Biologists monitor salmon run in Eklutna River

Apr 22nd, 2019 by Keith Worrall 317

Modified Apr 22nd, 2019 at 1:26 PM

As salmon start making their way back into local waterways, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is watching the Eklutna River closely.

Last summer, the nonprofit Conservation Foundation paid to remove an abandoned dam in the hopes of restoring salmon habitat. This is the first year Fish and Game will see how their efforts are working.

Over the years, the dam, abandoned in the 1950s, filled a 7-mile stretch of the river with sediment.

“We’ve been monitoring it to see how the sediment’s moving through the system. And we’ll be doing that for the next three years, taking various water quality parameters,” said Ron Benkert, a regional supervisor with the Fish and Game’s Division of Habitat.

The department is partnering with the Native Village of Eklutna, Eklutna Inc., and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to track the flow of sediment and salmon.

Biologists monitor salmon run in Eklutna River

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