1. Status of Steelhead in Alaska Brian Marston Area Fisheries Biologist Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport Fisheries, Yakutat, Alaska

2. Presentation Topics Distribution Fisheries Monitoring Data Concerns and conclusions

6. Stock Status Assessment Snorkel surveys Snorkel surveys Weir counts of kelts and or adults upstream Weir counts of kelts and or adults upstream –Scale pattern ageing; PIT tags –Length sampling –DST and Blood samples

9. Southeast Alaska Steelhead Snorkel Survey Index Streams

10. Weir Counts

11. Situk River Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska

12. Sashin Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska

13. Ratz Creek Weir Counts – Southeast Alaska

14. Karluk Weir Counts – Kodiak Area

15. Litnik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area

16. Ayakulik Weir Counts – Kodiak Area

17. Types of fishery harvest Sport Fish Sport Fish Subsistence Subsistence Commercial – non target Commercial – non target

18. Sport Fishery Regulations Southeast Alaska Southeast Alaska Harvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 36 inches) Catch and release Spawning area closures Trout: 2 per day (11-22) in combination with cutthroat Southcentral Alaska Southcentral Alaska Harvest Limit: 1 per day, 2 annually (> 20 inches) Spawning area closures Winter closures Kodiak Road Zone: C&R Trout: 2 per day (11-16) in combination with cutthroat Upper Copper River Upper Copper River 2 per day, 1 > 20 in. Catch and release Spawning closures

19. Statewide Catch Survey; Angling Catch

20. Statewide Harvest Survey; Angling Harvest

21. Subsistence Harvest ADF&G (1997) Harvest Estimates for Craig, Hydaburg, and Klawock

22. Commercial Steelhead Harvest in Southeast Alaska Directed Harvest Prohibited

24. Scale Pattern Analysis

25. Scale pattern analysis Scale pattern analysis of saltwater growth, Situk River : University of Alaska Blood samples Blood samples : University of Idaho Data storage tags for Data storage tags for salt water movement patterns, Situk River : University of Norway

26. Management Issues: Habitat Degradation Roads Hydroelectric Projects Timber Harvest Management Undocumented harvest in commercial and subsistence fisheries Angler expectation management :what is a steelhead sport fishery?

27. Future management directions Stock status data needed Stock status data needed Continue long term datasets Continue long term datasets Survey unknown streams Survey unknown streams Preemptive Management Preemptive Management Trout management plan Trout management plan Protection of habitat and species interactions Protection of habitat and species interactions Maintain size and age attributes Maintain size and age attributes Emphasize importance of fishery Emphasize importance of fishery

28. Current conservative regulations provide for sustainability of steelhead stocks while allowing for a productive sport fishery. Harvests remain low. Size attributes remain within normal variation where assessed. Current abundances of steelhead in the assessed streams of Alaska appear to be within normal variation SE streams have remained near average, while SC streams have been more variable but experienced recent above average counts. Sustainable fisheries, habitat conservation, and maintenance of current stock attributes remains the primary focus.Conclusion:

29. Questions? brian.marston@alaska.gov Acknowledgements; Kelly Piazza, Mike Wood, Douglas Fleming, Troy Tydingco, Patrick Fowler, Dan Teske, Brian Glynn, Richard Chappell, Chet Woods, Steve McCurdy, Donn Tracy, Rodger Harding, Carol Coyle, David Love and Patrick McCormick