Subsistence Harvest Monitoring of Pacific Salmon on the Kuskokwim River

Danielle Lowrey and Katherine Russell,
Orutsararmiut Native Council

Danielle Lowery was born and raised in Bethel, Alaska. She received her bachelor's degree in marine biology at the University of Alaska Southeast and then returned to her hometown to work for her Tribe. She now serves as the fisheries partners biologist for Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) in Bethel.

Katie Russell is a Fisheries Partner Biologist for Orutsaramiut Native Council (ONC) in Bethel, Alaska. She has multiple years of field experience with Pacific salmon from working on weir projects near Sitka prior to moving to Bethel. She works on ONC’s inseason subsistence harvest monitoring program and postseason subsistence harvest surveys project in collaboration with ADF&G, produces the inseason harvest estimates in collaboration with Kuskokwim Intertribal Fish Commission, works with youth programs, and supports other projects as needed. Ms. Russell received her BA in Environmental Studies from George Mason University in 2020 where she conducted her research on anadromous populations of river herring in the Potomac River.

About this issue of Alaska Park Science

Forty years after the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) was passed, the Alaska Region of the National Park Service is reflecting on the impact, legacy, and future of this unique legislation. Many Alaskans experience ANILCA as both a blessing and a burden. While tremendous hurdles have been overcome, there are many yet to be faced. This issue of Alaska Park Science provides a spectrum of perspectives on ANILCA that we hope strikes a balance reflecting over four decades of varied experiences. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the National Park Service. 

Sockeye salmon in spawning colors make their way up the river.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL MELFORD

The Kuskokwim River drainage has provided a livelihood for Alaskan Natives for many centuries. Subsistence hunting and fishing is integrated into everyday life among many rural communities and remains an important component to sustaining life on the Kuskokwim. Subsistence harvest of all species of Pacific salmon on the Kuskokwim River plays a vital role in the way of life of the Yup’ik, Cup’ik, and Athabaskan Peoples. The Kuskokwim River supports one of the largest Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) subsistence fisheries in the state of Alaska. The subsistence harvest of Chinook salmon represents the largest harvest of any region in Alaska, accounting for nearly 43% of the statewide harvest in 2016 (Fall et al. 2019). However, with recent changes in environmental conditions, salmon populations and size are on the decline (Oke et al. 2020). Specifically, dramatic declines of Chinook salmon have resulted in subsistence fishers targeting other species of salmon, such as chum (O. keta), sockeye (O. nerka), pink (O. gorbuscha), and coho (O. kisutch; Godduhn et al. 2020). It is important to monitor these populations and work closely with fisheries management to sustain subsistence fishing for future generations.

Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) Fisheries Department works closely with federal and state agencies, as well as local Tribal organizations on several fisheries research monitoring projects along the Kuskokwim. ONC also plays a large role in the Indigenizing Salmon Science & Management Project, a partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. ONC has developed a strong fisheries program through collaborative processes, trust, and relationship building with local fishers and partner agencies. Two of ONC’s on-going projects, the In-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring Project and the Post-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring Project, have been in operation for over 20 years and provide critical information for managing the salmon fishery on the Kuskokwim River.

The In-season and Post-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring projects are both relevant to federal subsistence management as a majority of the Kuskokwim River drainage, where these projects are conducted, is contained within Federal Conservation System Units. The lower portion of the Kuskokwim River flows through the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR). A portion of the Kuskokwim River headwaters, and critical salmon spawning habitat, is contained within National Park Service (NPS) lands in Denali National Park and Preserve and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. In addition, the Bureau of Land Management has scattered holdings of land within the Kuskokwim River drainage. All residents of the Kuskokwim River drainage are federally qualified subsistence users, and the largest portion of the annual subsistence harvest on the Kuskokwim occurs within the boundaries of the YDNWR. Federal rural subsistence users are given harvest priority on federal public lands where customary and traditional use patterns exist as required in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980.

