals met. We will provide web updates daily on Deep Inlet chum brood collection progress.

As forecast, NSRAA continues to see very few Bear Cove bound fall chum salmon. For last week (wk 32), the total age 4 component of the Deep Inlet THA and Sitka Sound troll harvest was only 2%. Additionally we are estimating there are only 5k fall chum at Bear Cove currently. Our total pre-season brood stock goal is 110,000 fall chum and egg takes typically begin on Aug 21st. Fall chum returns to Deep Inlet have yet to show a build up towards the peak of the run. This is likely due to lower harvest effort in the THA as well as lack of chum volume in the sound. Charts below track difference in returns vs projections for Bear Cove and Deep Inlet 4 year olds.