Of Fish and Wildlife
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Alasha Habitat Management Guide Life Histories and Habitat Requirements of Fish and Wildlife Produced b'y State of Alasha Department of Fish and Game Division of Habitat Iuneau, Alasha 1986 @ Tgge BY TTIE AI.ASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AI{D GA}IE Contents Achnowtedgemena v i i Introduction 3 0verview of Habitat l{anagement Guides Project 3 Background 3 Purpose 3 Appl ications 4 Statewide volumes 6 Regional volumes 9 0rganization and Use of this Volume 10 Background 10 Organization 10 Species selection criteria 10 Regional Overview Surmaries 11 Southwest Region 11 Southcentral Region 13 Arctic Region 15 hlestern and Interior regions L7 ,lf{atnmals Mari ne Manmal s --BEfiEti-Thale zr Bowhead whale 39 Harbor seal 55 Northern fur seal 63 Pacific walrus 7L Polar bear 89 Ringed seal 107 Sea otter 119 Steller sea lion 131 ffiTerrestrial Mamrnals Brown bear 149 Caribou 165 Dall sheep 175 El k 187 Moose 193 Si tka bl ack-tai'led deer 209 1,1,L Contents (continued) Birds Bald Eagle 229 Dabbl ing ducks 241 Diving ducks 255 Geese 27L Seabirds 29L Trumpeter swan 301 Tundra swan 309 Fish Freshwater/Anadromous Fi sh en 3L7 Arctic aray'ling 339 Broad whitefish 361 Burbot 377 Humpback whitefish 389 Lake trout 399 Least cisco 413 Northern pike 425 Rainbow trout/steelhead 439 Sa I mon Chum 457 Chinook 481 Coho 501 Pink 519 Sockeye 537 Sheefish 555 l.lari ne Fi sh cod 57L --ffiiTCapel in 581 Pacific cod 591 Pacific hal ibut 599 Pacific herring 607 Pacific ocean perch 62L Sablefish 629 Saffron cod 637 Starry flounder 649 t{al leye pol lock 657 Yelloweye rockfish 667 Yel lowfin sole 673 Contents (continued) Shel I fi sh crab 683 King crab 691 -ungenessRazor clam 709 Shrimp 7L5 Tanner crab 727 Appendi ces A. Alaska Native Language Names of Selected Fish and l.lildlife 743 B. Directory of Reviewers and Contributors 745 C. Abbreviations 751 D. t|ildlife Management Goals and Objectives 753 E. Sea Ice 759 tllaps 1. The six regions of the Alaska Habitat Management Guides 5 Life Histories and Habitat Requirements ap of the species' range (map I of each narrative). Pacific walrus 1. Range of Pacific walrus 7L 2. Estimated location of Pacific walrus mating herds, January- March 78 3. Estimated maximal extent of calving areas of the Pacific walrus population in mid April and mid June 80 Dabbl ing ducks 1. Range of dabbling ducks 24L 2. Major coastal marshes of upper Cook Inlet 245 Figures I ntroducti on of narratives and maps produced by the AHMG project T -i:-Ty-pes Ilables Be'lukha whal e contents of belukha whales collected in Eschscho'ltz Bay 27 -Tl-stomach2. Stomach contents of belukha whales collected at Point Hope 28 Bowhead whale items from bowhead whale stomach samples collected at Kaktovik, Barter Island, Alaska, Sept.-0ct. L979 43 -TlTood2. Quantitative composition of stomach contents from bowhead whales collected at Kaktovik, autumn 1979 45 Brown bear Li tter size for brown bears as determined in various studies in North Ameri ca I57 -T.Sitka black-tailed deer @usedbySitkablack-taileddeerintheKodiakand Prince l,iilliam Sound areas 2L2 Dabbl ing ducks 1. Diet compos'ition of 62 dabbling ducks on the west Copper River delta, Sept.-Oct. 1981 249 2. Breeding biology of dabbling ducks 25L Div'inq ducks I. Plant and animal species utilized by diving ducks 260 2. Reproductive characteristics of diving ducks 262 Geese 1. Preferred foods and breeding habitat of geese in the Southcentral Region 275 2. Preferred foods and breeding habitat of geese in the Southwest, Western, and Interior regions 276 3. Nesting, rearing, and molting biology of geese in the Southcentral Region 278 4 . Nest'ing , reari ng, and mo'l ti ng bi ol ogy of geese - Southwest, Western, and Interior regions 279 5. Preferred foods and breeding habitat of geese in the Arctic Region 285 Seabi rds Seabird I ife histories 294 Northern pi ke -T. food species used by adult northern pike in Alaska 430 Chum salmon -T. chum salmon passage criteria thresholds, for reaches up to 200 ft long withjn sloughs and side channe'l hab'itats in the middle -T.T'Aultportion of the Susitna River, Alaska 465 Shrimp ------T. General characteristjcs of the five important species of Alaska shrimp 7LB 1ra Achnwledgements This project is under the direction of the Corrn'issioner of the Department of Fish and Game, Don. t.l. Collinsworth, the Director of the Division of Habitat, Norman A. Cohen, and the Deputy Director, Bruce H. Baker. Many individua'ls have been involved in the production of this volume of the Habitat Management Guide. All narratives were reviewed first by project staff and distributed for both technica'l and departmental reviews. The names of reviewers and other contributors are compiled in appendix A. The following lists the production team and the portion of this Life History and Habitat Requirements volume for which authors are responsible. Marianne