Bill Kiene semi-retired
11-26-2009, 10:41 AM
By Frank Galusha
Surveys still underway on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers for carcasses of dead salmon or evidence of spawning beds seem to imply both rivers had ample supplies of fish this fall despite a poor harvest on the Trinity by recreational anglers and complaints of excessive netting by the Yurok and Hoopa Tribes.
One could conclude by the figures released on November 23 by the Arcata Office of the Fish & Wildlife Service (AFWO) that the recreational anglers may have been napping while the salmon took advantage of the moonlight and swam upriver quickly, perhaps when the nets were not out, or fewer nets were in place.
Dave Hilleman, spokesman for the Yurok Tribe told MyOutdoorBuddy, “the Tribe’s commercial quota was met on September 4. Prior to that time nets were out only five days each week and on each of those days there was a ten-hour night-time break when the nets were withdrawn.”
If the full moons during the first weeks of both September and October were accompanied by clear skies, the fish could have avoided both the anglers and the nets. While there is no doubt the recreational anglers got the short end of the stick. Whatever the reason, there is at least a good chance the escapement goal of 40,700 fish on the K/T system will be met.
Well-known Trinity guides such as Steve Huber of Junction City told MyOutdoorBuddy he could remember when it was not uncommon for recreational anglers to catch several fall-run Chinook per trip. He has said he wants to see the escapement goal assured before any large scale netting or fishing takes place.
Hilleman noted that this was not the first time recreational anglers didn’t fare well on the Trinity. He was also not surprised to learn the survey figures were as good as had been expected. “We can’t be sure until the counting is completed and the data is adjusted appropriately.”
Most assuredly, the Tribes, particularly the Hoopa, did not take 90 percent of the Trinity’s fall Chinook as claimed by one online source. That premature exaggeration was repeated by other major media outlets. According to Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Manager, the Hoopa had taken about 4,000 of their 6,000-fish quota as of the first week of November.
The redd count on the Trinity (in Reaches 1-10) exceeded that counted in any one of the years 2002-2008, according to preliminary data released jointly on Monday by AFWO, the CA DFG, the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, the Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Figure 1. Survey reaches of the main stem Trinity River Redd Survey from Lewiston Dam to Weitchpec.
About 3400 redds had been counted with a couple weeks of counting still to go. Assuming it takes one hen and at least one male to fertilize a redd, and discounting for other factors such as the presence of spring-run fish, at least 5,000 fish made it upriver. The actual number could be higher since more than one male often tries to fertilize the eggs. The data are still considered preliminary and need to be adjusted post-season for estimated contribution by Coho salmon, hatchery and wild Chinook salmon.
Reaches 1-10 are from Lewiston Dam downstream to Cedar Flat and do not include redds in the tributaries. The cumulative number of redds observed in Reaches 12-14 as of November 20, 2009 ranks third among the years 2002-2008. Reach 11 is not surveyed due to extreme whitewater (Burnt Ranch Gorge). The figures and this data can be reviewed at http://www.fws.gov/arcata/
Klamath redd counts third highest in 17-years
The carcass and redd counts released on November 23 for the main stem of the Klamath River are “comparable to the last few years,” according to surveys conducted jointly by the AFWO, the Karuk Tribe of California (KTOC), the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP), and USGS Fort Collins Science Center.
According to AFWO, both surveys began the week of October 12, 2009 and will continue until the first week of December. Weekly carcass surveys are conducted by AFWO and YTFP crews from Iron Gate Dam to the Shasta River confluence. Weekly redd surveys are being conducted by AFWO and KTOC crews from the Ash Creek confluence to the Indian Creek confluence at Happy Camp.
A survey notation states: -- After six weeks of surveys we are seeing numbers of carcasses comparable to the last few years. Based on this past week’s catch and the continued observation of some ‘zombie’ salmon (the swimming dead), we will likely conduct surveys for two more weeks. Redd counts are the third highest (only one less than second highest) we’ve seen in the 17-year history of this project. The data and figures can be reviewed at the above site.
