The Native Village of Eyak
Department of Environment & Natural Resources
Federal Subsistence Fisheries Projects
The Native Village of Eyak was first awarded funding from the Federal Subsistence Management Program under their 2001 Fisheries Resource Monitoring Program. At that time, the Tribe was leading two projects. The program has since expanded to a total of six projects operated by NVE, with four of these currently active in 2006.
The purpose of this project is to use fishwheels and two-sample mark-recapture methods for long-term monitoring of Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Chinook salmon escapement on the Copper River. The objectives of this project are to : (1) estimate the annual, system-wide escapement of Chinook salmon to the Copper River using mark-recapture methods, such that the estimate will be within 25% of the actual escapement 95% of the time; (2) develop a long-term monitoring program operated by the Native Village of Eyak (NVE). A modified Peterson estimator is used to estimate the abundance of Chinook salmon measuring 650mm FL or greater that migrate upstream of Baird Canyon.
Sockeye Abundance Estimate
Sockeye Spawning Distribution & Run Timing
The purpose of this three year (2005 - 2007) study is to use radiotelemetry techniques to assess the spawning distribution and run timing for adult sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka stocks in the Copper River, Alaska. Specific 2005 objectives were: (1) estimate the proportions of sockeye salmon returning to major spawning areas of the Copper River (Lower Copper, Chitina, Tonsina, Klutina, Tazlina, Gulkana and Upper Copper rivers) such that the proportions were within 10% of the true proportions 95% of the time; and (2) describe the stock-specific, migratory timing profile of sockeye salmon in the Copper River at the point of capture in Baird Canyon.
This projects goal is to improve in-season escapement estimates of sockeye and chinook salmon in the lower Copper River, downstream of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game Miles Lake sonar site. The migratory behavior and stream channel use by early run sockeye and chinook salmon in the lower Copper River are determined in order to gauge sampling effort needed to index in season salmon runs. The efficacy of sonar to index the abundance of early run salmon near the Mile 27 bridge site will be assessed and sonar will be compared to alternative indexing techniques such as fishwheels and gillnet test fisheries. This project is the basis for a long-term escapement monitoring program operated by the Native Village of Eyak.
Chinook Spawning Distribution & Run Timing
Chinook Genetics
Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Long-Term Changes in Salmon Runs in the Copper River
This project is collecting traditional knowledge about past and present salmon runs on the Copper River. We will then correlate that data with the natural and social sciences to extend our temporal knowledge of the Copper River salmon fishery and supplement and validate the indices of abundance for Copper Rier chinook and sockeye salmon.
Other Environmental Projects
Cordova Oil Spill Response Facility
In March 1989, the T/V Exxon Valdez went aground on Bligh Reef in PWS, in southcentral Alaska, spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil. More than $335 million was expended for cleanup, studies of damages, and preparation of resource recovery plans. The lack of deepwater port access in the area complicated the logistics of responding to a spill of such magnitude, and the absence of dedicated staging areas contiguous to docking facilities slowed the timely flow of equipment and supplies needed for spill response actions.
As a result of the Exxon Valdez disaster, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) was enacted. OPA 90 required emergency spill response equipment be positioned at strategic locations throughout PWS. Along with other broad provisions, OPA 90 specifically requires pre-positioned oil spill containment and removal equipment in communities and other strategic locations within PWS.
In 1992, a civil lawsuit was settled between the State of Alaska and the U.S. Government, and Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Terms of the settlement were outlined in the Alyeska Agreement and Consent Decree, which specified funds and facility components for oil spill response enhancement projects in three PWS communities. The three locations would form a triangle that would be bisected by the central and southern portions of PWS oil vessel traffic lanes. Spill response facilities and docks have been constructed in Chenega Bay and Tatitlek; however, the Cordova facility has not yet been constructed.
With EPA funding, NVE purchased our first water quality test kit in February 1999. This was utilized to provide NVE's AmeriCorps member with an introduction to water quality monitoring, in a 1999 research study of Orca Inlet and in an Eyak Lake Assessment in 2001. This first sampling kit is no longer with us, but it provided a valuable starting point to build the capacity for water quality monitoring we are still actively engaged in. We are currently conducting monthly water samples at several sites in Orca Inlet and Eyak Lake, test well water quality at Tribal Member homes, and work with the City of Cordova to ensure that high quality drinking water is available to all Cordovans. Several Tribal members have also participated in water resource technician training through the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society and the Bureau of Indian Affairs since the summer of 2001, and we employ numerous local high school students to assist with water sampling, helping build a bridge to the future of our environment.
Respect for the Tribe's people, land, air and water through assessment, research, monitoring, and management
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