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EnvironmentWildlife9TuesdayMarch52013SalmondecreaseinMackenziesupportslocalhunchByMEAGANWOHLBERGAsignicantdropintheamountofsalmoncaughtintheMackenzieRiversystemin2012helpsconrmlocalknowledgethatsalmonpop-ulationsruninvetoseven-yearcyclesintheNWT.PhDresearcherKarenDun-malloftheUniversityofMani-tobaisinhersecondyearofstudyingthegeneticsandpop-ulationstructuresofMacken-ziesalmonwhicharebecom-ingincreasinglypredominantthroughouttheriversystemincludingasfarsouthasFortLiardandFortSmith.Thoughthesalmoncollec-tionsdonethroughthehelpoflocalshermenreturned226shin2011only22salmonwereturnedinforrewardin2012supportingthelocaltheorythatthereisacyclicalpatterntosalmonintheMackenzie.OneofthebigquestionsIgotin2011wasDidyougetalotofsalmonbecausealotmorepeoplewerelookingforthemandhandingtheminordidyougetalotofsalmonbecausethereweremoresalmonAndIdidntknowhowtoanswerthatuntilthisyearwhenwehadthesameamountormorepeoplesh-ingandhandingsalmoninDunmalltoldTheJournal.Peoplewhowerecatchingfourorvesalmonadayin2011didntcatchanyinafewinstancesorcaughtoneortwointhewholeseasonthisyear.Theywerethesamenetssamelocation-basicallyeverythingwasthesameexcepttheshdidntshowup.Dunmallsaidthatswhatpeo-pleupanddowntheriverhadtoldherthatthechumsalmonshowupinacycle.ThecyclelengthseemstochangedependingonwhoItalktoandwheretheyareontherivershesaid.TheclosertothemouthitseemslikeitsashortercycleandthenfurtherupriverinFortSmithitseemslikeitsareallylongcycle.ButdenitelythatswhatpeoplesaidYourenotgoingtoseeayearlikethisforawhilereferringto2011.Soitwassomethingtokeepmyeyeopenforin2012andthenwhenitactuallyhap-peneditwasreallyinteresting.Pinksalmontooshowupintwo-yearcycles.In2011onlythreeofthe226salmoncaughtwerepinkwhereaslastyearhalfofthecatchwaspinksalmon.Themajorityofsalmoncaughtin2012camefromtheMackenzieDeltaregionaspinksalmononlymigrateasfarasTsiigehtchic.ThefurthestupstreamthatachumwascaughtlastyearwasinWrigleyandoneinFortLiard.ThechumsalmonthatarecomingbacktotheMacken-zieRiverarebetweenthreeandveyearsoldDunmallsaid.Becauseofthatitmakessensetoseeapatterninanes-tablishedpopulationofchumsalmonintheriversystem.Dunmallsaidtheobserva-tionwhilehelpfulopensupmanymorequestions.ItprovidesevidenceforapopulationfromtheMacken-ziethatreturnseverythreetoveyearsexceptthatthecyclelengththatpeoplearetellingmeislongerthanthatsothatsthepartthatIdontknowyetiswhywoulditbesevenyearsorlongerforpeo-pleinFortSmithandwhyisitshorterforpeopleclosertothemouthEspeciallysincesalmonarentcomingbackassevenyear-olds.ShesaidtheremaybemorethanonepopulationcyclingatonceorsalmoncominginthatarentfromtheMackenziespawnaddingmorestraystosomeyearsthanothers.ShehopestoguresomeofthatoutinthenextportionofherresearchwhichlooksatthegeneticsofthesalmonsamplestoseeifthereismorethanonepopulationofsalmonintheMackenzieandwheretheymightbecomingfrom.Dunmallwillalsobecom-paringsalmoncaughtintheMackenzietoonescaughtelse-wheretoseeiftherearestraysalmoncomingin.Sheishead-ingtoAnchorageAlaskaattheendofthemonthtostartcollab-oratingwithresearcherstheretoseeiftheirsalmonmatch.ShesaidpopulationdataonsalmonintheMackenziecouldhelpcontributetoad-dressinglargerquestionsofiforhowArcticsalmonarebeingaffectedbyclimateorecosystemchangesandhowanincreaseinsalmoncouldimpactothernativeshspe-ciesandtheriveritself.Peoplewerecurioustoknowifsalmonareincreas-ingintheMackenzieRiverandthepotentialforinter-actionbetweensalmonandotherspeciesisalsoincreas-ing.Soaretheycompetingforhabitataretheyintroducingdiseasesorpathogensfromoutsidethesystemallthedollyvardentroutbenet-ingbecausetheyeatsalmoneggs...aretheremorenutrientsintheriverbecausesalmoncomeinandbringallthesenutrientsfromtheoceanandthendieandleaveitthereAsofrightnowshedoesnthavethoseanswersbutsheshopingthefederaldepartmentofFisheriesandOceanswillallowhercontinuetoresearchoverthenextthreeyears.ItsabigquestionistheecosystemchangingandisthatwhysalmonareshowingupinbiggernumbersTostartaddressingthatrstistogetahandleonthedistributionandabundanceyeartoyearofsalmonandthenwheretheyrecomingfrom.TogetupdatesonDun-mallssalmonstudyvisitarcticsalmon.caorArcticSalmononFacebook.PhotocourtesyofKarenDunmallKarenDunmallpreparesaMackenziesalmonsampleforDNAanalysisbackatthelab.