1024-0224 Programmatic Form for GLBA Creel Study

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Social Science Program

OMB Control Number 1024-0224 Current Expiration Date:8-31-2014

Programmatic Approval for NPS-Sponsored Public Surveys

1.

Project Title:

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Bartlett River Creel Survey

Submission Date

7-9-2012

2.

Abstract:

Glacier Bay National Park (GLBA) will conduct creel surveys of anglers on the Bartlett River to quantify and evaluate sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) sport fisheries. The study will be conducted from 2012 through 2014 and the sampling period will last from July 1st through October 31st each year. Survey times will be stratified by day of the week and time of the day and randomly selected. A roving creel clerk will conduct creel surveys from the parking lot to the upper extent of most fishing activity. Anglers will be interviewed for information on catch, harvest, effort, and residency. This study will provide park managers with information to evaluate and manage for current and future fisheries sustainability on the Park’s most heavily fished river.

(not to exceed 150 words)

3.

Principal Investigator Contact Information

First Name:

Chad

Last Name:

Soiseth

Title:

Fisheries Biologist

Affiliation:

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Street Address:

PO Box 140

City:

Gustavus

State:

AK

Zip code:

99826

Phone:

907-697-2659

Fax:

907-697-2654

Email:

[email protected]

4.

Park or Program Liaison Contact Information

First Name:

Chad

Last Name:

Soiseth

Title:

Fisheries Biologist

Park:

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

Street Address:

PO Box 140

City:

Gustavus

State:

AK

Zip code:

99826

Phone:

907-697-2659

Fax:

907-697-2654

Email:

[email protected]

Project Information

5.

Park(s) For Which Research is to be Conducted:

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

6.

Survey Dates:

July 1, 2012

Through

October 31, 2012

7.

Type of Information Collection Instrument (Check ALL that Apply)

Mail-Back Questionnaire

On-Site Questionnaire

Face-to-Face Interview

Telephone Survey

Focus Groups

Other (explain)

8.

Survey Justification: (Use as much space as needed; if necessary include additional explanation on a separate page.)

Social science research in support of park planning and management is mandated in the NPS Management Policies 2006 (Section 8.11.1, “Social Science Studies”). The NPS pursues a policy that facilitates social science studies in support of the NPS mission to protect resources and enhance the enjoyment of present and future generations (National Park Service Act of 1916, 38 Stat 535, 16 USC 1, et seq.). NPS policy mandates that social science research will be used to provide an understanding of park visitors, the non-visiting public, gateway communities and regions, and human interactions with park resources. Such studies are needed to provide a scientific basis for park planning, development and resource uses. Glacier Bay’s 1925 enabling legislation proclaims that: “this area presents a unique opportunity for the scientific study of resulting movements and development of fauna . . .” Natural Resources Management Guidelines (NPS-77): “Requires park managers to allow recreational fishing activities only when ecosystem impacts are minimal; and that, harvest should not “be allowed to reduce the reproductive potential of the population or radically alter its natural age structure.” Bartlett River coho and sockeye salmon are listed as two of 18 species of park management concern under GPRA Goal 1a2B. Goal 11 of the Alaska Natural Resource Program Implementation Plan (NPS 2007) under Subsistence and Sport Harvest states that: “Managers will have adequate information to manage harvested resources to a natural and healthy standard.” Local residents have expressed concern about increasing fishing effort and overharvest in the Bartlett River and other area streams. Two proposals were submitted to the Alaska Board of Fish suggesting bag limit reductions (from 6 to 2 coho salmon daily) and gear restrictions (flies only) on the Bartlett River and other area streams. The Board of Fish opposed these proposals because no quantitative evidence existed for declining stocks and no monitoring of stock abundance had occurred. Given NPS evidence for increased fishing effort and responding to local conservation concerns mangers decided that determining the coho population size and fishery viability on the Bartlett River is a critical need. Moreover, managers are concerned that the annual increase in the numbers of anglers on the Bartlett River will result in increased fishing pressure within the next decade especially given twice weekly AK State Ferry System service to the nearby community that began in 2011. Although the NPS has proprietary jurisdiction over the waters within Glacier Bay National Park, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) manage the sport fisheries activities. The ADFG conducts annual mail surveys of all Alaska fishing license holders. This survey represents the only ongoing assessment of recreational stream harvest of salmonids within the Park. The ADFG survey is generally administered in November, months after fishing activity has occurred. This method lends itself to recall bias and inadequate sample sizes. The number of respondents and associated sample sizes for streams in the Glacier Bay area are typically less than 40 respondents. The fishing effort and harvest are often summarized for the larger geographic area rather than on a stream by stream basis (Howe et al. 2001a, b and c). With more than 300 streams existing within the 3.2 million acre park, the current harvest data is deemed to be inadequate to address stock specific harvest concerns in the Glacier Bay area. The 1996-1998 survey of the coho salmon fishery on the Bartlett River was the last survey conducted by the NPS along the river’s lower reach. This study estimated that anglers caught up to 3,300 coho salmon and harvested up to 800 fish annually over the three years of this study (Soiseth and Smikrud 2001). Although historical coho catch rates are known, estimates for the sockeye fishery do not exist. These estimates of coho catch rates are now outdated by nearly a decade. Updated creel data in conjunction with accurate escapement estimates are paramount for informed park management decisions concerning these important species and continued sport fishing activity. Optimum escapement goals allow for sustainable runs based on biological needs of the stock and ensure healthy returns for commercial, sport, subsistence, and personal use harvests. Escapement estimates of sockeye salmon escapement from 2007 through 2009 exist. We have also just completed a pilot study using sonar to estimate coho salmon escapement in 2011 which will be continued through 2014. Without estimates of harvest from creel surveys and annual escapement, park managers will not have complete information needed to ensure the sustainability of coho and sockeye salmon within the Bartlett River.

