Table Of ContentU.S. Department of the Interior BLM-Alaska Open File Report 51
Bureau of Land Management ' BLM/AK/ST-94/077 +7200+080
April 1994
Alaska State Office
222 W. 7th4Avenue,# 13 1
Anchorage, Alaska 9951 3 <
Aauatic Resources
of the Salmon Fork Black River, Alaska
A Preliminary Survey, 1991
d
\
- Jon Kostohrys, Brian Lubinski, and Nathan Collin
I
I
I
Aquatic Resources of the Salmon Fork Black River,
Alaska:
A Preliminary Survey, 1991
Jon Kostohrys
Brian Lubinski
Nathan Collin
U.S Bureau of Land Management Open File Report 51
Alaska State Off ice April 1994
222 W. 7th Avenue, #I 3
Anchorage, Alaska 99513
Disclaimer
The mention of trade names or commercial products in this report does not constitute
endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government.
Acknowledgements
The BLM's Steese/White Mountains District, Division of Resource Management funded
this reconnaissance survey. Anna McGlinn assisted with the fisheries and hydrology
computer data entry. Bunny Sterin and Dennis To1 of BLM's State Office and MaryLu
Harle and Steve Lyons of the U.S. FWS reviewed the manuscript. Jim Ducker of BLMfs
State Office edited this document.
Table of Contents
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction 1
Study Site
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Physiography 1
Climate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fisheries 3
Methods
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fisheries 3
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hydrology 3
Results
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fisheries 4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hydrology 6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recommendations 8
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
References 9
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix 10
Figures
1. Study area and cross section locations on the Salmon Fork
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Black fiver. June 7.14â 1991 2
2' Len*-frequency of Arctic grayling captured in the Sdmon
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fork Black River. June 7.14. 1991 5
3 . Length-weight relationship of Arctic grayling captured in the
Salmon Fork Black River. June 7.14. 1991 . . . . . . . . . . 5
A1 Channel cross section for the Salmon Fork Black River above
*
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rice GulchCreek 13
.
A2 Discharge rating curve for the Salmon Fork Black River
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
above Rce Gulch Creek 13
A3 . Channel cross section for the Salmon Fork Black River below
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Runt Creek 14
.
A4 Discharge rating curve for the Salmon Fork Black River
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
be1owRuntCreek 14
.
A5 Chmel cross section for the Salmon Fork Black River above
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
KevinjikCreek 15
.
A6 Discharge rating curve for the Salmon Fork Black Ever
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
above Kevinjik Creek 15
. . . . . . . . . .
A7 Channel cross section for Rice Gulch Creek 16
. . . . . . . . . .
A8 Discharge rating curve for Ece Gulch Creek 16
A9 . Channel cross section for Drifting Snow Creek . . . . . . . . 1 7
A10 . Discharge rating curve for Drifting Snow Creek . . . . . . . 1 7
All. Channel cross section for Tetthajik Creek . . . . . . . . . . 1 8
. . . . . . . . . . .
A12 Discharge rating curve for Tetthajik Creek 18
Fish species sampled w i t ht he Salmon Fork Black Rver
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
du~gJ~e7.14~1991 4
Fork lengths by age class of 50 Arctic grayling captured in the
Salmon Fork Black River by hook and line. June 7.14. 1991 . . 5
. . .
Salmon Fork Black River 1991 discharge measurements 6
. . . . . . . . .
Surveyed stream channel site characteristics 7
Chemical and physical characteristics of the Salmon Fork
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Black Rver water samples 7
Flow frequency calculations for the Salmon Fork Black River . 7
. . . . . .
Bankful discharge of the Salmon Fork Black River 8
Channel characteristics of the Salmon Fork Black Rver at
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
average discharge 8
Salmon Fork Black Ever above Rice Gulch Creek rating table 10
. . .
Salmon Fork Black River below Runt Creek rating table 10
. .
