40,000 salmon smolt die before release at Homer lagoon
I realize this happened in June, but heard the Alaskan salmon fishery numbers are down. Anyone go salmon fishing up there this year?
http://www.adn.com/outdoors/fishing/story/831762.html
40,000 salmon smolt die before release at Homer lagoon
The Associated Press
Published: June 15th, 2009 12:01 PM
Last Modified: June 15th, 2009 10:32 PM
HOMER -- An estimated 40,000 late-run silver salmon smolt died in the holding area of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Homer Spit.
Nicky Szarzi, a fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said nearly half of the 90,000 stocked coho smolt died shortly after they were delivered last week.
"The deaths are slowing now, but at this point, they're not actually taking food," Szarzi said. "At this young age, the fish are fairly fragile and conditions must be just right in order for them to survive and thrive."
Several factors may have played into the smolt deaths.
"We're really not sure if they were just not ready yet for salt water, or if a faulty oxygen meter allowed too much O2 to be infused into the fish holding area," Szarzi said. "Either way, all we can really do at this point is just work with what we have left."
Young salmon undergo physical changes to make the transition from freshwater to saltwater. Gills and kidneys change so that they can process saltwater.
Coho smolt remain close to shore for several months, feeding primarily on plankton. They gradually move into deeper, saltier water, and switch to a diet of small fish.
The fishing hole silvers were purchased from Cook Inlet Aquaculture at a cost of about $25,000 for 50,000 smolt.
http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=9a93b4d0-...B%3d-1%2fV%3d4
"We originally purchased and expected about 50,000 fish, but Cook Inlet Aquaculture was very generous and brought us 90,000," Szarzi said. "So, even though we lost quite a few fish, we hope to release almost as many as we originally planned."
Officials at the Fish and Game Department began soliciting help for the late-run silver salmon in 2003, when the department's Anchorage hatchery could no longer stock the run.
Szarzi stepped in as adviser to the "Friends of the Fishing Hole."
Szarzi said they are trying to keep the remaining smolt healthy and feed them a few extra days.
"We want to help them bulk up a bit before they have to head out on their own," she said. "All we can really do is monitor them and try to make sure they are OK."
