Anadromous fish are vital to the culture, traditions, and livelihoods of the yakutat tlingit people.at present, there are limited data available to assess the health of local streams and…

Anadromous fish are vital to the culture, traditions, and livelihoods of the yakutat tlingit people.at present, there are limited data available to assess the health of local streams and anadromousfish in the watersheds of the yakutat forelands. Since 2019, yakutat tlingit tribe (YTT) hasbeen addressing this issue through sampling water quality at 12 local streams in the yakutatforelands. Through the U.S. Fish and wildlife service tribal wildlife grant, YTT seeks tocontinue to increase their capacity to collect, manage and analyze data to support managers ofnot only YTT but also city, state and federal agencies. YTT has selected 2 of the 12 streams forcontinued water quality monitoring as well as edna sampling for coho salmon presence andbiomass. The situk river and ophir creek are most likely to have been potentially impacted byhuman uses, including road crossings and high numbers of anglers. At least 4 aquatic habitatassessments will be carried out on the 2 rivers, following established U.S. Forest streamsurveying protocols. All results, including data collected with TWG funding, water quality datafrom the 12 streams since 2019 and preliminary edna sampling for coho salmon on 3 streamsin 2022, will be summarized in a report that will include recommendations for next steps inmonitoring and fisheries management, identifying any potential sites for future stream restorationactivities. This information will be available digitally and in print. YTT will also share theirresults in meetings with the yakutat community, city, state and federal agencies, and regionaltribes.