Documentation of Chinook, Chum, and Coho Salmon Presence in the Upper Tanana River Drainage PDF Download

Author: Brandy Baker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fish populations
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
Documentation and inventory of anadromous fish species has been limited in the Upper Tanana River drainage due to its remoteness, perceived low salmon abundance, and the greater importance of nonsalmon species to local users. The mainstem Tanana River is known to have spawning populations of chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon, and limited documentation of Chinook (O. tshawytscha) and coho (O. kisutch) salmon in the upper reaches of the Tanana River. This study proposed to document Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. spawning and rearing habitat in the Upper Tanana River drainage (the largest tributary of the Yukon River) using a combination of biological and social science methods. Ethnographic methods, such as in-depth interviews with key community fishers, were used to identify potential areas for biological sampling based on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Over 2 field seasons, researchers collected environmental DNA (eDNA) and attempted to capture both adult and juvenile salmon as evidence of salmon spawning or rearing. The eDNA lab results reported 6 out of 33 samples positive for chum salmon and all 33 samples were negative for Chinook or coho salmon. No physical evidence of salmon was found including the 6 sites that returned positive eDNA results for chum salmon; therefore, no additional findings were submitted to the Anadromous Water Catalog (AWC) to be listed as important for spawning, rearing, or migration of anadromous fish. Ethnographic evidence suggests that Chinook salmon do occasionally travel to the area, but no physical evidence of their presence was discovered through biological sampling. Salmon presence within the study area is likely sporadic and may fluctuate based on annual changes in environmental conditions, variability in salmon escapement abundance, run timing, and harvest levels in the lower reaches of the Yukon and Tanana Rivers.