The total inriver return of early-run chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha to the Kenai River as estimated through hydroacoustic techniques was 10,087. The estimated angler-effort and harvest as measured from a creel survey during the early (May and June) chinook salmon run were 54,330 angler-hours and 1,365 chinook salmon, respectively; the third lowest value on record. Release mortality was estimated at 164 fish. Spawning escapement (8,558) was estimated through subtraction of total fishing mortality from total inriver return. This escapement was 442 (4.9%) fish less than stipulated by the management plan. The predominant age class of both the inriver return and the recreational harvest of early-run chinook salmon was 1.4 fish. Migratory timing models were used to project spawning escapement during the 1992 fishery. Restrictions of the recreational fishery were required to achieve the escapement. A sibling model was used to forecast the 1993 return at 13,374 (SE = 4,782) fish.