Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Alaska
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Alaska Project

Using remote sensing, occupancy estimation, and fine-scale habitat characterization to evaluate fall chum salmon spawning habitat usage in Arctic Alaska

January 2015 - December 2016

Personnel

Participating Agencies

  • USFWS Anchorage
Chelsea Clawson uses an underwater metal detector to locate stream temperature loggers in the T'eedriinjik River, Alaska

Groundwater upwellings provide stable temperatures for overwinter salmon embryo development and this process may be particularly important in cold, braided, gravel-bed Arctic rivers where rivers may freeze solid in the absence of upwellings. However, limited information is available on the spatial distribution and frequency of these upwellings in core spawning areas, or the relationship between upwellings and spawning salmon habitat use. Moreover, an increase in mining exploration and the effects of climate change have raised concerns about the future of fall chum salmon among local community members and state and Federal fisheries managers. This project was a collaboration between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Results of this study results provide insights into the characteristics of fall chum salmon spawning habitats in the Arctic, and contribute toward a broader understanding of the habitat needs of high-latitude salmon in a changing environment.

Research Publications Publication Date
Clawson, C.M., Falke, J.A., Bailey, L.A., J.A., Rose, J., Prakash, A., and A.E. Martin. 2022. High-resolution remote sensing and multistate occupancy estimation identify drivers of spawning site selection in fall chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) across a sub-Arctic riverscape. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 79:380-394. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0013. March 2022
Presentations Presentation Date
Clawson, C., Falke, J., Rose, J., Martin, A., Cristóbal, J., and A. Prakash. 2015. Chandalar River Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) riverscape-scale salmon habitat assessment and monitoring. Alaska Chapter American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Homer, Alaska, 4-6 November, 2015. November 2015
Clawson, C. M., J. A. Falke, P. A. H. Westley, J. Rose, and A. E. Martin. 2018. Spawning habitat characteristics and phenology of fall Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) on the Teedriinjik River, Alaska. Western Division American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Anchorage, Alaska May 21-25, 2018. May 2018
Clawson, C., J. Falke, J. Rose, A. Martin, and A. Prakash. 2017. A remote sensing and occupancy estimation approach to quantify spawning habitat use by fall Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) along the Chandalar River, Alaska. Alaska Chapter American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Fairbanks, Alaska, 19-23 March, 2017. March 2017
Clawson, C., J. Falke, J. Rose, A. Martin, and A. Prakash. 2017. A remote sensing and occupancy estimation approach to quantify spawning habitat use by fall Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) along the Chandalar River, Alaska. Western Division American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Missoula, Montana, 22-25 May, 2017. May 2017