North Cape Fisheries Consulting

The Copper River Fishery as an Illustrative Example of the Alaska Salmon Management System.

Copper River Watershed Map

Figure 2. Copper River drainage with locations of the commercial fishery, Miles Lake sonar counting station, personal use, sport and subsistence fisheries and the Gulkana Hatchery. Basemap source, Ecotrust, Copper River Watershed Project.

Area overview. The Copper River is part of the Prince William Sound management area. The Copper River, fed by large glaciers from the Wrangle and Chugach Mountain Ranges, drains a basin of approximately 26,500 square miles (68,600 sq kilometers). The river emerges from a large interior basin and cuts through the coastal Chugach Mountain Range to drain into the Gulf of Alaska through a large delta, (Figure 2). The Copper is famous for its sockeye and Chinook salmon which exhibit early run timing and have an exceptionally high oil content and flesh quality. Independent of the main stem of the Copper, numerous small rivers and streams originating in the coastal mountains cross the delta. These "delta" systems produce sockeye and coho salmon and are an important component of the complex ecosystem. The Copper River system supports commercial, personal use, sport and subsistence fisheries. Records of subsistence and commercial fisheries date back 100 years. Over the past decade, the annual commercial harvest has averaged 1.5 million sockeye salmon, 300,000 coho salmon and 50,000 Chinook salmon. Subsistence and personal use fisheries take over 200,000 sockeye salmon. Sport fisheries target Chinook salmon, but also take significant numbers of sockeye and coho salmon. A hatchery operated on the Gulkana River contributes to the sockeye production of the Copper River system.

Lower River Fisheries. A complex set of regulations sets forth restrictions and guidelines for the various fisheries. While subsistence fisheries have always had priority over other uses, a longstanding allocation debate has existed between upper-river sport and personal use fishermen and the commercial fishery at the coast. This debate has been taken to the BOF at each regulatory cycle for a number of years. At these meetings, the BOF hears passionate testimony from the conflicting stakeholder perspectives and is challenged with finding a biologically sound balance that best addresses needs. ADF&G remains neutral with regard to allocation but provides input, analysis and direction to the BOF regarding biological requirements. In its ongoing effort to address these concerns, the BOF has adopted regulatory management plans that set out in-river goals that provide for up river fisheries, while recognizing the significance to the commercial fishery.

In advance of the Copper River fishing season, ADF&G releases a preseason outlook. This document provides the public with an overview of the forecasted returns and lays out the management strategy for the coming season. The Copper River sockeye salmon management plan specifies the in-river goal that the commercial fishery will be managed to meet (Table 3.). Additional concerns for co-mingled stocks are identified, as well as the likely management responses.

The commercial fishery takes place in the Copper River District (Figure 2), and generally lasts from mid-May through the end of September. Drift gill nets are the only commercial gear type allowed in the Copper River District. The CFEC limited the number of permits to 540, and each permit holder may use no more that 150 fathoms of gill net. Cordova, a small fishing community of 2,000, serves at the home port for most of the Copper River commercial fleet and 4 shore-based processing plants. The ADF&G biologists that manage the fishery are stationed year round in Cordova. The traditional harvest strategy has been to allow two commercial openings of the Copper River district per week. Over the past 25 years, as the fleet has modernized and become more efficient, more intensive management strategies have been required to meet escapement and fishery objectives. All periods are announced by emergency order, one at a time, and range in duration from 6 to 48 hours. ADF&G tries to give the fleet as much advance notice as possible prior to a commercial opening, but with changing conditions, this notice may on occasion be less than 24 hours. Regular announcements (news releases) are issued to the fleet by marine radio, broadcast radio, fax, internet posting, a recorded information hotline and on the Copper River announcement web site. These announcements contain information about the fishery and explanations for emergency order openings and/or closures.

ADF&G staff compile escapement and harvest data on a daily basis. Prior to making a fishery decision, research and management staff meet to review escapement trends and fishery performance data. Salmon passage rates at the Miles Lake sonar station play a large role in management decisions relating to sockeye salmon. Additional considerations are given early in the season for Chinook salmon (see EO in Appendix 1). Chinook are not distinguished at the sonar station, thus fishery performance indicators such as CPUE, catch distribution, subsistence harvest rates and water levels, play a large role in early season assessment. A Chinook salmon escapement estimate is obtained post season from a mark-and-recapture study conducted in the upper river. A long time series of aerial surveys of Chinook spawning areas provides a comparative index of escapement. Sockeye salmon escapement into delta systems are monitored by weekly aerial surveys. The area biologist balances the escapement needs for delta stocks with the trends at the Miles Lake sonar. Due to their later timing, the delta stock component is giver increaser weight in management decisions as the season progresses.

