It Takes It Takes an Entire Watershed an Entire Watershed

to Raise a Fishto Raise a Fish

Watersheds and Fish HabitatWatersheds and Fish Habitat

Alaska is blessed with Alaska is blessed with an abundance of fish an abundance of fish

and other aquatic and other aquatic resourcesresources

Healthy fish populations Healthy fish populations depend on healthy depend on healthy

watershedswatersheds

Some fish, Some fish, like rainbow like rainbow

trout, Arctic grayling & burbot,trout, Arctic grayling & burbot, depend on watersheds depend on watersheds through their entire life through their entire life

cyclecycle

Anadromous Fish in Anadromous Fish in AlaskaAlaska

• Pacific SalmonPacific Salmon• Rainbow trout Rainbow trout

(steelhead) and (steelhead) and Dolly Varden Dolly Varden have both have both anadromous and anadromous and resident formsresident forms

• HooliganHooligan• SheefishSheefish• LampreyLamprey• othersothers

• Depend on Depend on watersheds for watersheds for all important life all important life functionsfunctions

• Use the ocean Use the ocean only for feeding, only for feeding, growth and growth and developmentdevelopment

• May spend 40 to May spend 40 to 70% of their life 70% of their life in freshwaterin freshwater

Salmon in AlaskaSalmon in AlaskaGenus Genus OncorhynchusOncorhynchus

Species Species NameName

Common Common NameName

Other NameOther Name

nerkanerka SockeyeSockeye RedRed

tshawytschtshawytschaa

ChinookChinook KingKing

kisutchkisutch CohoCoho SilverSilver

ketaketa ChumChum DogDog

gorbushcagorbushca PinkPink HumpyHumpy

Fish and aquatic Fish and aquatic resources are resources are

important to Alaskansimportant to Alaskans

We must understand We must understand watersheds and watersheds and

freshwater fish habitat freshwater fish habitat needsneeds so we can so we can

preserve, protect and preserve, protect and maintain these maintain these

valuable resourcesvaluable resources

Fish need habitat for Fish need habitat for one reason: one reason:

SURVIVALSURVIVAL

SURVIVALSURVIVAL

• Fish must survive as Fish must survive as individualsindividuals

• Individuals must survive to Individuals must survive to maintain the populationmaintain the population

• Populations must survive to Populations must survive to maintain the speciesmaintain the species

Fish habitat needs for Fish habitat needs for survivalsurvival

- Feeding- Feeding–EscapeEscape

- Overwinter- Overwinter

- Spawning- Spawning

- Migration- Migration

Juvenile and adult fish Juvenile and adult fish have different habitat have different habitat

needs for survivalneeds for survival

And survival is And survival is important during all important during all

seasonsseasons

Where do fish find their Where do fish find their habitat needs?habitat needs?

• For different For different – SpeciesSpecies– Life stagesLife stages– SeasonsSeasons

In a WatershedIn a Watershed

What is a WATERSHED?What is a WATERSHED?• A watershed is an entire A watershed is an entire

region (or “basin”) which region (or “basin”) which drains into a river or river drains into a river or river systemsystem

• Usually includes sub-basinsUsually includes sub-basins

A watershed is like a A watershed is like a community for fishcommunity for fish

• People find People find their needs in a their needs in a communitycommunity

• Fish find their Fish find their habitat needs in habitat needs in a watersheda watershed

• Each fish species Each fish species prefer different prefer different food organisms food organisms and the fish go to and the fish go to where their food is where their food is foundfound

• Young fish need Young fish need different food than different food than older fisholder fish

• People find People find food in food in restaurants restaurants or grocery or grocery storesstores

• Young people Young people like different like different foods than foods than older peopleolder people

Fish and people need Fish and people need foodfood

Different things happen Different things happen during different during different

seasons seasons • People are People are

more active more active during summerduring summer

• Winters may be Winters may be dangerous for dangerous for people to people to survivesurvive

• Fish are more active Fish are more active during summer; they during summer; they eat more and grow eat more and grow fasterfaster

• Winter survival is Winter survival is difficult for many fish difficult for many fish populationspopulations

