Fish and\Fildlife - Alaska Resources Library & Information Services

884 Pages·2011·11.52 MB·English

Habitat Guide
Alas~a Mana~ement
Western and Interior
Re~ions
Distribution, Abundance,
and Human Use of
Fish and Wildlife
Produced by
State of Alas~ Department of Fish and Game
Division of Habitat
Juneau, Alaska
1986
©t986BYTHE
ALASKA DEPAili'MENT OF FISH AND GAME
Contents
xx vii
Aclmowl~ments
Introduction 3
DIST:QIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE
OF SELECTED FISH AND WILDLIFE
Wildlife
Marine MaiTIIla 1s
Belukha whale 19
Regionwide 19
Bowhead whale 23
Regionwide 23
Pacific walrus 27
Regionwide 27
Pacific walrus population 31
Polar bear 35
Regionwide 35
Western Alaska subpopulation 39
Terrestrial MaiTIIlals
Brown bear 43
Regionwide 43
Caribou 49
Regionwide 49
Chisana Herd 57
Denali Herd 59
Kilbuck-Kuskokwim Mountains Herd 63
Andreafsky Mountains Herd 66
Delta Hera 66
Macomb Herd 70
Yanert Herd 70
Fortymile Herd 71
Beaver Mountains Herd 75
Sunshine Mountain Herd 75
Big River (Farewell) Herd 76
Rainy Pass Herd 76
Tonzona Herd 76
Da 11 sheep 83
Regionwide 83
Alaska Range 85
Moose 103
Regionwide 103
iii
Contents (continued)
GMU 12 105
GMU 18 106
GMU 19 106
GMS 20A 106
GMS 20B 107
GMS 20C 107
GMS 20D 107
GMS 20E 107
GMS 20F 108
GMS 21A 108
GMS 21B 108
GMS 21C 108
GMS 21D 108
GMS 21E 109
GMU 24 109
GMU 25 109
Birds
Ducks and geese 115
Reg i onwi de 115
Yukon-Kuskokwim delta 121
Innoko 124
Koyukuk 124
Tanana-Kuskokwim 125
Yukon Flats 125
Tetlin-Northway 127
Management history 127
Fish
Freshwater/Anadromous Fish
Arctic char/Dolly Varden 133
Regionwide 133
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 135
South Slope Brooks Range Area 136
Fairbanks Area 137
Arctic grayling 141
Regionwide 141
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 145
South Slope Brooks Range Area 146
Fairbanks Area 147
Broad whitefish 169
Regionwide 169
Fairbanks Area 171
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 172
South Slope Brooks Range Area 172
iv
Contents (continued)
Burbot 181
Regionwide 181
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 183
South Slope Brooks Range Area 183
Fairbanks Area 184
Humpback whitefish 189
Regionwide 189
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 191
South Slope Brooks Range Area 192
Fairbanks Area 193
Lake trout 199
Regionwide 199
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 201
South Slope Brooks Range Area 202
Fairbanks Area 202
Enhancement 203
Least cisco 207
Regional distribution 207
Areas used seasonally and for life functions 207
Factors affecting distribution 208
Movements between areas 208
Population size estimation 208
Northern pike 211
Reg i onwi de 211
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 213
South Slope Brooks Range Area 214
Fairbanks Area 214
Rainbow trout 219
Regionwide distribution and relative abundance 219
Regional distribution maps 219
Factors affecting distribution 219
Movements between areas 221
Salmon 223
Regionwide 223
Kuskokwim Management Area 225
Yukon Management Area 236
Sheefish 267
Regionwide 267
Kuskokwim River population distribution and abundance 268
Lower and middle Yukon River anadromous sheefish distribution and
abundance 270
Nonanadromous sheefish distribution and abundance 271
Enhancement 273
Marine Fish
Pacific halibut 279
Pacific herring 285
Regionwide 285
v
Contents (continued)
Goodnews Bay and Security Cove districts 286
Nunivak Island and Nelson Island districts 287
Cape Romanzof District 289
Saffron cod 291
Yellowfin sole 295
Shellfish
King crab 303
Regionwide 303
Norton Sound 304
Saint Matthew-Saint Lawrence islands 305
Shrimp regional overview 309
Distribution and abundance 309
Management history and reported use 309
Management objectives and considerations 312
Period of use and harvest methods 313
Tanner crab regional overview 315
Distribution and abundance 315
Management history and reported use 317
Management objectives and considerations 319
Period of use and harvest methods 320
HUMAN USE OF SELECTED FISH AND WILDLIFE
Hun~ and Trapp~
Brown bear 323
Population management history 323
GMU 12 323
GMU 18 326
GMU 19 327
GMU 20 328
GMU 21 330
GMU 24 331
GMU 25 332
Caribou 337
Population management history 337
Delta Caribou Herd (GMS 20C) 338
Fortymile Caribou Herd (GMU 12 and GMSs 20B, 20D, 20E, 25C) 341
Chisana Herd 348
Macomb Herd 351
Dall Sheep 355
Population management history 355 ·
Tok Management Area (TMA) 357
vi
Contents (continued)
Delta Controlled Use Area (DCUA) - portions of GMSs 20A, 200, and
138 360
GMU 12 - excluding TMA and DCUA 363
GMS 168 366
GMS 198 367
GMS 19C 370
GMS 20A 372
GMS 20C 375
GMS 20E -Glacier Mountain Controlled Use Area (GMCUA) 376
