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Since 2004, NSEDC has been studying juvenile Coho salmon with grant funding from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund. Unlike chum and pink salmon, Coho salmon do not head out to sea in the first year of their life; they spend the first two or three years in the stream where they were spawned. The quality of the freshwater habitat, therefore, is an important factor in the survival of juvenile Coho salmon, and ultimately the health of the overall Coho salmon population. Currently, little is known about the first three years of Coho salmon life and what factors limit survival during this period. NSEDC has used bag-shaped fyke nets to capture smolt and juvenile Coho salmon on the Nome and Fish rivers. Biological data from these studies—along with mark and recapture estimates for the number of juveniles—have given us data to compare to the number of adult spawners (escapement). This comparison allows us to generate survival rates under a variety of conditions. One important goal of this project is to be able to set management goals for Coho salmon based on the suitability of river habitat rather than on egg deposition alone. An unexpected result was that the number and size of the Coho smolt is correlated with the pink salmon escapement, an indication that either pink salmon carcasses or pink salmon fry are an important food source for the juvenile Coho salmon. Fieldwork for this project was mostly completed by 2010. Currently, the data is being analyzed and a final report is due out in 2011. For more information contact:
Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation
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