The Kuskokwim area subsistence salmon fishery is one of largest in the state in both number of participants and number of fish harvested (Fall et al. 2019). Studies by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Subsistence Division indicate that salmon contribute up to 65% of the total amount, by weight, of the wild resources harvested annually in Kuskokwim Area communities (Lipka et al. 2019). The Kuskokwim River subsistence salmon fishery is co-managed by ADF&G and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) within the boundaries of the YDNWR, along with stakeholder input through consultations with the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission (KRITFC) and the Kuskokwim River Salmon Management Working Group.

Chinook Salmon Declines

The In-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring Project collects detailed quantitative subsistence harvest and age-sex-length (ASL) information in the Bethel area to quantify subsistence harvest effort and catch composition during the Chinook salmon, chum salmon, and sockeye salmon seasons in partnership with ADF&G. Subsistence harvest information has been collected through weekly visits to surrounding Bethel-area fish camps and opportunistic encounters at the Bethel boat harbor from late-May through mid-July each year. ASL data is obtained through recruitment efforts of fishers in the Bethel area that have voluntarily sampled their Chinook salmon harvest. Continuous contact with subsistence fishers each summer provides a meaningful opportunity for subsistence users to share their perspectives on the annual salmon runs, harvest needs, and personal impacts of management decisions in addition to providing data to in season fishery managers.

Though ONC and ADF&G have been collecting data through In-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring for over 20 years, in 2016, other partners including ONC, ADF&G, KRITFC, USFWS, and Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association (BSFA) joined the effort. From 2016 to 2020, ONC conducted nearly 2,500 interviews with subsistence fishers; these interviews account for more than 62% of the total interviews conducted and have provided the bulk of the data necessary to make in-season harvest predictions (Staton and Coggins 2016, Staton and Coggins 2017, Staton 2018, Decossas 2019, and Decossas 2020).

The data collected from this program are critical to informing in season management decisions that have been made by KRITFC and USFWS since 2016 in response to increasingly weak Chinook salmon runs on the Kuskokwim River (Staton and Coggins 2016). The 2020 in season subsistence harvest estimates, conducted by USFWS with data from ONC and BSFA, on the Kuskokwim River in the boundaries of YDNWR was 35,500 (95% CL: 29,310-42,470) during seven fishing opportunities between June 3 and June 24, 2020 (Decossas 2020). Over that time period, 23,210 Chinook salmon (95% CL: 19,060-28,050), 6,710 sockeye (5,170-8,380), and 5,590 chum (4,120-7,350) were estimated to have been harvested (Decossas 2020). The 2020 salmon harvest was the smallest observed harvest since the beginning of the more collaborative program in 2016. The 2020 harvest was a much smaller harvest than 2019, where the Chinook salmon harvest was almost 50% greater than the 2020 harvest, while chum and sockeye salmon harvests were about 40% greater than 2020 (Decossas 2020). This reduction in harvest is likely a result of a late, weak run in 2020, especially given that there were seven harvest opportunities in 2020, compared to the six harvest openers in 2019 (Decossas 2020). It is also important to note that in 2019, the Chinook total run estimate was 226,987 (182,811-281,839), which was much higher than in the previous ten years (Larson 2020).

Jaden Andrew of Nunapitchuk, ONC Fisheries Technician in 2021, holding a Chinook salmon caught by the ADF&G Bethel Test Fishery.

