Project Information

Title: Coded Wire Tag Studies on PWS Salmon, 1992 R060-A

Project Year and Number: 1992: R060-A

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 1998: 98186-CLO, 1997: 97186, 1996: 96186, 1995: 95320-B, 1994: 94320-B, 1993: 93067, 1992: R060-C

Principal Investigator (PI): Samuel Sharr (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: Brian Bue, David Evans, Carol Peckham, Dan Sharp, Jodi Smith

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: Damage Assessment

Injured Resources Addressed: Pink Salmon

Abstract: This project has evolved from former Natural Resources Damage Assessment Fish/Shell Fish Studies #1 and #3 but now includes only the tag recovery aspects of each of those projects. The goal of combined studies 60A and 60B is to provide in season time and area specific estimates of the catches of injured wild stocks and in season assessments of escapement performance for injured stocks. Fisheries managers will use this information to reduce exploitation rates on injured stocks which need protection. To assess the effectiveness of this restoration tool and monitor the recovery of the injured wild stocks, the project will also provide post-season estimates of the total returns of tagged stocks. Functionally wild stock returns include both catch and escapement components. To estimate the total return by stock, the catch must be enumerated, the component from the tagged population must be estimated, and the adult escapements for each tagged stock must be totally enumerated. In addition, adult escapements of tagged stocks must also be scanned for coded-wire tags to account for changes in the untagged to tagged ratios between fry and returning adults due to tag loss and differential mortality. Finally, based on evidence for straying of hatchery and wild fish from NRDA F/S Study #1 in 1991, some effort must also be expended to account for the portion of tagged returns which stray to non-natal streams and are not accounted for in either the catch or the natal stream escapement components. The proposed study 60A is for recovery of coded-wire tags in the catches in Prince William Sound. Study 60B enumerates escapements for the six tagged wild stocks, recovers tags in the escapements to verify tagged to untagged ratios used in catch contribution estimates, and includes limited examination of neighboring streams to assess the degree of straying to non-natal streams. While studies 60A and 60B are both tag recovery projects, the objectives and methodology for recoveries in catches and escapements are quite distinct, and for the sake of clarity, have been retained as separate sections in a unified operational plan. Processing of heads for tag extraction is identical for both catch and escapement samples but, for the sake of simplicity, has been included in the budget for Study 60A which accounts for the majority of heads and tags recovered.


Proposal: Not Available

Reports:
Final Report: View (1,172 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available