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If you have any questions on the information presented, or require additional report data or attachments, please contact the Report Contact
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A review of all information on Kitsumkalum River steelhead was conducted in March, 1997. Recommendations for improved management and future studies are offered.
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Author: BioLith Scientific Consultants Inc.
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Old Reference Number: sk106
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Date Published: Aug 1999
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Report ID: 2601
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Audience: Government and Public
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A review of all information on Kitsumkalum River steelhead, Oncorhynchus mykiss, available from
B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks (MELP), Skeena Region, Canada Department of
Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), Repap, the Kitsumkalum Band Council, federal and provincial ministry staff and local anglers was conducted in March, 1997. Tagging records on 487 fish collected over eight years indicated that the majority of Kitsumkalum River steelhead spent three years in
freshwater and three years in saltwater before returning to spawn. Approximately 7.5 percent of these steelhead were repeat spawners. The sex ratio of adult females to males was 1.08 to 1. The mean fork length and weight for all fish were 75.6 cm and 4.6 kg respectively. Adult steelhead were
observed throughout the mainstem river as far as 83 km from the mouth, in the Cedar and Little Cedar rivers, and in Deep, Lean To, Clear, Swanson, Hadenschild and Star creeks. Juveniles utilized most of the low gradient parts of the watershed for rearing. Steelhead reportedly overwintered in the mainstem between Lean To Creek and Kitsumkalum Lake, in the Kitsumkalum (known locally as the Beaver) River near the mouth of the Cedar River, and in Redsand, Treston and Kitsumkalum lakes. Between 1985 and 1989, 5000 to 16,000 hatchery raised Kitsumkalum steelhead fry were released, in the only enhancement attempt recorded. Tagging data indicated that steelhead returned to the river as early as August 28 and as late as May 20, and suggested there may be three overlapping runs. The mean annual catch over the 27 years of record was 1107 steelhead and the annual catch generally decreased after the maximum of 2799 fish in the 1986 87 season. The number of steelhead reported killed each year generally declined to a maximum of 43 fish during the most recent four years of record. The number of anglers and angler days remained relatively constant, however the catch per unit effort (CPUE) generally increased. The mean CPUE was 0.38 steelhead per angler day. Anglers resident in Region 6 comprised at least 63 percent of all anglers on the Kitsumkalum River. Since regulated
guiding began in 1990, in any one year as many as 12 active angling guides used a maximum of 667
angler days to catch up to 122 steelhead for a maximum CPUE of 0.327 steelhead per angler day.
Estimates of abundance and the minimum escapement requirement were considered unreliable. Recommendations for improved management and future studies are offered.
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Report Type
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Fish and Aquatic Habitat Information |
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Subject
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Fish Species - Steelhead - Oncorhynchus mykiss |
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Region - Skeena |
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Fish and Fish Habitat - Management |
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Watershed Groups - 430 - Kitsumkalum River |
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