Salmon Fork Black Rver above Kevinjik Creek rating table 11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rice Gulch Creek rating table 11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Drifting Snow Creek rating table 12
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tetthajik Creek rating table 12
Introduction
The Salrnon Fork, a tributary to the Blackt Porcupinef and Yukon Rivers in Alaska, is managed
by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) east of 142'west Longitude upstream to the Interm-
tional Boundary. It originates in the mountains of Canadafs Yukon Territoryt flowing southwest-
erly and crossing the International Boundary just south of the Arctic Circle. It terminates at the
confluence with the Black River near abandoned Salmon Village (Figure 1). h June l99lr the BLM
initiated a mdtidisciphry resources investigation of the Salmon Fork Black River drainage as part
of a reconnaissance resources inventory of the upper Black River watershed. This component of the
inventory addresses the aquatic portion of the Salmon Fork ecosystem and includes preliminary
fisheries surveys, hydrological quantificationt and water quality results from the International
Boundary to Kevinjik Creek.
Study Site
Physiography
The Salmon Fork Black Ever drainage basin,
located in the eastern interior of Alaskaf is part
of the Yukon-Porcuphe River physiographic
province (Whhafiig 1965). This roughly
triangular area is bounded by the Yukon Rver
to the south, the Porcupine Ever to the north
and the Alaskaxanada International Boundary
to the east' The headwaters, which originate in
the western end of the Keele River Range of the
Canadian Ogilvie Mountains, lie well to the
north of the Arctic Circle. West of the border,
the Salmon Fork Black River flows through the Ailuviai silt and peat banks of the lower drainage of the
Salmon Fork 6iack River.
Porcupine Plateauf a forested upland of gentle
relief, though some ridges are topped by 2?500- underlain by discontinuous permafrost. The
to 3,500-feet tundra-covered mountains river in the upper drainage is often bounded by
(Churkin and Brabb 1967). The Salmon Fork, steep bluffs, composed of sedimentary and
like its tributariesf is narrow and steep in the metamorphic rocks (Brabb 1970). In the lower
headwaters?b ut downstrem of the Intern- drainage, the banks?c omposed of alluvial silt
tional Boundary, it widens and slows to a and peat, are seldom more than twenty feet
moderate gradient stream. The relatively flat above the low water channel and are covered
floodplain ranges from one to three miles wide. with spruce, cottonwood, and birch (Fitzgerald
Dowmtrem of the Pink Bluffs, the Salmon Fork 1944). Numerous springs occur in the basin,
widens greatly as the gradient decreases, in- especially in the Tetthajik Creek area and
creasing its meandering to fom numerous contribute si@cantly to winter stream flow
sloaghs and extensive marshy lowlmds, often (Hobgood 1991).
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most abundant sahon species within the
Climate
drainage, followed by summer chumf king
The basin lies largely in the subpolar conti- (Oncorhynchas tshqtscha), and coho sahon
nental. climatic zone characterized by longf cold (O~corhy~chkuiss atch). Barton also documented
winters and short, hot s m e r s . Temperature s p a w ~agre as in Kevinjik and Tetthajik creeks
extremes range from -74 (-59 'C) in winter to for both chum and king salmonf and Alt (1987)
O F
98 (37 OC) in. summer. Precipitation ranges noted sheefish.
O F
from 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 crn) per year at
nearby recording stations, though variations are
Methods
large due to surrounding topography. Precipi-
tation is generally greater at higher elevations Fisheries
and during the summer, with most coming as
Fish species occurrencef and Arctic grayling
rainfall from late June to early September (US.
population structure and general habitat data
Department of Commerce 1963). Snowfall
were collected from a point just downstream of
averages about 40 inches (1.0 m) per year, with
the International Boundary, to the mouth of
about 20 inches (0.5 m) remaining on the
Kevinjik Creek. Sarnple sites were randomly
ground prior to spring break-up, which usually
selected and defined by river mile as measured
begins in May. Freeze-up often begins at higher
upstream from the mainstem of the Black River.
elevations in mid September, though some
Species occurrence was determined using a
streams lower in the basin remain open until
small 2.6 sq. m (0.4 in2) mesh. fyke net, experi-
November. Ice cover is usually continuous for
mental gill net with bar mesh sizes of 32 m
the winterf except in the vicinity of springs, and
(1 -3i n), 38 m (1.5 in), 50 m (2.0 in), and
streamflow may not persist throughout the
76 nun (3.0 in), backpack electrofisher (Sntith-
basin during some winters. Additional infor-
Root Model 15A)fa nd hook and line. Arctic
mation of the area can be found in U.S. Depart-
grayling were collected by hook and line using
ment of the Interior (1987).
double aught and single aught Mepps spinners.
