Our Blog
Deep Inlet Notice
To Deep Inlet THA Fishery User Groups:
A reminder about boat traffic and anchoring near island homes in the Deep Inlet area.
Please review our plan:
Berry Island Resident Impact and Noise Reduction Plan
WK 28 Return Update
Summer chum returns through Stat week 28 continue to be slow and are trending at or below the low range of the forecast at all of our sites. Historically this week (wk 29), would be the peak of the catch. Sex ratio data on the summer chum indicates we are following that historical timeline and the returns will be weak and less than forecast. We continue to see virtually no 5-year olds at any of our sites and the chum return is over 95% 4-year olds. Additionally the 4-year olds are small with a 6lb or less average.
While the test fisheries at Pt Gardner and Kingsmill are indicating a stronger chum catch than the recent 10-year long term average, we are not seeing this translate to increased catches at SE Cove or Thomas Bay yet. The first Pt Gardner test fishery was over 90% hatchery chum with greater than 55% being Hidden Falls bound, and ~10% for both Gunnuk Creek and Thomas Bay, with SE Cove making up about 5% of the catch. We are currently reading last weeks test fisheries chum otoliths and will post that information once it is available. Last week we did have a increase in the cost recovery catch at Gunnuk Creek (35k lbs) which is encouraging but still weaker than expected based on forecast. We have suspended cost recovery at Gunnuk this week to allow sufficient numbers for chum brood stock to build. We will still perform the Hidden Falls test fishing this Wednesday as we continue to monitor and gauge the strength of the return for brood stock to that facility.
On the Sitka side of Baranof, Deep Inlet chum are tracking near the low point of our return forecast with the sex ratio flipping to more females at the end of last week. We are seeing more summer chum at Medvejie and it looks like we will begin egg takes toward the end of this week. Current estimates are for ~7k chum in the area with a brood stock goal of 30k. This will be the second year of Hidden Falls summer chum egg takes at Medvejie. These eggs will be taken at Medvejie then transferred to Hidden Falls for release at SE Cove or Thomas Bay. Chinook returns to Medvejie continue to be strong and will certainly be above forecast. We are continuing with cost recovery as brood stock has been secured and fish continue to return to the cove. To date we have harvested over 1,000 Chinook for cost recovery from Bear Cove and they are still being picked up in Deep Inlet with over a 1,000 harvested there in week 28 between the two net fleets.
Fall chum have yet to show up at Deep Inlet and it is too early to gauge any information on how that return, or the Crawfish Inlet fall chum return, is going to shape up.
WK 27 Return Update
Summer chum returns to NSRAA projects through week 27 continue to be slow. Our forecasts on chum predicted few 5-year old chum and early returns are following the forecast with over 95% of the chum return so far being 4-year olds. Although week 27 did see an increase of chum catch across our sites, Deep Inlet had several moderate pulses of fish which is encouraging, we will need sustained recruitment to make our preseason forecast for the current stat week 28. Historically the peak catch of summer chum occurs in week 29 so we will need to see quite an increase this week and next to stay within our forecast. In week 27 the F/V Barbara harvested our first cost recovery chum returning to Gunnuk Creek hatchery to get an indication of run strength and age make up. We had a poor catch with less than 500 fish at 62% male, scales are currently being processed. There were reports of scattered jumps in the Gunnuk Creek SHA but there didn’t appear to be much volume under them. Last week the F/V Barbara also performed the first Hidden Falls test fishery of the season with a more encouraging 5 set average of 191 per set, 98% 4-year olds and 66% percent male . These set locations are spread throughout the Hidden Falls THA at South Pt., Cosmos, North Point, Waterfall and Pt. Turbot. An additional 4,000 fish were harvested within Kasnyku bay. The second test fishing event is occurring Wednesday at Hidden Falls with the second effort at Gunnuk Creek on Friday.
In contrast to the chum return, the Chinoook return to Sitka Sound looks like it will exceed the forecast of ~20,000. To date over 3,000 were caught in the spring troll fisheries, with tag data still to come in from that fishery. Undoubtedly more will be caught during the first summer troll opener as well. Additionally, over 4,000 have been caught in the Deep Inlet THA, while at Bear Cove we have taken over 500 for cost recovery and collected ~4,500 for brood stock. With brood stock secured, we will resume Chinook cost recovery efforts at Bear Cove on Thursday of this week, as we continue to see a good push of fish into the cove. Challenge will be harvesting the Chinook while minimizing capture of brood stock summer chum just beginning to show up.
On Tuesday this week the first Big Port Walter test fishing occurred. The F/V Christina Dawn is performing the test sets, with Sitka ADFG personnel taking care of sample collection. A total of 4 under 28″ Chinook and 3 sockeye were captured, with genetic samples collected and released alive. Additionally, a total of 7 pink salmon and 23 chum salmon were captured. NSRAA is currently processing the chum otoliths for a primary read with the secondary read being performed by the ADFG Otolith Lab in Juneau. There will be weekly fishing events through week 32. The results from this test fishing will be used by NSRAA and ADFG to evaluate the Big Port Walter location for a potential chum salmon release site.
Good luck fishing this week and lets hope the fish keep showing up.
2021 Cost Recovery and Carcass sale awardees
The following 2021 cost recovery and carcass contracts have been awarded at the close of the RFP period last week.
Chum Cost Recovery – Crawfish Inlet & West Crawfish Inlet – Silver Bay Seafoods
Chum Cost Recovery – Hidden Falls & Gunnuk Creek – OBI Seafoods
Chinook Cost Recovery – Bear Cove & Crawfish Inlet – Sitka Sound Seafoods
Coho Cost Recovery – Hidden Falls & Mist Cove – Trident Seafoods
Chum Carcasses – Hidden Falls – Silver Bay Seafoods
Chum Carcasses – Medvejie – Sitka Sound Seafoods
Deep Inlet THA Resident Impact and Noise Reduction Plan
The Deep Inlet Terminal Harvest Area boundaries encompass a number of private property residences on Long Island, Gull Island, and the Kutchuma Island Group, including Berry Island. NSRAA continued to receive reports of inappropriate vessel/fishermen behavior in 2020. Please be considerate of island residents in the entire Deep Inlet THA and nearby islands. Island residents have a two-decade history of delineating negative impacts by fishing boats and tenders, particularly noise, firearm discharge, and lights, during the Deep Inlet fishery.
NSRAA is asking tenders, seiners, gillnetters and trollers to not anchor, use high intensity lights, or tender fish near Island residences/docks within the Deep Inlet THA boundaries. When entering Deep Inlet via Silver Point, use no wake speeds to protect docks. Additionally, please remember that a majority of the islands and all docks in the THA are private property. Do not dock, disembark or allow pets to relieve themselves on these private islands. Attached chart shows which islands are private and preferred anchorage areas.
Please be considerate of island residents and encourage other vessels not exhibiting good behavior to alter their activities. The long-term success of the program and maintaining current THA boundaries will be dependent upon the commercial fishing fleet not negatively impacting the areas residents.
Thank you for your continued efforts to operate as good neighbors to the island residents.
INTERACTIVE MAP
Printable PDF of Deep Inlet THA Resident Impact and Noise Reduction Plan
RSS - Posts
Recent Comments