Author : Mark A. Somerville
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 140 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (112 download)
Book Synopsis Background and Regulatory History of the Sport, Personal Use, and Subsistence Fisheries of the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna River Management Area, 1960-2015 by : Mark A. Somerville
Download or read book Background and Regulatory History of the Sport, Personal Use, and Subsistence Fisheries of the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna River Management Area, 1960-2015 written by Mark A. Somerville and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A historical perspective, background and regulatory history of the subsistence, sport, and personal use fisheries in the Upper Copper/Upper Susitna Management Area (UCUSMA) since statehood are presented. The UCUSMA consists of all waters and drainages of the Copper River, upstream of Haley Creek and all waters and drainages of the Susitna River, upstream of the Oshetna River. The area is bisected by the Glenn, Richardson and Denali highways providing easy access to area fisheries for residents of Anchorage, the Matanuska/Susitna Valley and Fairbanks. The area's king, sockeye, and coho salmon are targeted in sport, personal use, and subsistence fisheries. Other resident and anadromous fishes such as burbot, lake trout, rainbow/steelhead trout, Arctic grayling, and Dolly Varden are targeted in year-round sport fisheries. Whitefish are mainly targeted in subsistence fisherie. Since 1960 the UCUSMA has experienced large changes in access to its many fisheries, land ownership, and regulatory structure. Subsistence fisheries have been affected by changing attitudes toward subsistence fishing and subsistence way of life that have brought about many changes in these fisheries with several as a result of legal decisions. Participation in the Copper River subsistence and personal use fisheries has grown steadily since 1960. From 1960-1964 an average of 499 participants in these fisheries harvested an average of 17,812 salmon while over the last 5 years an average of 12,719 participants harvested an average of 264,127 salmon from 2011-2015. In contrast to the growth in subsistence and personal use fishery participation, sport fish angler effort has remained relatively stable averaging 53,727 angler-days from 1977-2015. Sport fishing effort rose quickly in the early 1990s and peaked at 102,951 angler-days in 1995. Over the last 5 years angler effort has averaged 36,060 angler-days from 2011-2015. Sport harvest has been tracked since 1977. Since that time harvest levels have generally reflected run strength of king and sockeye salmon. Sport harvest for resident species generally peaked prior to 1989 for most species and declined thereafter as the fisheries were made more restrictive to ensure population sustainability. Overall, the UCUSMA supports a wide variety of subsistence, personal use, and sport fisheries that should remain sustainable under current regulatory structures.
