Results of a creel survey conducted to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from May 16 to July 31, 2005.
Results of a creel survey conducted to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, conducted on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from 16 May to 31 July, 2004.
Results of a creel survey conducted to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from May 16 to July 31, 2006.
Results of a creel survey conducted to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from May 16 to July 31, 2007.
Results of a creel survey conducted to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of early- and late-run Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, on the Kenai River between the Soldotna Bridge and the Warren Ames Bridge from May 16 to July 31, 2010.
Sport-angler effort, catch, and harvest of late-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were estimated from a creel survey conducted 1-31 July on the lower Kenai River in 2015. The Chinook salmon sport fishery was closed to fishing during the entire early run (1 May-30 June). During the late run, anglers caught 6,522 (SE 549) and harvested 3,896 (SE 430) Chinook salmon with 77,276 (SE 2,869) angler-hours of effort. Approximately 53% of late-run Chinook salmon were harvested downstream of the river mile (RM) 13.7 Chinook sonar site, the remaining 47% were harvested upstream of RM 13.7. The age composition of harvested late-run Chinook salmon was 2.6% age-1.1, 18.8% age-1.2, 47.0% age-1.3, 29.9% age-1.4, 0.9% age-1.5, and 0.9% age-2.3 fish. A standardized gillnetting program at RM 8.6 estimated the Chinook salmon age composition, catch rates, and species composition within midriver and nearshore areas 16 May-20 August 2015. During the early run, 150 Chinook salmon and 1,443 sockeye salmon were captured in gillnets (midriver and nearshore combined). The estimated age composition of 114 early-run Chinook salmon captured in gillnets was 4.4% age-1.1, 41.2% age-1.2, 36.8% age-1.3, 16.7% age-1.4, and 0.9% age-1.5 fish. During the late run, 311 Chinook salmon, 2,864 sockeye salmon, 113 coho salmon, and 5 pink salmon were captured in gillnets. The estimated age composition of 238 late-run Chinook salmon captured in gillnets was 5.0% age-1.1, 29.4% age-1.2, 36.1% age-1.3, 27.7% age-1.4, and 1.7% age-1.5 fish. During both runs, Chinook salmon captured nearshore were smaller and younger than those captured midriver.