ADFG Frazer Lake Red Salmon Project
Will Provide Fishery Rivaling Karluk
An investment of $200,000 that
will within 20 years provide an an
nual return of an estimated av
erage of approximately $500,000 to
salmon fishermen is in its final
planning stages now according to
Bob Simon, regional supervisor of
the Alaska Department of Fish and
Game..
A red salmon fishery from Fra
zer Lake, Kodiak Island’s second
largest body of fresh water (only
Karluk Lake is larger), envisoned
by far-sighted biologists and fish
ermen since the salmon-barren
lake was first discovered, will soon
become a bountiful reality, Simon
revealed.
Engineers of the ADF&G are
presently finalizing plans, specifi
cations and bid invitations for the
construction of unique, tested and
efficient fishpaths over the 31-foot
barrier presented by Frazer Falls,
which prevents the ascent of sal
mon to the vast fallow Frazer Lake
Basin.
A call for bids on the project is
contemplated for the near future
although no certain '•b'e has yet
been set. Actual construction of the
fishpaths will culminate over a
decade of study and research by
biologists and engineers of the
feasibility of such a project.
The legislature so far has appro
priated outright a total of $150,000
for the project, having appropri
ated $50,000 in 1960, $75,000 in
1961, and $50,000 in 1962. However,
$25,000 of the 1961 appropriation
is contingent upon the salmon in
dustry itself providing matching
funds of $25,000. To date no match
ing funds have been offered by the
industry.
The Frazer Lake Basin is located
approximately ten miles southwest
of Karluk Lake. Frazer Lake is
situated about 8 miles up the left
fork of the Dog Salmon River from
Olga Bay. A half mile below the
outlet of the lake there is a 31-foot
falls which prevents salmon from
going up to the lake which is about
8 miles long, 1 mile wide, and has
a surface area of approximately
5,000 acres.
In the six tributary streams to
the lake there is a potential
spawning area of over a half mil
lion square feet. About one-third of
the lake shore itself possesses
beaches suitable for spawning.
An aerial survey made of the
area on July 15, 1951, indicated
that laddering of the 31-foot falls
would create an immense spawn
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ing and rearing potential in this
major system. Work began almost
immediately to research the proj
ect.
On August 19, 1951, approx
imately 200,000 fertilized red sal
mon eggs were planted in the
creek which enters the lake at its
northwest side. On June 26, 1952,
red salmon fry were recovered
with a sampling seine at the mouth
of the stream. Again on July 23,
1952, 313,000 fertilized red salmon
eggs were introduced to the grav
els of the central stream on the
west shore of the lake. By digging
up one of the artificial nests on
Dec. 9, 1952, representative alevins
(yolk-sac fry) were recovered from
the gravel indicating positive re
sults from the freshly fertilized
egg plantings. At that time salmon
fry had been produced in a for
merly non-salmon rearing body of
water: if these fish thrived in the
lake, followed their urge of migra
tion to the sea, and then later re
turned to the foot of the falls as
mature salmon, the first step wouid
be completed. Later study and re
search proved this to be the case.
The next step was to open the area
with fishways to provide access for
salmon.
In 1953, Frazer Lake was planted
for the third successive year with
red salmon eggs with a total of
1,000,000 green eggs introduced to
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486-2656
SAILING FROM SEATTLE
June 20, 1962
MS TANANA
Womens Ray, Kodiak,
Tort Williams, Seldovia, Homer
various tributary streams of the
lake. Further explorations and sur
veys were made that year for a
fishway to bypass the falls.
In July, 19544, a topographic
survey was made of the most prob
able route for a fishway around
Frazer Falls. The falls represented
the only obstacle to opening the
> 111 ™
Frazer Lake system to red salmon
production.
“The lake is comparable in size
to nearby Karluk Lake, whose pro
duction of red salmon in the past
is well known. The potential of
this system is tremendous, to say
the least,” was the comment made
(Continued on Page 8)
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