[CINC] Fresh water seals in Alaska

[Paul Petrich]

Hello again Ocean Affectionatos,
  I worked as a fisheries aid for pioneering FRI biologist in Alaska the summers of 56, 57, and 58 tagging and enumerating salmon (Yes, Alaska was still a territory!). We were focused on the migration of Red Salmon up the Kvichak River into Lake Illiamna from Bristol Bay, and the enumeration of fingerling going back down river. I returned to the area by bush plane upon our cruise ship's stop in Anchorage. The Kvichak-Lake Illiamna region was, and remains, a true wilderness. It also remains the most healthy watershed region in the world for the spawning of completely wild salmon - which are caught in the Bristol Bay. Scientific data gathered in almost exactly the same way as 50+ years ago, is the basis for this world renown example in sustainable fisheries management.

  Back in the 50s, I don't remember that we aids and biologists ever noticing seals residing in Lake Illiamna, which is 100 miles long, and now one of the largest and deepest lakes in the 50 states. We boated its extent, tracing the tags, right up to the spawning creeks. We did encounter emphatic stories of the so called "Illiamna Monster", but no photos. However, during my fly-over of the northeastern, and deepest end of the lake, this July 15th, I took a photo of a large heard of seals sunning themselves on a sand spit island. There were well over a hundred, and they came in all colors-from solid black (or dark brown) to  solid white (or very light tan). The pilot knew where to look. They are well known to the locals. The interesting thing about the seals residing in great numbers at this far end of the lake (far from the Kvichak River mouth and the connection to Bristol bay), is that they have plenty of salmon to eat during the last part of every summer, but remain there, even when the salmon runs are done by late August. So, they must find plenty of other species of fish in those deep glacial waters through the rest of the year.

 At our ship's last port of call prior to concluding the trip in Seattle, I quizzed the curator of vertebrates at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria. Dr. Gavin Hanke informed me that these truly fresh water seals of Lake Illiamna are one of only three known groups of fresh water seals in the world. Other species exist in Lake Baykal in Russia and in the Seal River of Manitoba, Canada.

 This fresh water species of seals, as well as the bountiful a salmon fisheries that helps sustains them, may soon join the Illiamna Monster as only Illiamna legend. Currently, the Pebble Mine conglomerate is very actively researching the area to geologically measure in detail how rich the recent discovery of gold and copper in the region is. The mineral deposits found so far will definitely impact the most important streams to which the Red Salmon go to spawn.To what extent future mining residue will filter into Lake Illiamna, and into the near by Lake Clark National Park, remains to be seen. See National Geographic, December 2010, "Salmon or Gold". Alaskans are debating this issue to the extreme. Pebble Mine wants to finish the permitting process in a couple years.

 In my mind, the scientifically  based sustainable fisheries of Lake Illiamna is a success story which is based on the same scientific data and research used to support MPAs. Although the scientific data gathered about salmon dictates "periods of take or no take" to fishers, it clearly aims at allowing the largest and most mature fish a fair chance to reproduce. This is exactly what MPAs do with "no take zones", which all other efforts at fisheries management fail to do. Science unequivocally shows us now that a few fully mature members of a species ex-potentially out reproduce even multitudes of smaller, yet "legal sized", members of that same species. On this conservation issue in Alaska the fishermen and fisherwomen are clearly on the same page as the environmentalist. Stay tuned.
 Paul Petrich
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