Salmon Science Symposium shrunk by snow stimulates

The two-day Mat-Su Basin Salmon Science and Conservation Symposium scheduled for Monday and Tuesday of this week, at the Palmer Community Center, was reduced to a one-day event on Tuesday. Predicted heavy snowfall on Sunday had event organizer, Jessica Speed, scrambling to put together a contingency plan that originally would have shifted the start time an hour later on Monday. As the snow continued to fall and accumulate overnight Sunday and early Monday a contingency for the contingency plan was developed to condense the Symposium into a one-day event on Tuesday.

Figuring a high number of attendees might need to register at the door on Tuesday I arrived early — with the parking lot already filling up. Most of the people inside the community center at that time, were folks helping with set up or registration for the event, so I was able to register quickly, and start networking immediately with attendees already in the building, and as new individuals arrived. As I mentioned in last week’s column, networking / catching up with old friends from Symposiums past, and meeting new friends interested in Mat-Su / Alaska salmon is one of the larger benefits I gain from the Symposium. The prepared food and hot drinks available during registration / networking provided my breakfast —better than my own cooking.

The welcome by Laurie Stuart / Kevin Toothaker / Mike Wood was well received by the room, now full of attendees, and had us eager to hear and learn more.

I came hoping to learn from keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Wesley, a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and perhaps have the opportunity to ask a question or two concerning the relationship between hatchery and wild salmon production. He spoke, with a slideshow power point, about much more than just hatchery / wild salmon stock relationships, and very insightfully. When the opportunity to ask a question was presented, I allowed all other attendees at least a second or two to respond, before blurting my question and getting a response concerning hatchery / wild salmon. Several additional questions followed concerning hatchery / wild salmon relationships. It appears this is a subject the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership had not delved into in the past, or perhaps, multiple attendees simply wanted to learn more on the subject.

My takeaways on the hatchery / wild salmon relationship — 1. Just as some Alaskans depend heavily on wild salmon stocks throughout the state there are certain Alaskans and some communities now heavily dependent upon hatchery salmon. 2. Habitat (even ocean habitat) can not support an infinite number of salmon — perhaps best illustrated by a reduction in size of 4 salmon species at maturation in relationship to the number of salmon rearing in the ocean over time. 3. According to Dr Wesley most salmon scientists now hold the position that large numbers of hatchery salmon are having a negative impact on wild salmon stocks — while a much smaller group of scientists hold onto the thought that hatchery salmon may have little or no impact on wild salmon stocks / partially based on the thought that the ocean’s habitat may produce infinite numbers of salmon. 4. It is time to have a grown up public conversation concerning hatchery salmon released in Alaska waters, including who, and how many, people benefit from this production, and what is really gained, or not, from the production of hatchery salmon in Alaska.

Maintaining water quality for drinking, but also to a level that maintains or benefits fish and game populations was discussed in relation to a possible change in Mat-Su Borough code. Some change could reduce the 75-foot setback from waterbodies building regulation that has been in the borough for 50 years — how could this be done while at the same time bettering water quality within the Mat-Su Borough? An advisory group has been formed to study this issue with a report due back to the borough within 10 months.

Parker Bradley with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game gave a very thought provoking presentation concerning three levels of northern pike devastation of salmon populations observed in Mat-Su Basin lakes — with the third level being total extirpation of salmon populations. He provided numbers of known lakes observed at the 3 levels — concluding if some form(s) of human intervention was not done, all Mat-Su Basin lakes would most likely only stay at their current level of lost salmon production or get worse.

I was encouraged with presentations by Andrea James from Chickaloon Tribe and Jillian Joblonski with Tyonek Tribe concerning the work they were doing to improve salmon passage to upstream habitats that could support salmon production. Carrie Brophil with Native Village of Eklutna gave a short discussion of the opportunity to provide public comment on efforts to rehabilitate salmon habitat within the Eklutna River / Lake drainage. Others also mentioned salmon passage work and part of the shared discussion was considerations of how to exclude invasive northern pike from gaining access to additional miles of habitat through the very structures that allow access to salmon.

The good news — there are a multitude of good and often quite expensive projects within the Mat-Su Basin to reconnect or rehabilitate lost salmon habitat. One of the always significant takeaways from this discussion — preventative maintenance of our productive and connected salmon habitats, and water quality — at present -- could eliminate future expensive rehabilitation.

I believe most —if not all —attendees of the Salmon Symposium enjoyed and gained from the experience. I know most — if not all — had to re-adjust their schedules because of the snowstorm complications. While not as enjoyable as meeting in person, I hope the partnership will consider having a Zoom online option — as an insurance policy in preparation for future weather events, which will occur at unpredictable times. I apologize for what was not included in this column, but just as occurred in my presentation at the Symposium, I have run out of my time and space to communicate more.

Good Luck and Fish On!

Access Mat-Su Salmon Habitat Partnership information: https://www.matsusalmon.org