New Project Focuses on Tracking Juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Copper River - Prince William Sound Science Center
It is important to recognize that Alaska Indigenous peoples and salmon have lived closely connected in lands now called Alaska for at least 12,000 years, and that salmon continue to be central to their way of. . .
It is important to recognize that Alaska Indigenous peoples and salmon have lived closely connected in lands now called Alaska for at least 12,000 years, and that salmon continue to be central to their way of life. The Ahtna story of Dinac’iighiłtaenen—the Salmon Boy—embodies a form of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) that has guided sustainable salmon stewardship in the Copper River basin for countless generations. Through the story of Bac’its’aadi, “the one who is highly regarded,” Ahtna people are taught that juvenile salmon (uł’uli) are sentient beings who travel downriver to the ocean and must be treated with care and respect to ensure their return as adults. This deep cultural teaching mirrors modern ecological principles of life-cycle management and highlights the importance of conserving smolt as a critical life stage for long-term population sustainability. The Ahtna’s spiritual and observational knowledge—built over millennia through direct relationships with salmon and their habitats—provides essential context for interpreting ecological patterns and long-term changes in salmon abundance, health, and movement. Through a unique collaboration between the Prince William Sound Science Center and Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission (AITRC), we are conducting an integrated, two-year study targeting freshwater life stages of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Copper River watershed: Through an integrated approach involving field surveys, acoustic telemetry, and advanced multi-omics techniques (high-throughput qPCR for pathogen screening and gene expression, DNA metabarcoding for diets, and eDNA/eRNA for predator surveillance), we will examine how the health of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Copper River watershed varies over time and cross locations and learn about what environmental pressures they face. Our team will be in the field this summer conducting preliminary field surveys in several river systems, and we will begin acoustic tracking of juveniles during Spring 2027. Our study is designed to examine the effect of many factors, both environmental and physiological, that affect juvenile Chinook growth and survival. Understanding how changes in river conditions affect the overall status of this species is our key motivation. This research will be the first of its kind in the Copper River and will provide insight into migration patterns and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon during this critical early life history stage. Please contact Pete Rand ([email protected]), Rao Chaganti ([email protected]), or Dan Gorze ([email protected]) if you have any questions about this project.