Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Sport Fish Division, 333 Raspberry Road, Anchorage, AL 99518, USA
Accepted 21 May 1992. Available online 30 September 2003.
Abstract
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) were caught with sport gear in the estuary of the Little Susitna River, southcentral Alaska. Fish were double marked and released. All coho salmon observed migrating through a weir above the estuary and a portion caught in a sport fishery below the weir were examined for marks. A second group of coho salmon were caught using similar sport gear above the estuary. These fish were handled and marked identically as the fish captured in the estuary, except that they were held in a holding pen at the weir with an equal number of coho salmon dip netted at the weir. Coho salmon which were caught and released in the estuary suffered a significantly higher rate of mortality (69%) than did either the coho salmon caught and held above the estuary (12%) or those which were dip netted and held at the weir (1%). Factors that could influence rates of hook-induced mortality were measured at the time of hooking. Hook location, hook removal, and bleeding significantly affected the measured mortality rate.
Coho don't do well when hooked in the estuaries either