Chinook and chum salmon are two important subsistence resources for communities located in the arctic-yukon-kuskokwim (AYK) region of alaska

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) will receive $600,000 under a five-year Project Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to support marine research surveys of Chinook and chum salmon from the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska. The funding will help ADF&G co-lead the longstanding Northern Bering Sea survey with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through June 2028. This survey is critical for forecasting Yukon River salmon stocks up to three years in advance and improving understanding of marine survival factors. Funds will also enable a new Southern Bering Sea survey to provide similar insights for Kuskokwim River salmon. The USFWS award will address increased fuel and vessel charter costs for survey operations and allow laboratory work to assess salmon diet, prey, and competition indicators. The funding assists objectives of the USFWS Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance program (CFDA 15.608) to implement state-level Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plans through fisheries expertise and marine resource stewardship initiatives.

Historically, subsistence harvests in the AYK region account for 83 of the total alaskan subsistence harvest of chinook salmon and 97 of the subsistence harvest of chum salmon. For over a decade, chinook salmon run sizes to the AYK region have been chronically poor. While chum salmon run sizes to the AYK region have been variable over time, chum salmon runs to the AYK region in 2020, 2021, and 2022 were three of the lowest on record. Concurrently poor run sizes of chinook and chum salmon cause hardship to the subsistence users of the AYK region, especially when anomalously low run sizes are not anticipated. For subsistence fishermen and AYK fishery managers, understanding the causes of these declines and being able to anticipate and plan for low run sizes are of upmost importance. New and ongoing marine research surveys aimed at studying the marine life history of chinook and chum salmon have provided important insights into the factors affecting chinook and chum salmon production and how changing marine conditions may impact future survival. This program provides funding to support marine research surveys aimed at monitoring juvenile chinook and chum salmon from the arctic-yukon-kuskokwim (AYK) region in alaska. The juvenile life stage (i.e., the first summer in the ocean) is a critical period within the salmon life cycle. Juvenile salmon surveys have proven effective for developing preseason forecasts, sometimes up to three years before the adults return to the rivers. These surveys also provide valuable insights for understanding which parts of the salmon life cycle are most critical for survival. These benefits can only be obtained through continuous long-term monitoring using established survey methodologies. The northern bering sea (NBS) survey, CO-led by the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) and the alaska department of fish and game (ADF g), began over 20 years ago. This survey is critical for forecasting yukon salmon stocks and improving our understanding of the marine survival and ecology of salmon stocks from the yukon river and norton sound. The southern bering sea (SBS) survey is a new project that will enable similar insights for kuskokwim river salmon. Funds provided by USFWS will help address increased fuel and vessel charter costs associated with survey operations and may be used for laboratory sampling to assess diet, prey, and competition.