This article will be updated as more input is received from the agencies, tribes, guides and anglers. -- FG
Surveys still underway on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers for carcasses of dead salmon or evidence of spawning beds seem to imply both rivers had ample supplies of fish this fall despite a poor harvest on the Trinity by recreational anglers and complaints of excessive netting by the Yurok and Hoopa Tribes.
One could conclude by the figures released on November 23 by the Arcata Office of the Fish & Wildlife Service (AFWO) that the recreational anglers may have been napping while the salmon took advantage of the moonlight and swam upriver quickly, perhaps when the nets were not out, or fewer nets were in place.
Dave Hilleman, spokesman for the Yurok Tribe told MyOutdoorBuddy, “the Tribe’s commercial quota was met on September 4. Prior to that time nets were out only five days each week and on each of those days there was a ten-hour night-time break when the nets were withdrawn.”
If the full moons during the first weeks of both September and October were accompanied by clear skies, the fish could have avoided both the anglers and the nets. While there is no doubt the recreational anglers got the short end of the stick. Whatever the reason, there is at least a good chance the escapement goal of 40,700 fish on the K/T system will be met.
Well-known Trinity guides such as Steve Huber of Junction City told MyOutdoorBuddy he could remember when it was not uncommon for recreational anglers to catch several fall-run Chinook per trip. He has said he wants to see the escapement goal assured before any large scale netting or fishing takes place.
Hilleman noted that this was not the first time recreational anglers didn’t fare well on the Trinity. He was also not surprised to learn the survey figures were as good as had been expected. “We can’t be sure until the counting is completed and the data is adjusted appropriately.”
Most assuredly, the Tribes, particularly the Hoopa, did not take 90 percent of the Trinity’s fall Chinook as claimed by one online source. That premature exaggeration was repeated by other major media outlets. According to Mike Orcutt, Hoopa Tribal Fisheries Manager, the Hoopa had taken about 4,000 of their 6,000-fish quota as of the first week of November.
The redd count on the Trinity (in Reaches 1-10) exceeded that counted in any one of the years 2002-2008, according to preliminary data released jointly on Monday by AFWO, the CA DFG, the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program, the Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Department and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Figure 1. Survey reaches of the main stem Trinity River Redd Survey from Lewiston Dam to Weitchpec.
About 3400 redds had been counted with a couple weeks of counting still to go. Assuming it takes one hen and at least one male to fertilize a redd, and discounting for other factors such as the presence of spring-run fish, at least 5,000 fish made it upriver. The actual number could be higher since more than one male often tries to fertilize the eggs. The data are still considered preliminary and need to be adjusted post-season for estimated contribution by Coho salmon, hatchery and wild Chinook salmon.
Reaches 1-10 are from Lewiston Dam downstream to Cedar Flat and do not include redds in the tributaries. The cumulative number of redds observed in Reaches 12-14 as of November 20, 2009 ranks third among the years 2002-2008. Reach 11 is not surveyed due to extreme whitewater (Burnt Ranch Gorge). The figures and this data can be reviewed at http://www.fws.gov/arcata/
Klamath redd counts third highest in 17-years
The carcass and redd counts released on November 23 for the main stem of the Klamath River are “comparable to the last few years,” according to surveys conducted jointly by the AFWO, the Karuk Tribe of California (KTOC), the Yurok Tribal Fisheries Program (YTFP), and USGS Fort Collins Science Center.
According to AFWO, both surveys began the week of October 12, 2009 and will continue until the first week of December. Weekly carcass surveys are conducted by AFWO and YTFP crews from Iron Gate Dam to the Shasta River confluence. Weekly redd surveys are being conducted by AFWO and KTOC crews from the Ash Creek confluence to the Indian Creek confluence at Happy Camp.
A survey notation states: -- After six weeks of surveys we are seeing numbers of carcasses comparable to the last few years. Based on this past week’s catch and the continued observation of some ‘zombie’ salmon (the swimming dead), we will likely conduct surveys for two more weeks. Redd counts are the third highest (only one less than second highest) we’ve seen in the 17-year history of this project. The data and figures can be reviewed at the above site.
This article will be updated as more input is received from the agencies, tribes, guides and anglers. -- FG