9.

Survey Methodology: (Use as much space as needed; if necessary include additional explanation on a separate page.)

Respondent Universe: All Respondents will be recreational anglers on the Bartlett River 16 years or older. Sampling Plan/Procedures: Roving creel surveys as described by Pollock et al. (1994) will be conducted from July 1 through October 31. We will use a two-stage, stratified random sampling design to select survey dates. Survey dates will be randomly selected with replacement from the population of weekday and weekend days as well as morning (AM blocks) and afternoon (PM blocks). Morning and afternoon survey times will be subdivided at the midpoint of total daylight hours (approximately 1:00 pm throughout the survey). Stratum duration will be the total time between legal sunup or sundown and mid-day. There will be 20 sampling blocks for the sockeye fishery and 33 sampling blocks for the coho fishery. Each will consist of half day sampling periods (ca. 4.5 - 7.5 hours, depending on daylight duration), and will be randomly selected from all possible half day blocks throughout the period of time each salmon run occurs. Equal morning (AM) blocks and afternoon (PM) blocks will be selected at random from each of all weekdays and weekend days. This sampling regime will allow us to sample a third of the possible days each fishery occurs. The survey will start at the Bartlett River trail head and access the river on foot along the 3-4 km long Bartlett River trail. All visitors will be contacted along the trail and on the river during pre-selected sampling blocks. Interviewers will identify themselves as National Park Service staff and ask the visitor if they are over the age of 16 and whether they would be willing to participate in a voluntary NPS survey. If the visitor agrees, the clerk will begin the face-to-face interviews using the survey questions outlined in the attached data collection instrument. The bag limit for this area is a maximum of 6 fish per angler (for either sockeye or coho). The sockeye fishery generally occurs in July through early August and the coho fishery from mid-August to the end of October. So it's extremely unlikely that more than 6 fish will be retained by any single angler. Generally, it is extremely difficult to catch a limit of sockeye or coho salmon and most anglers will catch perhaps 2 or 3 fish. However, it is possible (but unlikely) that a couple of extra fish (cutthroat trout during the sockeye run or Dolly Varden during the coho run) could be retained. It generally takes 5-10 seconds to measure each fish, so even 10 fish could be measured in just under 2 minutes provided they were accessible and not in a backpack or somewhere that would take more time for the angler to make them available. Instrument Administration: The survey will be administered as a face-to-face interview. The creel interviewer will ask the questions and fill out the form. Interview Protocol: The interviewer will make a brief introduction to approach anglers and invite them to participate in an interview. Individuals who agree to participate will be informed about the survey and its subject matter. Participants will be informed that their names will not be recorded, so anonymity will be assured. Interviewers will note the location, date, and the time of contact directly on each survey instrument. The number of people in the group, and any refusals to participate will be documented in the interviewer’s log sheet. Each interviewer will use the following text as a guide to conduct the on-site interviews. Initial Contact and Interview Script: Hello, my name is (______________________). I am an employee (or volunteer) here at Glacier Bay National Park. I am conducting a survey of people fishing the Bartlett River. We are asking visitors for information about their fishing experiences on the Bartlett River. Have you been asked to participate in this study already today? If YES – thank them for their time If NO - continue If the visitor is not contacted directly fishing along the Bartlett River, but rather in the parking lot or along the trail, ask the visitor if he/she fished the Bartlett River today. Yes  Proceed to question ask them if they would be willing to participate in the study. No  End contact Don’t know  The interviewer will use a map that displays the Bartlett River. Would you like to participate in our National Park Service recreational fishing survey? This study will help the park managers to monitor sockeye and coho salmon catch, harvest and effort on the Bartlett River. This information will be used by park managers to ensure long term sustainability of these fisheries. This survey is completely voluntary and your responses will remain anonymous. The survey will take approximately seven minutes to complete. The information you provide us and your opinion is very important. Would be willing to help us today? If YES  Begin with question #1. If NO  Would you be willing to answer three quick questions? If YES  Go to non-respondent survey questions in the box below Non-Respondent Survey Questions a) How many hours were you fishing on the Bartlett River? (# hours) b) How many coho or sockeye salmon did you harvest today? (# fish) c) Where is your primary residence? (Primary Residence) If NO  END CONTACT. Thank you for your time. Have a good day. Expected Response Rate/Confidence Levels: Our expected response rate is at least 95%. The previous creel survey conducted on the Bartlett River made 90 angler contacts and only experienced one survey refusal. The previous study did not measure confidence intervals for survey participation, because it was so high. We anticipate that we will have similar survey participation during this creel study. We will calculate estimates of effort, catch, and harvest at the 95% confidence level. We have designed our sampling plan to achieve estimates with less than a 10% margin of error. Our estimated sample size is derived from previous year’s angler counts which suggest that on average there are five anglers per day during the coho and sockeye runs. At 5 anglers per day we will sample approximately 125 anglers from each fishery, for a total of 250 anglers. A total sample size of 200 is anticipated to produce estimates within a 10% margin of error.

