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, geologists and other biologists to study fish and aquatic systems in an ecosystem based framework. The goal of our current research effort is to improve our understanding of the biocomplexity, resilience, and function of aquatic ecosystems to better inform future predictions of fish and aquatic ecosystems as they respond to a changing environment.
Return to Ecosystems
- Assessing Heat Stress in Migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
- Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
- Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
- Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology or Hydrology
- Primary production sources and bottom-up limitations in nearshore ecosystems
- Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
- Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
- Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound during the marine heatwave
- Arctic Lake Food Webs
- Winter Habitat of juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
- Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)

Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Does fish prey influence red-throated loon productivity?
Tracing Mercury Through Lake Food Webs
Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
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
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Nearshore Fish Isotope Values, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
Observations Documenting Premature Mortality Among Alaska's Pacific Salmon in 2019
Lake Trout Otolith Growth Increment Measurements, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1979-2012
Pacific Sand Lance Energy Density, Length, and Age, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2012-2016
Below are publications associated with this project.
Fish ear stones offer climate change clues in Alaska's lakes
First juvenile Chum Salmon confirms successful reproduction for Pacific salmon in the North American Arctic
Premature mortality observations among Alaska’s Pacific salmon during record heat and drought in 2019
Interaction between watershed features and climate forcing affects habitat profitability for juvenile salmon
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
Energy allocation and feeding ecology of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) during transition from freshwater to saltwater
Extreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Potential effects of permafrost thaw on arctic river ecosystems
Top-down control of invertebrates by Ninespine Stickleback in Arctic ponds
Widespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
- Overview
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, geologists and other biologists to study fish and aquatic systems in an ecosystem based framework. The goal of our current research effort is to improve our understanding of the biocomplexity, resilience, and function of aquatic ecosystems to better inform future predictions of fish and aquatic ecosystems as they respond to a changing environment.
Return to Ecosystems
- Assessing Heat Stress in Migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
- Nearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
- Sockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
- Effect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
- Hydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology or Hydrology
- Primary production sources and bottom-up limitations in nearshore ecosystems
- Lake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
- Ecosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
- Condition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound during the marine heatwave
- Arctic Lake Food Webs
- Winter Habitat of juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
- Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Beach seining on the spawing grounds of sockeye salmon in Salmon Lake. This is the headwater of the Pilgrim River which is the northern edge of the sockeye salmon distribution.(Credit: Mike Carey, USGS. Public domain.) - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 16Does fish prey influence red-throated loon productivity?
This study will evaluate the nearshore marine feeding areas of breeding adult red-throated loons and assess the response of loon reproductive success to differences in the relative abundance, composition, and nutritional content of nearshore fish communities that vary in space and time.Tracing Mercury Through Lake Food Webs
Mercury concentrations in fish likely reflect different energy sources in lake food webs. Species, populations, or individuals may contain higher and variable concentrations of mercury, which may relate directly to prey mercury content, diets of fish, and fish foraging strategies.Beavers Impacting Tundra Ecosystems (BITE)
The range expansion of the North American beaver (Castor canadensis) has implications for water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and fisheries in Arctic streams.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. - Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Nearshore Fish Isotope Values, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, 2017-2019
This dataset contains isotope values of muscle tissue from fish collected in the nearshore Beaufort Sea, Alaska in summers 2017-2019.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 fouLake Trout Otolith Growth Increment Measurements, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1979-2012
This data set documents the width of annual otolith growth increments from Lake Trout collected in lakes within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The analysis of this data was published in von Biela et al. 2020 (DOI: 10.1111/eff.12566)Pacific Sand Lance Energy Density, Length, and Age, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2012-2016
This data set documents the age, length, dry mass energy density, and dry mass of age-0 and age-1 Pacific sand lance captured in Prince William Sound Alaska each July from 2012 to 2016. The analysis of this data was published in von Biela et al. 2019 (doi:10.3354/meps12891). - Multimedia
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 53Fish ear stones offer climate change clues in Alaska's lakes
Otoliths, also known as ear stones, are small body parts that help fish with hearing and balance. Like tree rings, otoliths form one light and one dark band per year, creating rings. These rings can be measured to understand fish growth. The wider the ring, the greater the growth. In our study, we used otoliths to understand how one fish species—lake trout—responds to rising temperature in the staFirst juvenile Chum Salmon confirms successful reproduction for Pacific salmon in the North American Arctic
The distributional extent of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. in the North American Arctic is unresolved. While adult Pacific salmon have a recurring presence across the Alaskan North Slope and into the Canadian Arctic, it is uncertain if these fish are part of established Arctic populations, vagrants from outside sources reproducing unsuccessfully, or both. Here we present the first confirmed recPremature 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 1Interaction between watershed features and climate forcing affects habitat profitability for juvenile salmon
Opportunities for growth and survival of aquatic organisms are spatially and temporally variable as habitat conditions across watersheds respond to interacting climatic, geomorphic, and hydrologic conditions. As conservation efforts often focus on identifying and protecting critical habitats, it is important to understand how this spatial and temporal variation in habitat quality affects the produA 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 eTranscriptomic 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 iEvidence 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 popuEnergy allocation and feeding ecology of juvenile chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) during transition from freshwater to saltwater
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations near their northern range extent in the Arctic-Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska have undergone major changes in population trajectory and illuminated the lack of basic information on juvenile ecology. This study fills information gaps on the early life history of chum salmon at northern latitudes. Energy allocation was examined in the context of distrExtreme reduction in nutritional value of a key forage fish during the Pacific marine heatwave of 2014–2016
Pacific sand lance Ammodytes personatus are a key forage fish in the North Pacific for many species of salmon, groundfish, seabirds, and marine mammals and have historically been important to predators in relatively warm years. However, extreme declines in the nutritional value of sand lance in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, during 2012-2016 indicate that energy transfer from lower trophic levPotential effects of permafrost thaw on arctic river ecosystems
No abstract available.Top-down control of invertebrates by Ninespine Stickleback in Arctic ponds
Despite their widespread presence in northern-latitude ecosystems, the ecological role of Ninespine Stickleback Pungitius pungitius is not well understood. Ninespine Stickleback can occupy both top and intermediate trophic levels in freshwater ecosystems, so their role in food webs as a predator on invertebrates and as a forage fish for upper level consumers probably is substantial. We introducedWidespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
Kelp forests provide habitat for diverse and abundant fish assemblages, but the extent to which kelp provides a source of energy to fish and other predators is unclear. To examine the use of kelp-derived energy by fishes we estimated the contribution of kelp- and phytoplankton-derived carbon using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes measured in muscle tissue. Benthic-foraging kelp greenling