Copper River Salmon
Workshop No. 1:
Elevating our collective knowledge to a common level

Tuesday, April 12—Day 1

7:30–8:30

Registration desk open; continental breakfast in meeting room.

8:30–9:00

Welcome, invocation, introductory comments.

9:00–10:30

Salmon management systems

• Overview of both Sustainable Salmon Fisheries and Escapement Goal policies (Charlie Swanton, ADF&G, Fairbanks)
• Overview of Copper River Delta wild salmon stock components (Steve Moffitt, ADF&G, Cordova)
• Overview of Upper Copper River wild salmon stock components (Tom Taube, ADF&G Glennallen)
• Copper River District Commercial Salmon Fisheries Management (Dan Ashe, ADF&G, Cordova)

10:30–10:45

Break

10:45–12:00

Salmon management systems

• State management of the personal use and sport fisheries in the Upper Copper River area (Tom Taube, ADF&G, Glennallen)
• Federal subsistence management programs in the Copper River Watershed (Tim Joyce, USFS, Cordova; and Eric Veach, NPS, Copper Center)

12:00–1:30

Lunch provided. Copper River Ecotrust Program overview (RJ Kopchak, director, Ecotrust Copper River Program)

1:30–3:00

Traditional Ecological Knowledge session

• Tribal elders to discuss changes in abundance and distribution of salmon in the watershed over the past 100 years (Joe Niel Hicks, presenter and facilitator)

3:00–3:15

Break

3:15–4:45

Traditional Ecological Knowledge session

• Traditional salmon management practices in Copper River area native cultures prior to western contact (Bill Simeon, ADF&G, Anchorage)

4:45–5:00

Break

5:00–5:30

Synthesis of the day's proceedings

6:00–8:00

Reception, dinner, and keynote speaker—David Montgomery, Ph.D., Seattle geomorphologist and author of King of Fish: The Thousand-year Run of Salmon,

Evening poster session
 

Wednesday, April 13—Day 2

8:00–8:30

Registration desk open; continental breakfast in meeting room.

8:30–8:45

Synopsis of the previous day

8:45–10:30

Protection of wild salmon populations (stock ID)

• Genetic diversity and timing of chinook salmon stocks in the Copper River (Lisa Seeb, ADF&G, Anchorage)
• Historical overview of Gulkana hatchery program (Ken Roberson, retired ADF&G, private consultant, Glennallen)
• Gulkana strontium marking program (Gary Martinik, PWSAC, Gulkana Hatchery Manager, Anchorage)
• Hatchery/wild stock allocation, CWT through strontium (Steve Moffitt, ADF&G, Cordova)

10:30–10:45

Break

10:45–12:00

Salmon habitats

• Copper River Basin limnology overview (Jim Edmundson, ADF&G, Anchorage)
• Coho and sockeye programs on the Copper River Delta (Mary Anne Bishop, PWSSC, Cordova)
• Alaska Fish Distribution Database, Copper River issues (Jay Johnson, ADF&G, Anchorage)

12:00–1:30

Lunch provided. "Salmon Research in Transition" (Ole Mathisen, retired faculty, UAF School of Fisheries & Ocean Sciences)

1:30–3:00

Assessment of salmon runs

• Development of Miles Lake sonar to estimate inriver runs (Bert Lewis, ADF&G)
• Development of lower river sonar to index passage at Miles Lake (Don Degan, Aquacoustics, Inc., Sterling)
• Development of mark-recapture to estimate inriver abundance for chinook

3:00–3:15

Break

3:15–4:45

Assessment of salmon runs

• Assessment of chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon distribution and indexed abundance throughout the Copper River drainage through aerial surveys (Dan Ashe, ADF&G, Cordova)
• Assessment of chinook salmon in the Gulkana River (Tom Taube, ADF&G, Glennallen)
• Development of radio tagging to estimate stock-specific distribution and timing for chinook salmon
• Assessment of sockeye salmon in Tanada and Long lakes (Eric Veach, NPS, Copper Center)

4:45–5:00

Break

5:00–5:30

Synthesis of the day’s proceedings
 

Thursday, April 14—Day 3

8:00–8:30

Registration desk open; continental breakfast in meeting room.

8:30–8:45

Synopsis of the previous day

8:45–10:00

Public support and involvement

• Federal Subsistence Regional Council (speaker to be announced)
• State Fish & Game advisory committees (speaker to be announced)
• Copper River Watershed Fish Watch Program (Kristin Smith, Copper River Watershed Program, Cordova)
• Public process & collaboration (speaker to be announced)

10:00–10:15

Break

10:15–12:00

Facilitated discussions (all participants)

• Panel coordinators present highlights of their sessions
• Task: Identify information gaps and issues/problems

12:00–1:30

Lunch (Robby Richardson, Ph.D., Ecotrust, Portland)

1:30–3:00

Facilitated discussions

• Through an open facilitated discussion, workshop participants and speakers will identify knowledge gaps, topics and issues that the workshop proceedings have brought to light. These gaps, topics and issues will be prioritized by the group as a whole. The resulting list of focus topics will be used to develop the agenda for the follow-up workshop scheduled for the winter of 2005–2006.

3:00–4:30

Workshop conclusion