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Published: July 5, 2006
Pages: 15
Introduction
On October 1, 2005 the Puget Sound Sampling Program began intensively monitoring the selective chinook fishery in Areas 8-1 and 8-2. We generated estimates of salmon catch (including total chinook and coho landed and released) and angler effort (total boats and anglers) and reported these estimates on a monthly basis, for the period from October 1, 2005 through April 30, 2006.
During the month of April, as in the previous months of the fishery, sampling was implemented as planned in our sample design document. The study design was based on Murthy’s estimator (Cochran 1977) to obtain daily estimates of total catch and effort. Two ramp samplers were stationed at selected sampled sites in Area 8-1, and two ramp samplers were stationed at selected sampled sites in Area 8-2. Permanent sampling staff conducted two boat surveys in Area 8-1 and two boat surveys in Area 8-2 during April, to estimate the percent of effort from sampled sites (versus non-sampled sites) and the proportion of angler effort at each sampled site.
We operated two test boats, one in Area 8-1 and the other in Area 8-2. The crew consisted of two WDFW technicians per boat. These test boats fished approximately five days per week during April (weather permitting). For each hook-up, the encounter number, time sampled, species, mark status, and DNA vial number (if applicable) was recorded. Samplers collected scales, fork lengths, and total lengths on all chinook brought on board. All fish were immediately released.
In this progress report we include in-season preliminary estimates of catch, effort, and encounter rates with accompanying variance estimates for the month of April 2006. In addition, we present cumulative estimates for the entire seven-month fishery, from October 2005 through April 2006. We also include preliminary test fishing results, documentation of how the fishery progressed through April, updates on implementing the sampling plan, and any adjustments needed.