The Gulkana Hatchery, Then and Now. Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation

The Gulkana Hatchery, Then and Now.

Steve Hilton and Tommy Sheridan, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation

The Copper River and its tributaries support extensive fisheries for sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), including the Gulkana River and its 60 miles of productive spawning and rearing habitat. Between 1962 and 1972, the spawning population in this area declined considerably, with habitat degradation from flooding and highway construction being identified as primary causes for the decline. The Gulkana Hatchery was established in 1973 by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) to mitigate for lost spawning habitat, and by 1984 the hatchery was incubating the largest number of sockeye salmon eggs of any hatchery in Alaska. In 1993, ADF&G contracted the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation (PWSAC) to operate and manage the hatchery at no cost to the state and by 1999 Gulkana Hatchery sockeye salmon runs reached a peak of over 1 million fish. More recent studies indicate that nearly two-in-five sockeye salmon harvested in Copper River personal use and subsistence fisheries originate at Gulkana Hatchery. Wild sockeye salmon escapements throughout the Copper River watershed have experienced historically high abundance in recent years, although Gulkana Hatchery sockeye salmon runs since 2016 have been far below average and PWSAC has failed to meet its egg take goals at the hatchery for several years. PWSAC and other fishery stakeholders have convened several meetings over the past two winters to determine potential causes for recent declines in returns to Gulkana Hatchery and will present on some of these findings at the Copper River Basin Symposium. Steve Hilton and Tommy Sheridan, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corporation [e-mail]