An ambitious new research project is aiming to better understand the lives of king salmon by focusing on their difficult journey from freshwater habitat to the ocean.
An ambitious new research project is aiming to better understand the lives of king salmon by focusing on their difficult journey from freshwater habitat to the ocean.
The project, a collaboration between the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Department of Fish and Game, is using hundreds of acoustic tags and an array of underwater hydrophones to track young salmon as they navigate the Kenai River to Cook Inlet.
Researchers are focusing on kings in the smolt stage, a relatively understudied period of development. Resources for studying king salmon have largely focused on adult fish.
The project comes amid widespread declines among Alaska king salmon populations, and the Kenai River’s famous run has become the “poster child” for the struggles of the species, said Andy Seitz, a professor at the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Knowing more about the perils facing juvenile salmon could spotlight the challenges they are facing.
Read More: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Image: Photo by Johnna Elkins - A newly captured juvenile king salmon rests in a viewing box container, which allows researchers to identify fish species and measure their size.