Reproduction is Reproduction is importantimportant• People go to People go to

special places to special places to meet friends or meet friends or matesmates

• Different people Different people have different have different ways to meet ways to meet friendsfriends

• Each fish Each fish species has species has unique unique spawning time, spawning time, place and place and strategystrategy

Parts of a watershed Parts of a watershed are connected are connected

• People move People move around a city by around a city by roads and trailsroads and trails

• When passage to When passage to different parts of different parts of a city is disrupted, a city is disrupted, people cannot find people cannot find what they needwhat they need

• Fish migrate to Fish migrate to different parts of different parts of a watershed for a watershed for different needsdifferent needs

• When passage When passage to different to different habitats in a habitats in a watershed is watershed is disrupted, fish disrupted, fish become stressedbecome stressed

A watershed is like a A watershed is like a city for fishcity for fish

• People need:People need:– FoodFood– SecuritySecurity– Seasonal activitiesSeasonal activities– Socialization/ Socialization/

RecreationRecreation– Safe passageSafe passage

• Fish need:Fish need:– FoodFood– Security/EscapeSecurity/Escape– OverwinterOverwinter– SpawningSpawning– Safe PassageSafe Passage

FoodFood

• Fish need food to growFish need food to grow• Bigger, fast growing fish survive Bigger, fast growing fish survive

betterbetter• Bigger females lay more eggsBigger females lay more eggs

Security/EscapeSecurity/Escape

• Fish need safe places to rest Fish need safe places to rest • Fish need places to hide from Fish need places to hide from

predatorspredators• Fish need refuge from both floods Fish need refuge from both floods

and droughtand drought

• Cold water slows fish metabolismCold water slows fish metabolism• Still waters freeze and are not Still waters freeze and are not

available for fishavailable for fish• Cold, sluggish fish are more Cold, sluggish fish are more

vulnerable to predation and vulnerable to predation and freezingfreezing

OverwinterOverwinter

Anchor Ice over Rocks

SpawningSpawning• Without spawning and reproduction, Without spawning and reproduction,

a population cannot survivea population cannot survive• Where individual populations Where individual populations

cannot survive, a species cannot cannot survive, a species cannot exist exist

Migration/PassageMigration/Passage• Migration corridors Migration corridors

allow access to allow access to different habitatsdifferent habitats

• Important during Important during all seasonsall seasons

• Different species Different species and different life and different life stages have stages have different needsdifferent needs

Each fish species finds Each fish species finds their unique habitat their unique habitat

needs for different life needs for different life stages in different stages in different

parts of a watershedparts of a watershed

• GlaciersGlaciers• TributariesTributaries• LakesLakes• WetlandsWetlands• EstuariesEstuaries

A watershed includes A watershed includes components from the components from the mountains to the seamountains to the sea

Common Denominator: Common Denominator: WATERWATER

• Every aspect of fish habitat Every aspect of fish habitat depends on abundant, clean depends on abundant, clean waterwater

• Quantity and quality are both Quantity and quality are both importantimportant

Alaska WatershedsAlaska Watersheds• 15,000 cataloged anadromous streams in 15,000 cataloged anadromous streams in

Alaska (about half the estimated total)Alaska (about half the estimated total)

• Some watersheds are only a few sq. mi.Some watersheds are only a few sq. mi.

• The Cook Inlet watershed is 47,000 sq. mi.The Cook Inlet watershed is 47,000 sq. mi.

• The Yukon River watershed is about The Yukon River watershed is about 300,000 sq. mi. 300,000 sq. mi.

• About 365,000 miles of waterways in About 365,000 miles of waterways in AlaskaAlaska

• Over a million lakes in Alaska Over a million lakes in Alaska

A watershed is a A watershed is a factory that makes fishfactory that makes fish

• Different parts of the factory; i.e., Different parts of the factory; i.e., habitats, have different functionshabitats, have different functions

• Each part (habitat) depends on the other Each part (habitat) depends on the other partsparts

• All of the parts work together to produce All of the parts work together to produce a product (fish)a product (fish)

