New Study Documents Yukon Salmon Spawning Areas Across Alaska and Canada

A new study by Alaska and Canada-based researchers catalogs and maps the known spawning areas of Yukon River Chinook Salmon. The researchers use published articles, gray literature, and information archived in agency databases. The authors write that most of the sources are from the past three decades, but some reference observations that were recorded as long ago as the late 1800s.“Despite the long history of Chinook Salmon research and management within the Yukon River basin (Pennoyer et al. 1965; Evenson et al. 2009; JTC 2016), there is no comprehensive account of spawning areas in tributary rivers and main-stem reaches. 

The study documents salmon spawning streams all along the Yukon River drainage.

Our primary objective in this study was therefore to document and map Chinook Salmon spawning areas throughout the Yukon River basin by using a wide range of data sources. Our secondary objective was to highlight the largest populations by classifying spawning areas as either major or minor producers based on three indicators of abundance…”
The article, Catalog of Chinook Salmon Spawning Areas in Yukon River Basin in Canada and United States is published in the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management.

Authors:
Randy J. Brown,* Al von Finster, Robert J. Henszey, John H. Eiler
R.J. Brown, R.J. Henszey