The project titled baseline study of coho salmon in kevinjik creek, 2024 addresses critical knowledgegaps in understanding the biology and ecology of yukon river coho salmon

The proposed project focuseson a small groundwater upwelling complex located within the kevinjik creek watershed, in the draanjikriver. This area is known through traditional knowledge as nehdlii niinlii, a coho salmon spawninglocation, and previous studies have confirmed the presence of juvenile coho salmon within the complex. The project s goals include collaborating with the alaska department of fish and game gene conservationlab to advance genetic baseline development for coho salmon, protect spawning habitats throughnominations to the anadromous waters catalog (AWC), and describe spawning and rearing habitat forthe groundwater upwelling complex. Methodologies involve collecting juvenile coho salmon throughbackpack electrofishing with the purpose of collecting genetic material for baseline development, lengthmeasurements for population descriptions, conducting aerial surveys for the documentation of spawningadult coho salmon, and producing habitat descriptions of spawning and rearing areas. The project s anticipated outcomes encompass enhanced genetic understanding, advancement of theanadromous waters catalog, habitat characterizations, and the integration of local knowledge. Themonitoring and evaluation plan includes assessing genetic baseline completeness, AWC inclusion success, and habitat assessment effectiveness. This project aims to contribute to the conservation andmanagement of yukon river coho salmon, addressing critical data gaps, and fostering collaborationbetween the tanana chiefs conference, the native village of chalkyitsik, and alaska department of fishand game of gene conservation lab.