Watershed Fish FactoryWatershed Fish Factory• The raw The raw

material is material is abundant abundant clean clean waterwater

• Energy comes from Energy comes from the sun and the sun and nutrients that drive nutrients that drive the food chain to the food chain to produce fishproduce fish

Nutrients in a Nutrients in a watershedwatershed

•Minerals leach Minerals leach from the landfrom the land

•Organic matter Organic matter comes from comes from streambank streambank vegetation (i.e., vegetation (i.e., “riparian “riparian areas”)areas”)

•Anadromous fish Anadromous fish are an important are an important fuel source for fuel source for many Alaskan many Alaskan watershed fish watershed fish factoriesfactories

Feed in the ocean & Feed in the ocean & accumulate “marine accumulate “marine nutrients”nutrients”

Some salmon may Some salmon may travel 3,000 miles travel 3,000 miles during their feeding during their feeding migrationmigration

Some chinook salmon Some chinook salmon may spend five years may spend five years feeding in the oceanfeeding in the ocean

AnadromoAnadromous fish are us fish are important important

in a in a watershewatershedd

AnadromoAnadromous fish are us fish are important important

in a in a watershewatershedd

Carcasses are eaten or Carcasses are eaten or decay to release marine decay to release marine nutrients in the watershednutrients in the watershed

Marine nutrients are in the Marine nutrients are in the food chain, riparian food chain, riparian vegetation, and vegetation, and groundwatergroundwater

Some chinook and chum Some chinook and chum salmon spawn in the salmon spawn in the Yukon River 2,300 miles Yukon River 2,300 miles inlandinland

• Young anadromous Young anadromous fish live in the fish live in the watershed until they watershed until they become smolts and become smolts and migrate to the oceanmigrate to the ocean

• 1 - 3 (or more) years1 - 3 (or more) years

How How Important is Important is

the the Watershed?Watershed?

• Adult anadromous fish Adult anadromous fish need the watershed to need the watershed to spawn spawn

• Resident fish species Resident fish species depend on watershed for depend on watershed for their entire life cycletheir entire life cycle

How Important is the How Important is the Watershed?Watershed?

• Different species Different species live in different live in different places and eat places and eat different foods different foods (e.g., young coho (e.g., young coho live in ponds; live in ponds; young sockeye young sockeye live in lakes)live in lakes)

• Most growth is in Most growth is in late summer when late summer when water water temperatures and temperatures and food abundance food abundance are optimalare optimal

How can you help Protect How can you help Protect Fish Habitats in Fish Habitats in

Watersheds?Watersheds?• Learn about fish habitats in Learn about fish habitats in

watershedswatersheds• Participate in a local watershed groupParticipate in a local watershed group

• Learn about proposed changes and Learn about proposed changes and become involvedbecome involved

• Beware of small, incremental but Beware of small, incremental but cumulative changescumulative changes

• Work to retain riparian areasWork to retain riparian areas

• Contact ADF&G for information about Contact ADF&G for information about anadromous streams: anadromous streams: http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/

• Contact ADF&G or other resource Contact ADF&G or other resource agencies about activities that may agencies about activities that may affect fish and wildlife or riparian areasaffect fish and wildlife or riparian areas

It takes an Entire, It takes an Entire, Healthy Watershed to Healthy Watershed to

have Good Fish Habitathave Good Fish Habitat

It Takes an Entire It Takes an Entire Watershed to Raise a Watershed to Raise a

FishFishAcknowledgementsAcknowledgements

- Funding was provided by Funding was provided by Conservation and Conservation and Reinvestment Act (Reinvestment Act (CARA) CARA)

- Thanks to Anchorage Thanks to Anchorage Waterways Council, ADF&G Waterways Council, ADF&G staff, and others who staff, and others who provided review commentsprovided review comments

- Thanks to the many people Thanks to the many people who contributed who contributed photographs to make this photographs to make this possiblepossible

One last thing:One last thing:

You can obtain a copy of this You can obtain a copy of this PowerPoint file from ADF&G, PowerPoint file from ADF&G, Division of Habitat and Division of Habitat and Restoration, AnchorageRestoration, Anchorage

907-267-2285907-267-2285

Bill HauserBill Hauser

ADF&G – H&RADF&G – H&R