Salmon Fish Weir at Long Lake: Monitoring Abundance and Run Timing of Adult Salmon in Long Lake, McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Park Fisheries Biologist; McCormick, Molly; Sarafin, David; Collins, Cliff; Veach, Eric

The upper Copper River drainage provides spawning habitat for sockeye Oncorhynchus nerka, coho O. kisutch, and Chinook O. tshawytscha salmon. Significant numbers of adult salmon are harvested in commercial drift gillnet operations near the mouth of the Copper River from mid-May to September. Salmon escapement into the upper Copper River system contributes to federal and state subsistence fishing through September each year. The monitoring and evaluation of these runs is essential to ensure that Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST) maintains natural and healthy populations of fish as required by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA). Accurate assessment of yearly run strength and migratory timing in tributaries to the Copper River is essential to the development of a management strategy that meets the mandates of ANILCA. The upper Copper River sockeye salmon populations are of particular importance to both federally qualified and state subsistence users. The primary assessment of inriver abundance for Copper River sockeye salmon occurs at the Miles Lake sonar site. However, migratory timing of sockeye salmon into the Copper River is prolonged (May-September) and subsequent assessment of escapement into some tributaries is needed to determine spawning distribution. The sonar equipment at the Miles Lake site is typically shut down around August 1st each year, after the majority of the sockeye salmon have migrated through. A portion of the Long Lake sockeye salmon run enters the Copper River after the sonar has been pulled from the Miles Lake site. The weir at the outlet of Long Lake (on the McCarthy Road) has the longest running data set of salmon weir counts in the Copper River drainage, with having been in operation since 1974, and the sockeye salmon stock that spawns within Long Lake is the largest salmon stock within the Chitina River drainage. The Long Lake population also has the longest known annual. Throughout the winter, sockeye salmon spawn in the northwest corner of the lake since this portion of the lake rarely freezes. Initially the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ran it. In 1976 Cliff Collins, a local private citizen who owned the land where the weir is located, voluntarily took over operation of the weir when ADFG was no longer able to fund its operation. He operated the weir continuously from 1976 through 2003. In 2003 when Mr. Collins, at age 93, was no longer able to operate the weir, a cooperative agreement was formed between the Collins’ Family Trust, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Preserve and the Copper River Watershed Project to continue to keep the weir operating. Since 2004, funding has been by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management. Starting in 2003, the weir operators began sampling sockeye salmon for age, sex, and length composition according to a sampling protocol established by ADF&G. The physical structure of the weir has changed little since 1974. A small sampling box was constructed on the upstream side of the middle of the weir in 2003. In 2004 a larger sampling box was constructed against the west bank of the creek on the upstream side of the weir. This larger box has been used since 2004. In 20120 an underwater camera and video recording system was installed allowing for continuous fish passage. The electrical system operates on solar power with a generator back-up.

Salmon Fish Weir at Long Lake: Monitoring Abundance and Run Timing of Adult Salmon in Long Lake, McCarthy Road, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska

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