Copper River Delta intertidal studies
Pacific Herring

Salmon
Modeling Hatchery Returns
Salmon Derived Nutrients
Juvenile Salmon Outmigration

All five species of Pacific salmon found in Alaska evolved from ancient ancestors of rainbow trout. They start their lives as freshwater fish, then change and develop the ability to live and grow in the ocean where they mature. Each exhibits its unique combination of behaviors that serves to separate them in terms of location and seasonal use of spawning habitat, a separation that leads to reproductive isolation and the maintenance of their identity as separate species.

For example, pink salmon migrate to sea soon after hatching in areas near the coast—sometimes even in brackish waters, as in the Copper River Delta. Chinook salmon may travel 2,000 miles inland to spawn and their offspring remain in freshwater for several years before entering the sea. The variety in their biological cycle, and their dependency on pristine fresh and saltwater habitats, results in complex use of the diverse estuaries, ponds and streams in Prince William Sound and in the Copper River system.

Commercial, recreational and subsistence harvests of anadromous salmon profoundly affect the economic and cultural fabric of Prince William Sound communities. Coho, sockeye, Chinook, pink, and chum salmon support valuable fisheries in the region. The economic impact of these fisheries is critical to many small coastal communities.

Cordova Alaska, home of the Prince William Sound Science Center, has a commercial gillnet fishery with over 500 permit holders. Equally important, subsistence fishing provides an important food source for residents of Cordova and the upper Copper River watershed. Sockeye salmon is the most important species fished by Copper River commercial and subsistence users, followed by chinook and coho salmon. In addition, recreational anglers target coho and chinook and contribute to the local lodging and restaurant economy.

In Prince William Sound wild and hatchery-raised pink and chum salmon are important commercial fisheries. Pink salmon is the largest of any commercial fishery and is fished primarily by the purse seine fishery.

Situated at the boundary between Prince William Sound and the Copper River, the Prince William Sound Science Center is dedicated to advancing our understanding of salmon in these waters. Recent research activity includes the following:

• Salmon-derived nutrients in aquatic systems
• Juvenile salmon outmigration and residence in estuaries
• Optimizing brood stock management at the Solomon Gulch Hatchery with GIS modeling of hatchery returns