SOCKEYE SALMON – Oncorhynchus Nerka
often referred to as “red” or “blueback” salmon, occurs in the North Pacific and Arctic oceans and associated freshwater systems. This species ranges south as far as the Klamath River in California and northern Hokkaido in Japan, to as far north as far as Bathurst Inlet in the Canadian Arctic and the Anadyr River in Siberia. Aboriginal people considered sockeye salmon to be an important food source and either ate them fresh or dried them for winter use. Today sockeye salmon support one of the most important commercial fisheries on the Pacific coast of North America, are increasingly sought after in recreational fisheries, and remain an important mainstay of many subsistence users.

CHUM SALMON – Oncorhynchus Keta
have the widest distribution of any of the Pacific salmon. They range south to the Sacramento River in California and the island of Kyushu in the Sea of Japan. In the north they range east in the Arctic Ocean to the Mackenzie River in Canada and west to the Lena River in Siberia. Chum salmon are the most abundant commercially harvested salmon species in arctic, northwestern, and Interior Alaska, but are of relatively less importance in other areas of the state. There they are known locally as “dog salmon” and are a traditional source of dried fish for winter use.

PINK SALMON | Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha in Sitka Alaska
is also known as the “humpback” or “humpy” because of its very pronounced, laterally flattened hump which develops on the backs of adult males before spawning. It is called the “bread and butter” fish in many Alaskan coastal fishing communities because of its importance to commercial fisheries and thus to local economies. Pink salmon also contribute substantially to the catch of sport anglers and subsistence users in Alaska. It is native to Pacific and arctic coastal waters from northern California to the Mackenzie River, Canada, and to the west from the Lena River in Siberia to Korea.

HALIBUT | Hippoglossus Stenolepis in Sitka Alaska

The Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) was called “haly-butte” in Middle English, meaning the flatfish to be eaten on holy days.

General description: Halibut are more elongated than most flatfishes, the width being about one-third the length. Small scales are imbedded in the skin. Halibut have both eyes on their dark or upper side. The color on the dark side varies but tends to assume the coloration of the ocean bottom. The underside is lighter, appearing more like the sky from below. This color adaptation allows halibut to avoid detection by both prey and predator.

BOTTOM FISH

BOTTOM FISH
Marine waters of Sitka Alaska support a multitude of marine fish stocks. Halibut, rockfish, and lingcod are the species most commonly targeted by anglers. About 75% of the bottomfish effort is expended on fishing for halibut with the remaining effort mostly directed towards rockfish. Most of the halibut and rockfish harvest occurs from late April through early September.

FRESHWATER

CUT THROAT TROUT

CUT THROAT TROUT | Oncorhynchus Clarkii – Sitka Alaska
occur as sea-run or resident (non-sea run) forms in streams and lakes along the coastal range from lower Southeast Alaska to Prince William Sound and are the most common trout species in the region. The resident form lives in a wide variety of habitats from small head-water tributaries and bog ponds to large lakes and rivers. Sea-run cutthroat are usually found in river or stream systems with accessible lakes, mostly south of Fredrick Sound. In some watersheds, like the Taku River, the two forms are found together. The extent of breeding between the two forms is unknown, and the reason that some fish migrate to sea while others stay in fresh water remains an intriguing question.

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RAINBOW TROUT

RAINBOW TROUT | Oncorhynchus mykiss – Sitka Alaska
is one of the most respected and sought after of Alaska’s native game fishes. Serious anglers from the world over are drawn to Alaska to experience the thrill of challenging this hard fighting salmon in the state’s wilderness waters.

Rainbow trout are native to waters throughout Southeast Alaska west to Kuskokwim Bay, and as far up the Kuskokwim River as Sleetmute. The clearwater lakes and streams draining into Bristol Bay provide outstanding habitat. Rainbow trout occur naturally on the Kenai Peninsula, throughout the fresh waters of Upper Cook Inlet, on Kodiak Island, and in the Copper River drainage. Release of hatchery-reared Alaska rainbow trout has extended the range of resident rainbows to specific lakes and streams in the Tanana River drainage near Fairbanks.

FRESHWATER FISHING SITKA

The Arctic char – Salvelinus alpinus Linnaeusis
present in North America in both the anadromous (seagoing) and the nonanadromous (freshwater resident) forms. It is distributed throughout the polar regions and is the most northerly distributed of char and its closely related cousin, the Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma Walbaum). It was only in the 1980s that taxonomists established the relationship between these species in North America. This relationship, however, is still under consideration by some scientists.

DOLLY VARDEN – CHAR

There are some external characteristics which can be used to differentiate between Arctic char and Dolly Varden. Arctic char generally have a shorter head and snout, a trait particularly evident in spawning males. The tail of an Arctic char has a slightly deeper fork than that of a Dolly Varden, and the base of the Arctic char’s tail is narrower.