Kokanee Xxxxx Surveys. WDFW will sample the current kokanee population abundance and age composition by conducting a xxxxx survey annually sometime between May 1 and June 31. Data analysis from the survey will allow an estimate of CPUE, mean size, and age composition of harvested fish. This information can be used to predict the up-coming fall spawner abundance.
Kokanee Xxxxx Surveys. WDFW conducts annual kokanee xxxxx surveys designed to monitor and determine the contribution of kokanee to the sport fishery. The main purpose of the survey is to: 1) determine the relative composition of kokanee as it relates to age and origin (naturally produced or hatchery released) contributing to the sport fishery; and 2) determine if kokanee continue to be a preferred species to pursue and catch. These surveys will be conducted beginning in March at the earliest and will conclude sometime during the first part of June if catch and effort warrant doing so. Xxxxx survey methods: To ensure results from xxxxx surveys on Lake Chelan are useful and relevant, the methods used needed to be comparable to those used in the past by Duke Engineering Service (2000), Hagen (1997), and Xxxxx (1984); the methods outlined here are designed with this in mind. The main purpose of the survey is to: 1) determine the relative composition of kokanee as it relates to age and origin (naturally produced or hatchery released) contributing to the sport fishery; and 2) determine if kokanee continue to be a preferred species to pursue and catch and; 3) obtain effort and harvest information. Periodic effort counts i.e. (boat counts), and roving on–lake angler interviews were used beginning in April and continuing until mid-June in an effort to temporally target the traditional time of year when anglers fish for kokanee. Effort and angler interviews took place in the lower Lake Chelan Basin from Wapato Point on down to the City of Chelan. Both effort counts and the angler interviews were scheduled on a stratified random basis. Strata included weekdays, weekends, A.M. (0700 –1400 hours) and P.M. (1400 – 1100 hours) time periods. At least two randomly chosen weekdays and one non-random weekend day, alternating between Saturday and Sunday, were sampled per week. Effort counts consisted of counting the number of boats observed. Angler interviews were designed to collect information on individual angler effort (hours fished), fish caught and kept (or released), fish length, scales samples for age analysis and all fin clips or other identifying marks were recorded. 2014 survey results; Safety Harbor down-lake to Chelan: WDFW conducted xxxxx surveys using a random stratified approach from April through June of 2014. We interviewed 561 anglers that fished for a total of 2,882 hours (Table 1). We estimated that 9,935 anglers fished for 45,583 hours and caught a total of 8,561 fish. The k...
