Our Mission:
"To honor Alaska's premier gamefish;
to preserve King Salmon sport fishing opportunities for our future generations;
to promote resource conservation and enhancement in the international forum;
and to have a fun and exciting tournament that benefits the Kodiak Island Community."

May 15th - July 31st 2010

The Pillar Creek Hatchery, Kodiak, Alaska

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The Kodiak Regional Aquaculture Association's Pillar Creek Hatchery is working cooperatively with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game Sport Fish Division to build returns of King Salmon to the Kodiak Road System.

Gary Byrne, Pillar Creek Hatchery Manager
Raceway at Monashka Resevior King salmon eggs have been taken since 2000, and juvenile production has increased from an initial release of 60,000 smolt to a projected 2009 release of 185,000 smolt. By 2011, the project should produce consistent annual returns of over 1,000 King Salmon to be harvested in the American and Olds Rivers, Monashka Creek, and the nearshore waters. Eggtake at Monashka Raceway

A Brief History of The Road System King Salmon Enhancement Project
(Courtesy of Len Schwarz, ADF&G Sportfish Division)
The Sport Fish Division (SFD) of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG), has been trying to create a return of king salmon on the Kodiak Road system for anglers for over 30 years.  The first attempt began in 1976.  Chignik River king eggs were collected, raised at the now defunct ADFG hatchery which was on a tributary to the Buskin River (Devils's Creek) and released into the Pasagshak drainage.  The project was terminated in 1986, when a return failed to develop.  The second attempt occurred, from 1989 - 1996, when Susitna River smolt were supplied by the SFD's Elmendorf hatchery.  Fish were released into Island Lake and the Buskin River, but the project was terminated when a return failed to develop.

The most recent attempt began in 2000.  In order to give the project the best chance of success, a decision was made to use a brood stock of king salmon that was native to Kodiak Island.  Another decision was made to use a local hatchery, to reduce the expense and mortality associated with shipping smolt from Anchorage.  As a result, a cooperative agreement was adopted in 2005 between ADFG and the Kodiak Regiona l Aquaculture Association (KRAA), where ADFG would pay KRAA to fertilize, incubate and rear king salmon from egg to smolt size.  SFS funds its projects with money collected through the sales of sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps.

From 2000 through 2004, SFD personnel traveled to the Karluk River approximately four times during the month of August to collect eggs and sperm from ripe king salmon.  They would float from Karluk Lake to the Karluk Portage, beach seining hundreds of fish as they went.  Most spawning king salmon are 5 to 6 years old but are only ripe for a 2 or 3 day period.  (Eggs can not be collected unless they extrude from the fish when it is gently squeezed).  Many beach seined fish would be examined before a ripe fish was found.  A float plane would then fly the eggs and sperm from the Karluk Portage to the KRAA Pillar Creek hatchery, where KRAA personnel would fertilize the eggs and raise them to smolt size, which takes approximately 21 months.  King smolt were released into Monashka Creek on the road system, and spawning females started to return there in 2005.  Now there is no need to travel to the Karluk and eggs can be collected directly from Monashka Creek. Collecting eggs close to the Pillar Creek hatchery has improved egg survival greatly and also reduced expenses.