Up-River Fisheries. The in-river escapement goal measured at the Miles Lake sonar provides for spawning needs as well as the Upper Copper River, subsistence, personal use and sport fisheries. The biologists who manage the Upper Copper River fisheries are stationed in Glennallen, a small town with a population of 620.

The main stem of the Copper River from the McCarthy Bridge to the mouth of the Slana River (approximately 137 miles) is open for subsistence fishing from June 1 through September 30. The subsistence fishery employs fish wheels as the primary method of harvesting fish. Subsistence fishers must obtain a permit and may take up to 500 fish per household. There are no in-season adjustments made to this fishery. If subsistence needs increase over time, the subsistence component of the in-river goal at Miles Lake is adjusted up to meet the need. Subsistence fishers must record their catch numbers on their permits and return them to ADF&G at the end of the season.

The Personal Use Fishery is a dip net fishery that takes place in a 7.6 mile portion of Wood Canyon, down stream from Chitina. Participants must obtain a permit from ADF&G and are limited to 30 salmon per household, only one of which may be a Chinook salmon. Weekly openings for this fishery are adjusted in length dependant upon the strength and timing of the salmon returns passing the Miles Lake sonar counter. Participation in this fishery exceeds 9,000.

Sport Fishery in the Upper Copper River targets primarily Chinook salmon, although significant numbers of sockeye are taken as well. Sport fishing activity is concentrated in clear water tributaries of the Copper, including the Gulkana, Klutina and Tazlina Rivers. Outfitters and lodges offer guiding services to sport anglers. Bag limits and spawning ground closures are among the management tools used to regulate the sport fishery.

List of Source Documents and Web References

The Alaska State Constitution
http://ltgov.state.ak.us/constitution.php

Alaska Statutes: Title 16
http://touchngo.com/lglcntr/akstats/Statutes/Title16.htm

Title 05 Permanent Regulations
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/regs/title5regs.php

Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Salmon Management http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/pubs/mundy98/mundyrpt.php

Alaska Sustainable Salmon Fishery Policy http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/susalpol.pdf

Alaska Salmon Management, A story of success
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/special/salmonmngmnt.pdf

U of A Marine Advisory News Letter; Restructuring Alaska salmon fisheries
http://www.uaf.edu/seagrant/Pubs_Videos/pubs/M-28.pdf

Alaska Department of Fish and Game
http://www.adfg.state.ak.us/

ADF&G - Commercial Fisheries Division
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/

ADF&G Gene Conservation Laboratory
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/research/genetics/genetics.php

ADF&G Fish Pathology Laboratory
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/research/patho/pathohpg.php

Alaska salmon hatchery program
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/enhance/enhance.php

Otolith Lab
http://tagotoweb.adfg.state.ak.us/OTO/

ADF&G Division of Sport Fish Strategic Plan http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/stratplan/Images/SF_StratPlan.pdf

The Alaska Board of Fisheries
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/index.php

ALASKA BOARD OF FISHERIES - Sport Fish
(http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/html/r2board.stm_

The Alaska Department of Public Safety
http://www.dps.state.ak.us/

The Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
http://www.cfec.state.ak.us

Alaska Fishing Vessels Educational Exercise
http://www.alaskaseafood.org/smallfry/FishingBoatsL.PDF

Fish wheels
http://cybersalmon.fws.gov/fshwhl.html

Prince William Sound/Copper River Salmon Pre-season Outlook 2004
http://www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/salmon/pws/pwsout04.php

PWS & Copper River announcements web page
http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/mariner/announceedit/publicfishannouncement.php?strDistrict=CDV

Copper River Chinook Study
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/currents/winter_2000_01/html/currents00_copperchinook.stm

Copper River Personal Use and Subsistence Fisheries
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region3/areas/ucus/chitina/chitina.cfm

Miles Lake Sonar Station
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region3/areas/ucus/chitina/chitina.cfm

Upper Copper River Sport Fishery
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region3/areas/ucus/ucushome.cfm

Howe, A. L., R. J. Walker, C. Olnes, K. Sundet, and A. E. Bingham. 2001. Participation, catch and harvest in Alaska sport fisheries during 1999. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Data Series No. 01-8, Anchorage.

List of Acronyms Used in this report

AAC - Alaska Administrative Code
ADF&G - Alaska Department of Fish and Game
ANILCA - Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
AS - Alaska Statutes
BEG - Biological Escapement Goal
BOF - The Alaska Board of Fisheries
CFEC - Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission
DPS - The Alaska Department of Public Safety
EO - Emergency Order
OSM - The federal office of subsistence management
OEG - Optimum Escapement Goal
SEG - Sustainable Escapement Goal