The role of sockeye salmon in the environment and its importance to the culture and economy of the Kuskokwim River area is changing. There is growing interest in commercial harvest, but little is known about the biology and ecology of sockeye salmon in the Kuskokwim River. This project will address this data gap by describing the location, relative abundance, and run-timing of Kuskokwim River sockeye salmon spawning aggregates, describing and comparing habitat utilization and seasonal migration patterns of river-type and lake-type juveniles, describing and comparing smolt size and growth among tributaries and habitat types, and describing the relative importance of river-type versus lake-type sockeye salmon to total production of Kuskokwim River sockeye salmon. Objectives will be achieved by conducting radio- and t-tagging studies in 2006-2007, comparing CPUE of juveniles among habitat types in 2006, and comparing scale circuli and annuli increments as an index of freshwater growth among tributaries and habitat types between 2005-2007. Information gained from the study will address high priority research themes by investigating the structure and abundance of spawning populations and juvenile freshwater habitat use. This information will serve as a foundation for future research, and will be used for sustainable management of Kuskokwim River sockeye salmon.
The goal of our project is to describe population structure and fresh-water rearing characteristics and estimate their relative importance to sockeye salmon in the Kuskokwim River. Specific objectives are: Describe the location and relative abundance of sockeye salmon spawning aggregates (stocks) in tributaries of the Kuskokwim River upstream of Kalskag which constitute 5% or more of radio tags deployed in 2006 and 2007; Estimate run-timing in the mainstem Kuskokwim River for the stocks identified above; Describe and compare habitat utilization and seasonal migration patterns of river-type and laketype juvenile sockeye salmon in the Kuskokwim River in 2006; Describe and compare sockeye salmon smolt size and growth among different tributaries and habitat types of the Kuskokwim River drainage in 2005 through 2007; Describe the relative importance of river-type versus lake-type sockeye salmon to total production of sockeye salmon in the Kuskokwim River based on the relative abundance of spawning adults. This proposal seeks funding for three years in cooperation with other sources. We request partial funding for Objective 1 and 2, and full funding of Objectives 3 and 4 in 2006; full funding of Objectives 1 - 4 in 2007, with analysis and reporting inclusive of Objective 5 in 2008.
Sara Gilk
sara_gilk@fishgame.state.ak.us
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
907-267-2535
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
333 Raspberry Road
Anchorage
AK
99518
A Final Report is available for this project: Click to view First Year Funding: $469,059.00
A Project Authorization Statement is available for this project: Click to view
Funding
Second Year Funding:
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Keyword Tree for Project
Fields of Expertise
Biological Science
Genetics - 9 Other Projects
Population Biology - 26 Other Projects
Physical Science
Socio/Economic
Professional Activity
Field research and Data Collection - 37 Other Projects
Ecosystems
Freshwater – Lakes - 3 Other Projects
Freshwater – Rivers/Streams - 45 Other Projects
Ecosystem Components
Fish - 51 Other Projects
Species Groups
Anadromous salmonids - 51 Other Projects
Sockeye - 9 Other Projects
Specific research issues
Distribution and abundance - 21 Other Projects
Genetics and stock identification - 13 Other Projects
Population dynamics - 14 Other Projects
Geographic Regions
Kuskokwim River Watershed - 22 Other Projects
Technological Expertise/Lab Methods
Lab Methods
Genetic analysis - 11 Other Projects
Technology
Modeling
Method
Type
Physical Science Specialties Areas
Management/Policy/Social