G. See, Coordinator Bob Durr, Editor Lana C. Shea, Team Leader, t,lild1ife Group Leader C. Wayne Dolezai, Fisheries Group Leader Authors: t.li ldl ife Steve Albert, Habitat Biologist: caribou (with M. McDonald); beaver; Sitka black-tailed deer (with M. McDonald and M. Sigman). Sue Hills' Habitat Bio]ogist: belukha whale (with R. Shideler and J. l.lestlund); bowhead whale (with J. westlund); pacific walrus (with D. Shideler); polar bear. Michael McDonald, Game Biologist: caribou (with s. Albert); moose (wjth F. Nelson); brown bear; ringel sea'l; elk; harbor sea'l ; Sit(a black-tiiled deer (with S. Albert and M. Sigman). Robin Mooring, Habitat Biologist: dabb'ling ducks (with J. Westlund and f. Ne1sgn)i diving ducks. (with J. westlund and F. Ne'lson); geese (with J. Westlund and F. Nelson); tundra swan; trumpeter swan (with F. Nelson). Frances, Nelson, Game Biol.ogist: dabbling ducks (with R. Mooring and J. Westlund); diving ducks (with R. Mooring lnd J. Westlund); geese (witfr n. Mooring and J. westlund); moose (with M. McDonald); Bald rag'le; seabirds (with J. |rJest'lund); sea otter (with J. westlund)'; trumpetei jwan (with R. Mooring). Richard Shideler, Habitat Biologist: belukha whale (w'ith S. Hills and J. westlund); northern fur seal; Pacific walrus (with s. itills). Marilyn J. Sigman, Habitat Biologist: Sitka black-tailed deer (with S. Albert and M. McDonald). uii John H. West'lund, Game Bi ol ogi st: bel ukha whal e (wi th S. Hills and R. Shideler); bowhead whale (with S. Hills); Dall sheep; dabbl ing ducks (with F. Nelson and R. Mooring);'and diving ducks (with F. Nelson and R. Moori ng ) ; geese (wi th F. Nel sori R. M-oori ng ) ; iea l i on ; seabirds (with F. Nelson); sea otter (with F. Nelson). Authors: Fi sh Durand R. Cook, Habitat Biologist: broad whitefish. C. Wayne Dolezal, Habitat Biologist: chinook, coho, sockeye, chum, and pink salmon. Katherine A. Rowel I , Fisheries Biologist: Pacific herring; king crab; Tanner crab; Dungeness crab; shrimp. Melinda L. Rowse, Fisheries Biologist: least cisco; saffron cod. Sandra K. Sonnichsen, Fisheries Biologist: rainbow trout/steelhead; arctic char/Dolly Varden; arctic gray'ling; lake trout; sheefish; Pacific halibut (with K. Thornburgh); Pacific cod; Pacific ocean perch;, sab'lefish; walleye pollock; yellowfin so'let razor clam; yelloweye rockfish. Kathleen R. Thornburgh, Habitat Biologist: arctic cod; burbot; capelin; northern pike; humpback whitefish; starry flounder; Pacific halibut (with S. Sonnichsen). Support Staff Lauren Barker, Librarian Diane Borgirno Palmer, Clerk/Typist Patricia Bowden, Clerk/Typist Linda Carlton, Clerk/Typist Susan H. Gra'inger, Clerk/Typi st Juanita R. Henderson, Clerk/Typist Clare A. Johnson, Clerk/Typist Ethel Lewis, Clerk/Typist Marty McGregor, Clerk/Typist Laura Nowell, Clerk/Typist Cheryl Pretzel, Clerk/Typist Gay Pulley, Graphic Artist Diane Rasmussen, Clerk/Typist The process of deve'loping the initial. plan and procedures for this project involved a number of individuals who are not otherwise listed as authors and contributors. These include many staff within the Division of Habitat, as wel I as planners and research and management coordinators of other divis'ions. This group also includes all project team members and all ADF&G regional supervisors. Special mention should be made of the support from 114 4 4 Alvin Ott, Lance Trasky, and Carl Yanagawa, Regional Supervisors of the Division of Habitat for the Arctic and Interior, Southwest'and Western, and Southcentral regions, respectively, and of the contributions of Rai Behnert, who was the original coordinator of this project. We would a1so like to acknowledge the many contributions of John A. Clark, who was Director of the Division of Habitat until his death in 1985. Introduction Overvierv of Habitat Management Guides project Background Alaska is an immense and bountiful frontier, and until just recently it was all but inconceivable that we would ever need to worry about its capacity to sustain the wealth of fish and wildlife resources for which it is renowned. But the impetus of development has not abated, and the pressure to develop our lands and waters intensifies dai'ly. Every year more lands in Alaska are being proposed for uses other than as wi'ldl ife habitat, especial'ly around cities, towns, and vi11ages. These proposed uses include logging, min'ing, hydroelectri! projects, agriculture, settlement, geotherma'l development, and oil and gas leases, among others. As the number of proposals and plans for development continues to increase, so does the need to carefu'l'ly and efficiently evaluate their possible effects upon species and habitats and to recommend viable managerial options to guarantee that our valuable fish and wildlife resources and habitats are adequately protected and maintained. By using appropriate planning and managerial techniques most of the potential for damage and loss of access for human use can be avoided.