Life history and management of the grayling in interior Alaska

Abstract

Field work on the Arctic grayling was conducted from September, 1951, to May, 1953; data on movements, spawning, food habits, sex ratios, and population dynamics were obtained. Returns on 1,222 tagged grayling varied from 0 to 20 per cent with areas. No returns were obtained from 165 fin-clipped fish. Fish entered the streams in the spring as soon as water started flowing, the dates varying from March 15 to May 9, 1952. Spawning in the Little Salcha River during 1952 is believed to have occurred between June 12 and June 16, Of 262 grayling checked for maturity, 18.7 per cent were mature in their fourth summer, 45 per cent in their fifth summer, and all by their sixth summer. Sex ratios obtained for adults varied with areas. The average sex ratio found for all areas was 79 males per 100 fem ales. The rate of growth was determined for grayling from six areas. The average increment for class V fish varied from 2.7 to 4.6 cm. per year. Aquatic insects were the main food organisms taken by grayling. Some terrestrial insects, fish, fish eggs and vegetable, matter were also taken. In view of the findings made in this study, overfishing appears to be the major cause of the decline in the sizes of grayling populations along the highways in the Fairbanks area. A twelve-inch minimum size limit is apparently the best management procedure, although an area closure is advisable for overfished spawning runs.