Project Information

Title: Coghill Lake Sockeye Salmon Restoration: Nutrient Enrichment 94259

Project Year and Number: 1994: 94259

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 1997: 97259-CLO, 1996: 96259, 1995: 95259

Principal Investigator (PI): Jim Edmundson (Alaska Department of Fish & Game)

Managing Agency: ADFG

Assisting Personnel: Stan Carlson, Gary Kyle, Pat Shields

Research Location: Prince William Sound

Restoration Category: General Restoration

Injured Resources Addressed: Sockeye Salmon

Abstract: The goal of this project is to restore the natural productivity and the resident sockeye salmon of Coghill Lake in the western Prince William Sound area. The EVOS may have contributed to the dramatic stock decline of sockeye salmon escaping into Coghill Lake, from 1.2 million in 1982 to 9,800 in 1991. The production of sockeye salmon populations is linked to rearing lake productivity. Limnological studies indicate that fry food resources in Coghill Lake cannot support large numbers of fish. Fertilization is needed to increase lake productivity and boost zooplankton abundance until natural nutrient input from salmon carcasses is restored. By fertilizing the lake waters each summer for 5 years (the life cycle of the sockeye salmon) with phosphorus and nitrogen, and monitoring the effects of the fertilizer program, changes can be estimated in lake carrying capacity and smolt-to-adult survival rates.


Proposal: Not Available

Reports:
Annual Report FY94: View (1,919 KB)
Final Report: View (14,149 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available

Datasets:
EVOSTC Data Archive: Fisheries; fry and smolt and adult. Water; nutrients, general parameters. Zooplankton; composition, size, density and biomass. IBM software for data and reports include FoxPro, Word, Excel, Freelance. Availability: In variable electronic formats, reports, etc.