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME

As Chinook salmon are highly desired and one of the largest fisheries in Alaska, it is important to collect quantitative data to properly manage this species. Collection of ASL data by ADF&G and ONC helps produce an annual composition estimate of the lower Kuskokwim subsistence Chinook salmon harvest (Liller and Froning 2016). ASL data remain a core component to inform management decisions and develop brood tables and spawner-recruit analyses for Chinook salmon populations (Liller and Froning 2016). Looking at ASL averages for the past two decades, from 2001 to 2020, the majority of Chinook from the Kuskokwim River subsistence salmon harvest were age 5 (41%) and 6 (36%), 33% female, and an average length of 28.7 inches (728 mm). When looking at 2001-2010 and 2011-2020 separately, the data tells a different story. From 2001-2010 on average, the majority of Chinook sampled from subsistence harvest on the Kuskokwim were age 5 (40%) and age 6 (48%), 38% female, and an average length of 30.3 inches (771 mm). On average, from 2011-2020, the majority of Chinook sampled from subsistence harvest on the Kuskokwim were age 4 (31%) and age 5 (41%), 28% female, and an average length of 26.9 inches (684 mm). These differences in the ASL samples collected from Chinook harvested for subsistence on the Kuskokwim between the two decades can be attributed, in part, to a shift in gear type allowed to be used by subsistence fishers to harvest Chinook. During the unrestricted years 2001-2011, mesh gear ≥8 inches was allowed to be used to harvest Chinook, and this gear was used to collect 82% of all samples, while mesh gear 6-8 inches and mesh gear ≤6 inches made up 11% and 7%, respectively. Larger mesh typically correlates with catching larger fish, as is demonstrated by the average longer length of Chinook from 2001-2010 (30.3 inches or 771 mm). In the past decade, restrictions have been placed on the type of gear allowed to harvest Chinook for subsistence, including requiring smaller maximum mesh sizes, which corresponds to smaller fish harvested, demonstrated by the average length of Chinook sampled from 2011-2020 (26.9 inches or 684 mm). Other factors that may impact ASL data on the Kuskokwim include Chinook salmon harvested for subsistence, including declines in the size of returning adult salmon, shifting population age structure, and changing growth rates (Oke et al. 2020). It is critical that ONC and ADF&G continue collecting this ASL data to inform management decisions, perform analyses, and maintain a record of changes over time.

Post-season Harvest Information

The Post-season Subsistence Harvest Mon-itoring Project is a collaborative effort between ADF&G and ONC, who have partnered on this project for over 20 years. This project obtains reliable quantitative estimates of subsistence salmon (all species) and, more recently, whitefish harvests among the majority of households in communities located along the Kuskokwim River through harvest surveys. These surveys are conducted in person, over the phone, or by mail-in forms in the fall after the salmon fishing season has ended. ONC specifically conducts the surveys in Bethel.

Looking at the past three decades, the average harvest estimates of the salmon species harvested on the Kuskokwim River (excluding pink salmon, since they are not typically harvested to the same extent as the other species) show a shift in the data, with major decreases in harvest occurring for Chinook, chum, and coho salmon. These harvest data were collected by ADF&G and ONC as a part of the Post-season Subsistence Harvest Monitoring Project.

From 1990 to 1999, the estimated average subsistence Chinook salmon harvest was 93,253 fish, from 2000 to 2009, the estimated average harvest was 87,592 Chinook, and from 2010 to 2018, the estimated average Chinook salmon harvest was 36,917 fish. The steady decrease in Chinook harvest can be attributed to smaller run sizes and increased fishing restrictions (McDevitt et al. 2020). Chum salmon harvests have followed a similar trend to Chinook; from 1990 to 1999, the estimated average harvest was close to 83,000, from 2000–2009 the estimated average harvest was 65,369 chum salmon, and from 2010–2018 the estimate was 55,715 (McDevitt et al. 2020). Chum salmon run concurrently with Chinook salmon, so any increased fishing restrictions and gear restrictions for Chinook salmon may have impacted chum harvest (McDevitt et al. 2020, Runfola and Koster 2019).

