EMT OF THE YEAR—
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 1 king, 4,500 chums, 260,000 pinks, 300 sockeyes and 600 silvers.
The silver run appears to be like last year with the early season commercial harvests showing a weak run and small-sized silvers. The only operational salmon escapement counting project is Pilgrim River weir and the other projects are still unable to operate with the high-water levels, but if water levels continue to drop some projects may be able to resume counting.
Unalakleet Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 1 king, 400 chums, 166,000 pinks, 45 sockeyes and 400 silvers caught by 40 permit holders.
Subsistence Fishing: Gillnet fishing is open 7 days a week, but beach seining is closed.
Unalakleet River Floating Weir – Cooperative project; Fish & Game, United States BLM and NSEDC. Major funding provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Office of Subsistence Management.
Cumulative counts through July 29 were 500 kings, 14,400 chums, 1,300 sockeyes and 1,700 silvers. Project will be pulled when water levels drop.
North River Tower – Camp J.B. Escapement goals: King 1,2002,600; Chum-No goal established; Pink 25,000; Silver 550-1,100 (aerial survey goal) – NSEDC project.
Cumulative counts through July 26 were 825 kings, 800 chums, 350,000 pinks, 6 sockeyes and 200 silvers. The usual midpoint of silver passage is August 15.
Shaktoolik Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 450 chums, 63,000 pinks, 90 sockeyes and 175 silvers caught by 20 permit holders.
Subsistence Fishing: Gillnet fishing is open 7 days a week, but beach seining is closed.
Shaktoolik Tower – No escapement goals yet established – NSEDC project.
Cumulative counts through July 26 were 933 kings, 9,000 chums, 700,000 pinks, 100 sockeyes and 600 silvers.
Norton Bay Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 23 chums, 10,000 pinks, 3
sockeyes and 8 silvers by six permit holders.
Subsistence Fishing: Net fishing is open 7 days a week.
Inglutalik River Tower – Cooperative project; NSEDC with assistance from Fish & Game.
Cumulative counts through July 26 were 250 kings, 3,100 chums, 200,000 pinks, 15 sockeyes and 9 silvers.
Ungalik River Tower – No escapement goals yet established – NSEDC project.
Cumulative counts through July 26 were 321 kings, 16,000 chums, 620,000 pinks, 4,400 sockeyes and 3 silvers.
Elim Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 300 chums, 6,000 pinks, 20 sockeyes and 35 silvers by 12 permit holders.
Subsistence Fishing: Open 7 days a week.
Kwiniuk River Tower – Camp Joel - Escapement goals: King 250; Chum 9,100 – 32,600; Pink 8,400; Silver 650-1,300 (aerial survey goal). Fish & Game project.
Cumulative counts through July 27 were 219 kings, 3,700 chums, 62,000 pinks, 72 sockeyes and 430 silvers. The usual midpoint of silver passage is August 21.
Golovin Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Cumulative catch is 3,250 chums, 11,000 pinks, 150 sockeyes and 35 silvers by eight permit holders.
Nome Subdistrict
Commercial Fishing: Fishing started this week.
Subsistence Fishing: Net fishing schedule in all freshwater subsistence areas is from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 p.m. Monday. The marine waters are open 7 days a week. Effective August 16 beach seines are no longer a legal gear to harvest salmon.
Nome River Weir - Escapement goal: Chum 1,600 – 5,300; Pink 3,200 – Fish & Game project.
Cumulative counts through July 27 were 1 king, 220 chums, 4,500 pinks and 6 sockeyes. The usual first quarter point of silver passage is August 27.
Snake River Weir - Escapement goal: Chum 2,000 – 4,200 – NSEDC project.
Cumulative counts through July 27 were 1 king, 700 chums, 5,000 pinks and 60 sockeyes. The usual first quarter point of silver passage is August 27.
Port Clarence District
Subsistence fishing is open 7 days a week, except all net fishing is closed on the Pilgrim River. An aerial survey count of Salmon Lake last week was less than 2,000 sockeyes and the Pilgrim River will remain closed to net fishing until further notice.
Pilgrim River Floating Weir: Escapement goal: Sockeye 6,800 – 36,000 – NSEDC project.
Cumulative counts through July 28 were 11 kings, 1,600 chums, 700 pinks, 3,600 sockeyes and 5 silvers. The weir was fish tight again on Monday.
Kotzebue
Cumulative catch is 35,000 chums by 40 permit holders. The run has been below average and the department has continued to limit commercial fishing time.
Kobuk River Test Fish - Fish & Game project.
The test fish cumulative catches are 39 chums and 140 sheefish. The test fish crew has not caught any fish since July 28 and the department believes the extremely high water on the Kobuk River is allowing the fish to swim under the net. The past week is usually the midpoint of catches at the test net.
How weirs are built
A floating weir is anchored with a rail that runs along the bottom of the river bed. The rail is anchored with duckbill anchors. The floating weir panels are made out of PVC pipe and at one end of the panel there are two hooks that hook on to cable that runs along the rail at the bottom.
On the upriver end of a panel there is styrofoam (resistance board) that helps the weir float. Notice where the buoys are at Pilgrim River weir near the camp side; the styrofoam is not under those weir panels so the weir doesn’t “float” as high there and that is where boats cross the weir going upstream or downstream. The weight of the boat sinks those panels as the boat crosses and then it will rise back up. The panels with resistance boards float higher. However, when the water flow is too great the panels will sink under the water as seen in the photo. Once the water slows the panels start to rise and “float” the weir back up.
The other pictures show a fixed pick weir at Nome River. There were fixed picket weirs at Solomon, Eldorado, Nome and Snake this year. When the water starts to come up the crew pulls the pickets to let the water and debris pass. After the water lowers to an acceptable height the crew has to rebuild the weir. At a floating weir the debris will roll over the weir. At the fixed picket weir, the debris will create a dam and the water flow busts the weir open so that is why the crew pulls pickets on a fixed picket weir. For a boat to get through the picket weir the crew has to “open” the weir. On the far end of the picture of the Nome River weir notice the fish trap that is perpendicular to the weir and just past that the weir the height is a little lower. Where the weir is lower there are aluminum panels that have about 10 pickets welded in a panel and the crew will pull the panel off the weir to let a boat or kayak pass through. Most kayaks and canoes just portage around the weir and rarely does a person in boat want to go upriver past the weir.
In high water situations it takes a lot longer for a fixed picket weir to become operational after the water goes down because the fixed picket weirs cannot take the high water flows as well as a “floating weir” and after the water comes down to allow a fixed picket weir to work it has to be rebuilt across the river.