The start of 2024 brought with it an abundance of staff turnover across Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA). From the outside looking in, one might be worried about the future of the fish at CIAA. However, our new managers have chosen to focus on the fish culture basics, and let the rest fall into place. This focus on fundamentals means that our new managers and hatchery staff have set themselves up for success.
Starting at Tutka Bay Lagoon
So far this season, one of the biggest successes has been the transfer of all of the fish to their release sites. One of the most complicated releases is the sockeye smolt release at Tutka Bay Lagoon. These fish go through an adventure during their time with us.
When adult sockeye return to the hatchery at Tutka Bay Lagoon in early July, staff work with a seine boat to collect fish in the lagoon and transfer them to a mobile 40 ft x 40 ft net pen. From there, they are sorted as male or female into a freshwater lensing bag, with the extra males being sold for cost recovery. Sockeye require freshwater to reproduce, and the lensing bag creates a “lake” of freshwater in the lagoon. These fish are then held in the lensing bag until they are ready to spawn, usually around mid-September.
Heading to Trail Lakes Hatchery
Once the eggs have been collected, they are transferred to the Trail Lakes Hatchery, via float plane, where they will develop into fry and spend approximately the next 18 months of their lives in freshwater. Once they have spent a winter at Trail Lakes as pre-smolt, the staff sends them back to Tutka Bay Lagoon in the spring, where they will spend the last of their time with us getting ready for saltwater.
And Back to Tutka Bay Lagoon Hatchery
This transfer from Trail Lakes to Tutka Bay Lagoon takes a lot of planning and cooperation with everyone involved. The fish are loaded onto trucks at Trail Lakes and go for a several-hour ride to Homer. Along the way, the staff make multiple stops to check on the condition of the fish and make sure they have an adequate oxygen supply.
Once the fish reach Homer, they are met by a transport vessel. This year, the F/V Starwatcher transported the fish to Tutka Bay Lagoon. Unlike before, there is no lensing bag for these fish. Instead there is a freshwater skirt. This skirt keeps a layer of freshwater sitting on top of the saltwater so that the sockeye pre-smolt, which have only known freshwater, can slowly acclimate to the saltwater, and turn into smolt that are ready for their saltwater adventure! During this acclimation period, they will imprint on the water of Tutka Bay Lagoon, and know this is where they should return in a few years as adults.
This long rearing and transfer process highlights the cooperation that is needed to be successful. Even though we had nearly all new staff transferring the fish to saltwater, they all put the fish first. Overall, the success of this transfer laid the groundwork for successful years to come!
Below are the preliminary fish transfer numbers. Please note that CIAA did not release juvenile sockeyes to Hazel, Leisure, or Kirschner lakes in 2024 due to the previous year’s brood collection goal not being met.
2024 Hatchery Releases
| Hatchery | Brood year, species, and stage | Preliminary release number | Release location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutka Bay Lagoon | BY23 Pink Fry | 42,900,016 | Tutka Bay Lagoon |
| Trail Lakes | BY22 Sockeye Smolt | 1,274,783 | Tutka Bay Lagoon |
| Trail Lakes | BY22 Sockeye Smolt | 1,048,366 | Resurrection Bay |
| Trail Lakes | BY22 Coho Smolt | 19,554 | Bear Creek |
| Trail Lakes | BY23 Sockeye Fry | 984,582 | Bear Lake |
| Trail Lakes | BY23 Coho Fry | 238,776 | Bear Lake |