Unlike Chinook and chum salmon, sockeye harvest numbers have remained much more stable. From 1990–1999, the estimated annual harvest average for sockeye was 44,402, from 2000–2009 the annual average was estimated to be 45,139 sockeye salmon, and from 2010–2018 the estimated average harvest was 46,739 (McDevitt et al. 2020). Coho salmon are generally harvested at lower rates than other salmon on the Kuskokwim River; the estimated average annual harvest from 1990-1999 was over 40,700, from 2000-2009 was over 39,800, and was 31,800 coho salmon from 2010-2018 (McDevitt et al. 2020). Declines in coho harvest may be due to below-average coho run sizes or lower fishing effort, but coho salmon enter the Kuskokwim river later than the other salmon species, so regulations in place for Chinook harvest generally do not impact coho harvests. Since 2014, some Kuskokwim River fishers have indicated a desire to target more coho salmon to supplement their lower harvests of other salmon species (McDevitt et al. 2020, Runfola and Koster 2019).

Why Continued Monitoring is Important

Over the years, both the In-season and Post-season Harvest Monitoring Projects have been a crucial component in informing federal subsistence fisheries management on the Kuskokwim River. These collaborative projects provide accurate and critical information on subsistence salmon harvest. Without these projects, it would be nearly impossible to make accurate estimates of salmon harvest on the Kuskokwim River. Declines in salmon harvest can greatly impact local Kuskokwim communities, since subsistence harvest of salmon plays a vital role in the way of life for many residents of the region. In addition, many of these communities are rural and not accessible by road, so food insecurity can become a very real threat without reliable subsistence harvests of salmon and other foods. ONC plans to continue these in season and post-season harvest surveys in collaboration with ADF&G and other partners to continue providing this critical data.

References

Decossas, S. 2019.
In-season Harvest and Effort Estimates for the 2019 Kuskokwim River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries During Block Openers. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Intern Report, Bethel, AK.

Decossas, S. 2020.
In-season Harvest and Effort Estimates for the 2020 Kuskokwim River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries During Block Openers. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Intern Report, Bethel, AK.

Fall, J. 2016.
Regional patterns of fish and wildlife harvests in contemporary Alaska. Arctic Institute of North America 1(69): 47-64.

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Patterns and Trends of Subsistence Salmon Harvest and Use in the Kuskokwim River Drainage, 1990-2016. Alaska Department of Fish Game Division of Subsistence, Technical Paper No. 468, Fairbanks.

McDevitt, C., D. Koster, D. Runfola, M. Horne-Brine, and J. Esquible-Hussion. 2020.
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Larson, S. 2020.
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Liller, Z. and K. Froning. 2016.
Age, Sex, and Length Composition of Chinook Salmon Harvested in the 2012-2015 Lower Kuskokwim River Subsistence Fishery. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Fishery Data Series 12-302, Anchorage.

Lipka, C. G., T. Hamazaki, M. Horne-Brine, and J. Esquible. 2019.
Subsistence salmon harvests in the Kuskokwim Area, 2016. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 19-09, Anchorage.

Oke, K., C. Cunningham, P. Westley, M. Baskett, et al. 2020.
Recent declines in salmon body size impact ecosystems and fisheries. Nature Communications 11: 41-55.

Runfola, D. M. and D. Koster 2019.
In-season estimation of subsistence salmon fishing effort and harvest in the lower Kuskokwim River, 2015–2018. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Subsistence, Technical Paper No. 449: Fairbanks.

Staton, B. 2018.
In-season Harvest and Effort Estimates for the 2018 Kuskokwim River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries During Block Openers. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Intern Report, Bethel, AK.

Staton, B. and L. Coggins. 2017.
In-season Harvest and Effort Estimates for the 2017 Kuskokwim River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries During Block Openers. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Intern Report, Bethel, AK.

Staton, B. and L. Coggins. 2016.
In-season Harvest and Effort Estimates for the 2016 Kuskokwim River Subsistence Salmon Fisheries During Block Openers. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Intern Report, Bethel, AK.

Cite this article as:

Lowrey, D. and K. Russell. 2022. Subsistence harvest monitoring of Pacific salmon on the Kuskokwim River. Alaska Park Science 21(1): 62-67.