We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
Return to Ecosystems >> Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Yukon River Chinook salmon have been in decline since the 1990s for unknown causes and the pace of decline has recently accelerated. Heat stress during spawning migration has the potential to cause significant prespawn mortality of adult fish. Two biomarkers will be used to assess the presence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon, the concentration of a specific heat shock protein (HSP70) associated with stress and the expression (i.e., transcription) of genes involved with thermal stress and physiological pathways affected by thermal stress. Fish will be collected during the spawning migration at established monitoring sites throughout the Yukon River watershed including test fisheries at Emmonak and Eagle, weirs on tributaries (East Fork Andreafsky River and Gisasa River), and a subsistence fish wheel near Tanana. A short (<48 h) manipulative temperature experiment will distinguish baseline protein and gene expression levels in fish held at a cooler control temperature from fish held at temperatures associated with low (18 °C) and high (21 °C) heat stress. The potential influence of migration timing, age, and size on the presence of stress indicators will also be evaluated. The results of this study will be used to assess the likelihood of increases in freshwater adult mortality and reduced reproductive success from heat stress. If heat stress indicators are present, managers may adjust escapement goals to compensate for the likelihood of higher prespawn mortality rates.

Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
Arctic Lake Food Webs
Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology
Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Gene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance in Juvenile Hatchery Reared Coho Salmon and Chinook Salmon during a Manipulative Thermal Experiment, Anchorage, Alaska 2020-2021
Observations Documenting Premature Mortality Among Alaska's Pacific Salmon in 2019
Water Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Measured During a Manipulative Thermal Challenge Experiment for Adult Salmonids, Yukon River, Alaska, 2018
Gene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance Results from Migrating Adult Chinook Salmon, Yukon Watershed, 2016-2017
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Kings of the North: Bridging disciplines to understand the effects of changing climate on Chinook salmon in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Region
Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
A manipulative thermal challenge protocol for adult salmonids in remote field settings
Transcriptomic response to elevated water temperatures in adult migrating Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
Return to Ecosystems >> Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Yukon River Chinook salmon have been in decline since the 1990s for unknown causes and the pace of decline has recently accelerated. Heat stress during spawning migration has the potential to cause significant prespawn mortality of adult fish. Two biomarkers will be used to assess the presence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon, the concentration of a specific heat shock protein (HSP70) associated with stress and the expression (i.e., transcription) of genes involved with thermal stress and physiological pathways affected by thermal stress. Fish will be collected during the spawning migration at established monitoring sites throughout the Yukon River watershed including test fisheries at Emmonak and Eagle, weirs on tributaries (East Fork Andreafsky River and Gisasa River), and a subsistence fish wheel near Tanana. A short (<48 h) manipulative temperature experiment will distinguish baseline protein and gene expression levels in fish held at a cooler control temperature from fish held at temperatures associated with low (18 °C) and high (21 °C) heat stress. The potential influence of migration timing, age, and size on the presence of stress indicators will also be evaluated. The results of this study will be used to assess the likelihood of increases in freshwater adult mortality and reduced reproductive success from heat stress. If heat stress indicators are present, managers may adjust escapement goals to compensate for the likelihood of higher prespawn mortality rates.
A spawning Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) captured near Pilot Station, Alaska, in June 2018 as part of an experimental temperature manipulation study to validate heat stress biomarkers. (Credit: Shannon Waters, USGS. Public domain.) Muscle tissue sample from a Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) used for gene transcription and protein concentration analyses. Picture taken during field work at the Rapid River Fish Wheel. (Credit: Randy J. Brown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.) Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Map of Yukon Chinook salmon muscle tissue sample locations. (Credit: Vanessa von Biela, USGS. Public domain.) Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Vanessa von Biela with a Chinook salmon on the Yukon River. (Credit: Randy J. Brown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.) Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Randy Brown adjusts a fish wheel trap on the Yukon River that will catch Chinook salmon. (Credit: Vanessa von Biela, USGS. Public domain.) Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Fish drying at a subsistence fish camp along the Yukon River. (Credit: Randy J. Brown, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.) - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with hydrologists...Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).Winter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
In the Arctic, rivers often freeze all the way to the bottom each winter leaving fish with limited habitat where they can survive.Arctic Lake Food Webs
From 2011 to 2013 we investigated freshwater food webs of Arctic Coastal Plain lakes in Alaska to improve our understanding how Arctic freshwater food webs may respond to landscape change the warmer, drier future.Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
In addition to the direct effects of sea ice loss on walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that use ice as a platform, the decline of Arctic sea ice is predicted to promote a fundamental ecosystem shift from benthic animals that forage on the sea floor to pelagic animals that forage near the sea surface.Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
High latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to long-term climate change, yet continuous, multidecadal indicators by which to gauge effects on biology are scarce, especially in freshwater environments.Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology
Permafrost thaw is leading to a myriad of changes in physical and chemical conditions throughout the Arctic.Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
The potential for invasive species introductions in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems is growing as climate change manifests and human activity increases in high latitudes.Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver to spawn and complete their life cycle is influenced by river temperature.Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Nearshore systems provide habitat to a unique community of marine and diadromous (lives in both fresh and saltwater) fish and support high fish abundance. - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Gene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance in Juvenile Hatchery Reared Coho Salmon and Chinook Salmon during a Manipulative Thermal Experiment, Anchorage, Alaska 2020-2021
This dataset consists of two tables with the results from two manipulative thermal experiments with juvenile coho salmon (May 2021) and juvenile Chinook salmon (May 2020) and include 1) gene transcription results and heat shock protein 70 abundance in coho salmon and Chinook salmon and 2) water temperatures to which fish were exposed during the experiment.Observations Documenting Premature Mortality Among Alaska's Pacific Salmon in 2019
These data are a compilation of geographically widespread observations of premature mortality in Pacific salmon across their range in Alaska in 2019. Premature mortality observations primarily spanned an area of western and southcentral Alaska that is approximately one million km2 and included all five species of Pacific salmon. Observations were obtained and compiled in a single database from fouWater Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Measured During a Manipulative Thermal Challenge Experiment for Adult Salmonids, Yukon River, Alaska, 2018
This data set documents the temperature and dissolved oxygen of water during the implementation of a new experimental thermal challenge protocol for migrating adult Pacific salmon in remote settings. This experiment was conducted with migrating adult Chinook salmon near Pilot Station, Alaska, along the Yukon River in a location without access to utilities. The analysis of this data was published iGene Transcription and Heat Shock Protein 70 Abundance Results from Migrating Adult Chinook Salmon, Yukon Watershed, 2016-2017
This data set documents the gene transcription levels for a panel of 12 selected genes and the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) protein abundance measured in the muscle tissue of individual wild Chinook salmon captured from locations within the U.S. portion of the Yukon River watershed. Chinook salmon were primarily captured in 2016 and 2017 from existing field efforts (n = 477). A small number of ad - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Kings of the North: Bridging disciplines to understand the effects of changing climate on Chinook salmon in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim Region
Understanding how species are responding to environmental change is a central challenge for stewards and managers of fish and wildlife who seek to maintain harvest opportunities for communities and Indigenous peoples. This is a particularly daunting but increasingly important task in remote, high-latitude regions where environmental conditions are changing rapidly and data collection is logisticalAuthorsMegan L. Feddern, Erik R. Schoen, Rebecca Shaftel, Curry J. Cunningham, Craig Chythlook, Brendan M. Connors, Alyssa D. Murdoch, Vanessa R. von Biela, Brooke WoodsPremature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
Widespread mortality of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. returning to spawn in Alaska coincided with record-breaking air temperatures and prolonged drought in summer 2019. Extreme environmental conditions are expected to happen more frequently with rapid climate change and challenge the notion that Alaska could indefinitely provide abundant, cool freshwater habitat for Pacific salmon. A total of 1AuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Christopher J. Sergeant, Michael P. Carey, Zachary Liller, Charles M. Russell, Stephanie Quinn-Davidson, Peter S. Rand, P. A. H. Westley, Christian E. ZimmermanA manipulative thermal challenge protocol for adult salmonids in remote field settings
Manipulative experiments provide stronger evidence for identifying cause-and-effect relationships than correlative studies, but protocols for implementing temperature manipulations are lacking for large species in remote settings. We developed an experimental protocol for holding adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and exposing them to elevated temperature treatments. The goal of the eAuthorsDaniel S. Donnelly, Vanessa R. von Biela, Stephen D. McCormick, Sarah M. Laske, Michael P. Carey, Shannon C. Waters, Lizabeth Bowen, Randy J Brown, Sean Larson, Christian E. ZimmermanTranscriptomic response to elevated water temperatures in adult migrating Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) declines are widespread and may be attributed, at least in part, to warming river temperatures. Water temperatures in the Yukon River and tributaries often exceed 18°C, a threshold commonly associated with heat stress and elevated mortality in Pacific salmon. Untangling the complex web of direct and indirect physiological effects of heat stress on salmon iAuthorsLizabeth Bowen, Vanessa R. von Biela, Stephen D. McCormick, Amy M. Regish, Shannon C. Waters, Blythe Durbin-Johnson, Monica Britton, Matt Settles, Daniel S. Donnelly, Sarah M. Laske, Michael P. Carey, Randy J Brown, Christian E. ZimmermanEvidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon
Migrating adult Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) are sensitive to warm water (>18 °C), with a range of consequences from decreased spawning success to early mortality. We examined the proportion of Yukon River Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) exhibiting evidence of heat stress to assess the potential that high temperatures contribute to freshwater adult mortality in a northern Pacific salmon popuAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Lizabeth Bowen, Stephen D. McCormick, Michael P. Carey, Daniel S. Donnelly, Shannon C. Waters, Amy M. Regish, Sarah M. Laske, Randy J Brown, Sean Larson, Stan Zuray, Christian E. Zimmerman - Partners
Below are partners associated with this project.