The PWSSC has been contracted by Alaska Department of Fish and Game to collect the large amounts of field data to support scientific analyses to two overarching questions: (1) What is the extent and annual variability in straying of hatchery pink salmon in Prince William Sound (PWS) and chum salmon in PWS and Southeast Alaska (SEAK)? (2) What is the impact on fitness (productivity) of wild pink and chum salmon stocks due to straying of hatchery pinks and chum salmon?
The study was designed by a Science Panel organized by ADFG consisting of experts on salmon biology and management, genetics, hatchery issues, and experimental statistics. Adult salmon will be sampled in about 65 streams two to three times in each spawning season and about 10 standard offshore PWS fishing sites will be sampled with a gillnet throughout the season. In 10 streams, bone and tissue samples will be collected from adult fish to identify their hatchery-wild origins and, in a subset of streams, their DNA signatures. The streams sampled for adult DNA will be resampled for alevin DNA in the spring to determine the relative reproductive success of the genetically identified hatchery and wild offspring. See http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingHatcheriesResearch.current_research.