Number of Initial Contacts

Expected Response Rate

Expected Number of Responses

Margin of Error +/- %

250

95%

238

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Strategies for dealing with potential non-response bias: During the initial contact, the interviewer will ask each visitor 3 questions taken from the survey. These questions will be used in a non-response bias analysis. a) How many hours did you fish on the Bartlett River today? b) How many coho or sockeye salmon did you harvest today? c) Where is your primary residence? Responses will be recorded on a log for every survey contact. Visitors may decline to give this basic information as well. If so, this information will be recorded on the log sheet. The results of the non-response bias check will be described in a report and the implications for park planning and management will be discussed. Description of any pre-testing and peer review of the methods and/or instrument (recommended): This survey will follow the standard method for roving creel surveys outlined by Angler Survey Methods and Their Applications in Fisheries Management (Pollock et al. 1994). This method is well established and has been previously successfully implemented on the Bartlett River from 1996 through 1998 (Soiseth and Smikrud 2005).

10.

Burden Estimates:

We plan to approach at least 250 individuals during each sampling year (n=250). With an anticipated response rate of 95%, we expect to receive 238 total responses for this survey each year. We expect that the initial contact time will be at least two minutes per person (annual burden: 250 x 2 minutes = 8.3 hours). We expect that 12 (5%) visitors will refuse to participate during the initial on-site contact. For those individuals we will record their reason for refusal and ask them to answer the three questions that will be used for the non-response check. For those who agree to participate (n= 238) we expect that they will complete the entire survey. We estimate an additional 5 minutes will be required to complete the survey (annual burden: 238 response x 5 minutes = 19.8 hours). The total annual burden for this collection is estimated to be 28.1 hours.

Estimated Number of Contacts

Estimation of Time

Estimation of Respondent Burden

Total Number of Initial Contacts

250

Estimated Time (mins.) to Complete Initial Contact

2

Estimated Burden Hours

8

Total Number of Responses

238

Time to complete and return surveys

5

Estimated Burden Hours

20

Total Annual Burden

28

11.

Reporting Plan:

Scientists at Glacier Bay National Park will publish an annual and final report (summarizing results for the 3 seasons) for the Bartlett River creel survey. A summary briefing for park managers will also be submitted at the end of the survey. A report will also be submitted to the NPS Social Science Division as required by the NPS Programmatic Approval Process.

References Cited

Howe, A.L., G. Fidler, R.J. Walker, C. Olnes, K. Sundet and A.E. Bingham. 2001a. Revised edition: Harvest, catch, and participation in Alaska sport fisheries during 1996. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish. Fishery Data Series No. 97-29 (Revised). Anchorage.

Howe, A.L., G. Fidler, R.J. Walker, C. Olnes, K. Sundet and A.E. Bingham. 2001b. Revised edition: Harvest, catch, and participation in Alaska sport fisheries during 1997. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish. Fishery Data Series No. 98-25 (Revised). Anchorage.

Howe, A.L., G. Fidler, R.J. Walker, C. Olnes, K. Sundet and A.E. Bingham. 2001c Revised edition: Participation, catch, and harvest in Alaska sport fisheries during 1998. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish. Fishery Data Series No. 99-41 (Revised). Anchorage.

Pollock, K.H., C.M. Jones and T.L. Brown. 1994. Angler survey methods and their applications in fisheries management. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 25, Bethesda, Maryland.

Soiseth, C. and K. Smikrud. 2001. Bartlett River coho salmon creel survey: 1996-1998. Glacier Bay National Park. Unpublished Report.

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