GMS 20E (except GMCUA) and that portion of GMS 200 north of the Alaska
highway 377
GMU 24 379
GMS 25A 381
GMS 25C 383
Moose 391
Population management history 391
GMU 12 393
GMU 18 394
GMU 19 396
GMS 20A 397
GMS 208 398
GMS 20C 399
GMS 200 401
GMS 20E 402
GMS 20F 403
GMS 21A 403
GMS 218 404
GMS 21C 405
GMS 210 406
GMS 21E 407
GMU 24 408
GMU 25 409
Furbearers 459
Population management history 459
Interior Region (GMUs 12, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 25) 463
Western Region (GMU 18) 476
Commercial Pis~
Pacific halibut 513
Population management history 513
Management objectives 521
Management considerations 522
Commercial and subsistence harvest of Pacific herring 527
Population management history 527
Security Cove and Goodnews Bay districts 533
vii
Contents (continued)
Nelson Island and Nunivak Island districts 535
Cape Romanzof District 539
Commercial and subsistence harvest of salmon 543
Population management history 543
Kuskokwim Management Area 544
All-species harvest 546
Chum salmon harvest 551
Coho salmon harvest 555
Chinook salmon harvest 558
Pink salmon harvest 563
Sockeye salmon harvest 567
Management objectives 571
Management considerations 573
Yukon Management Area 575
All-species harvest 577
Chum salmon harvest 582
Chinook salmon harvest 588
Coho salmon harvest 593
Management objectives 599
Management considerations 601
She 11 fish
King crab 611
Population management history 611
Norton Sound Section 616
St. Matthews and St. Lawrence islands sections 619
Shrimp regional overview 309
Distribution and abundance 309
Management history and reported use 309
Management objectives and considerations 312
Period of use and harvest methods 313
Tanner crab regional overview 315
Distribution and abundance 315
Management history and reported use 317
Management objectives and considerations 319
Period of use and harvest methods 320
Sportfis~
Management history 625
Alaska statewide sportfishing harvest monitoring 626
Regional harvest summary 627
Harvest survey areas 628
Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim Area 628
South Slope Brooks Range Area 634
Fairbanks Area 638
vi-ii
Contents (continued)
Subsistence and Other Local Uses of Resources
Western Region 679
Location and environment 679
History and patterns of human activity 683
Population 686
Regional economy 688
Transportation 690
Use of fish and game and other natural resources 691
Interior Region 781
Location and environment 781
History and pattern of human activity 783
Population 792
Regional economy 793
Transportation 794
Land status 795
Contemporary subsistence use of wild resources 795
Appendices
A. Directory of reviewers and contributors 845
B. Abbreviations 847
C. Wildlife management goals and objectives 849
Maps
Wildlife Distribution and Abundance
Brown bear
1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 44
Caribou
1. Distribution of the Chisana Caribou Herd 50
2. Ranges of the Delta, Yanert, and Macomb caribou herds 52
3. Annual distribution of the Fortymile Caribou Herd in Alaska 53
4. The upper Kuskokwim River valley 54
5. Major caribou calving grounds of the Denali Caribou Herd 60
6. Distribution of the Fortymile Caribou Herd 73
Dall sheep
1. NPS survey areas in the Wrangell Mountains 86
ix
Maps (continued)
Moose
1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 104
Ducks and geese
1. USFWS waterfowl breeding population survey strata 120
Fish Distribution and Abundance
Arctic char/Dolly Varden
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 134
Arctic grayling
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 142
Broad whitefish
1. Arctic, Western, and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 170
Burbot
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 182
Humpback whitefish
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 190
Lake trout
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 200
Northern pike
1. Western and Interior regions sport fish survey areas 212
Pacific halibut
1. Regulatory areas for the Pacific halibut fishery 281
Yellowfin sole
1. Yellowfin sole biomass in metric tons 297
Shrimp
1. Shrimp commercial fishing districts of the Bering Sea in
Statistical Area J 311
Tanner crab
1. Tanner crab fishing subdistricts and sections of the Bering Sea
District in Statistical Area J 316
Hun~ and Trapp~
Brown bear
1. GMUs of the Westen and Interior regions 324
Caribou
1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 339
Da 11 sheep
1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 356
2. Locations of the Tok Management Area and the Delta Controlled Use
Ared 361
Moose
1. GMUs of the Western and Interior regions 392
X