This proposal represents a collaborative effort between the university of calgary, the sitka sound science center, and the US fish and wildlife service

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 7 awarded the University of Calgary $186,865 on June 1, 2025, under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Program (CFDA 15.664) to develop novel methods for differentiating coastal Western Alaskan chum salmon stocks. This two-year cooperative agreement, in collaboration with the Sitka Sound Science Center and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, addresses critical management challenges resulting from recent run failures that have prompted subsistence fishery closures. The project will establish a geographic profiling tool using trace element analysis in fish tissues, water, and sediment samples collected from the Yukon River, Kuskokwim River, and Norton Sound watersheds. By sampling spawning adults returning to natal watersheds and out-migrating juveniles, the research team will identify trace element variations among management stocks that existing genetic techniques cannot isolate, thereby improving the ability to quantify marine harvest pressure and reduce bycatch of collapsed stocks in the Bering Sea.

The project's primary deliverable is a validated trace element-based stock differentiation methodology that will enhance fisheries management for anadromous fish populations in Alaska. The research integrates environmental sampling, fish tissue analysis, and comparative evaluation alongside existing genetic analyses to provide fisheries managers with improved tools for distinguishing among chum salmon stocks. These products are expected to support more precise management decisions and subsistence fishery access in affected communities throughout coastal Western Alaska. The award is scheduled for completion by May 31, 2027.

This proposed research aims to address current challenges in differentiating stocks of coastal western alaskan chum salmon (oncorhynchus keta) and to improve management and reduce bycatch. Recent run failures in portions of this genetic aggregate have led to widespread closures of subsistence fisheries and prompted numerous calls to isolate estimated bycatch and intercept harvest of the chum salmon stocks by freshwater drainage. However, there exist challenges currently in differentiating stocks based on genetic markers. Therefore, further differentiation of genetic aggregates would represent a significant improvement in the ability to quantify marine harvest pressure on collapsed stocks. This work will focus on the coastal western alaska chum salmon genetic aggregate for development of a novel tool in differentiating coastal western alaskan salmon stocks through geographical profiling of trace elements. Through sample collection from the yukon river, kuskokwim river, and norton sound watersheds, we will obtain fish tissues, water, and sediment samples towards the goal of exploring geographical differences in chum salmon trace elements. Through sampling at terminal migration locations where fish are spawning, we aim to sample fish returning to natal watersheds. These data will be considered alongside existing genetic analyses to examine variation among management stocks. Where possible, we will also test out-migrating juveniles. We hypothesize that a proportion of tested trace elements will vary significantly among sampled watersheds, meaning these trace elements will represent a novel method for stock differentiation of anadromous fish populations in the bering sea that current genetic techniques have failed to isolate.