For all fish, excluding sculpin (Cottus spp),
Fisheries lengths to the nearest millimeter (m)an d
weights to the nearest gram (g) were recorded.
Caulfield (1983) describes the fishery re-
Scales were collected from grayling, and ages
sources of the Black River and associated
estimated according to Halberg (Alaska Depart-
tributaries as a major source for subsistence
ment of Fish & Game, Fairbanksf personal
fishing for residents of the area. They catch
comdcation). Aging was completed by the
salmon (Oncorhy~chws ~p.w)h~it efish spp.,
Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Division of
sheefish (Stgnod~sle ~cichthysb)~ur bot (Lota lota),
Sport Fish. General habitat descriptions were
and northern pike (Esox lucius) with gilheis in
recorded where fish use was documented by
the main river and Arctic grayling (Thymllas
direct observation or sampling.
arcfic~sb)o~t h in nets and with hook and he,
throughout the system, Shore (1954) reported
harvesting large nmbers of northern pike with
Hydrology
hook and h ea nd nets from the Salmon Fork
for dog food. A number of large lakes, ~clud- Channel cross sections were surveyed by
ing Ohtig and Tiink&d, are situated near the BLM at three sites on the Salmon Fork River, as
Black River, where pike and whitefish are well as three of the principal tributaries w i t h
taken. Barton (1984) and Rost (In preparation) the basin. Sites were selected to be consistent
found fall chum (Oncorhynchus kta) to be the with the assumptions of the hydraulic model as
well as to adequately assess aquatic habitat. At Results
each site, a discharge measurement was made
Fisheries
using a Price AA current meter to measure
water velocity and a top setting wading rod and
tag line for depth and width (USDI 1967). The Eight species of fish were sampled (Table I).
stream banks, high-water marks, and water Gill nets were set overnight on June 7 at mile
surface profiles were surveyed using a level and 71.7 in a slough north of the river. Four north-
stadia rod (Berison and Dalrymple 1967). ern pike were captured. These fish, similar in
A water level versus discharge rating was size, averaged 371 mxn fl(14.6 in) and 452 g
developed from this direct discharge (1.0 lbs). Stomach analysis revealed both
(streamflow) measurement (Rantz et a1 1982) scdpin and dragon fly (Odonafo spp.) nymphs
and computer-shdated flows using XSAREA, were present. Overnight fyke nets were set on
a modi£icatioo f the BLM slope-conveymce June 9 and 12 at the mouths of sloughs at mile
hydraulic model (Parsons and Hudson, 1982). 67.2 and 54.7. No fish were captured, however,
These rating curves (actually log-log regression a beaver was caught at the latter site.
plots) were then used to relate discharge to the Electrofishg was used for a total of 11.5
other c h e lp arameters md resource values, minutes in a backwater area along the north
identified at tihe site, and to compute the bank at mile 547. Fish captured included one
b m disc harge. northern pike, one juvenile salmon identified as
Water quality samples were taken at each either a king or coho, one Lmprey spp. be-
cross section using a Hach digital titrator and lieved to be the Arctic lamprey (hmpefra jg-
dry chemical water sampling kit. Parmeters ponica), and numerous S h ys culpin (Cottus
collected included pH, temperature, turbidity, copatus). 'T'he backpack shocker failed to
conductmce, and principal ions. operate after this sample. However, there was
Table I
Fish species sampled within the Salmon Fork Black River during June 7-14,1991.
Reach Number
(River Miles)
1 2 3 4 5
Species Gear type (72-67) (67-5s) (!xi-48) (48-36) (36-27) Total
Arctic grayling HooMlhe 55 32 30 38 26 181
Northern pike HooVljfle I 1
Gill net 4 4
Round Whitefish D@mt 1 I
Total 67 32 30 38 48 21 5
