AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SELECTED REFERENCES OF FISHES OF THE NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA, WITH EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE - ALASKA for North Slope Borough Barrow, Alaska J.F. Winters, P.K. Weber, A.L. DeCicco, and N. Shishido Alaska Department of Fish and Game Divisions of Habitat and Subsistence May 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page .. List of Tables 11 List of Figures iii Introduction 1 Data Gaps 9 Annotated Bibliography 11 INDEX: Key fish species by life function 139 INDEX: Miscellaneous fish species and aquatic invertebrates 145 INDEX: References by geographic location 147 Appendix 1. List of citations reviewed in bibliography 148 List of Tables Page Table 1. Common and scientific names of fish discussed in the annotated bibliography Table 2. Life function categories Table 3. List of activity categories Table 4. List of impact categories List of Figures Page Figure 1. Map of the North Slope of Alaska and Canada depicting the seven areas used to index annotations by location 4 INTRODUCTION The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) encompasses a considerable portion of the North Slope of Alaska. Within or near NPR-A are five communities, Point Lay, Wainwright, Barrow, Atqasuk, and Nuiqsut, that use the area for harvesting renewable resources as part of their wage/subsistence economies. Consequently, subsistence users within these villages are concerned that resource development may interfere with traditional uses of resources or may have an adverse effect on populations of fish and wildlife. In an effort to continue economic growth on the North Slope, while minimizing adverse effects of resource development on important fish and wildlife resources, the North Slope Borough (NSB) is beginning development of comprehensive management plans for caribou, fishes, and their habitats within NPR-A. One component of this process is the preparation of an annotated bibliography of references pertaining to fish species found within NPR-A boundaries. The annotated bibliography contains selected references concerning 12 species of freshwater and anadromous fish found within NPR-A. Table 1 lists these species along with secondary species that were discussed in many of the references. The 12 primary species were selected based on their importance to the subsistence fisheries, their relative importance in northern aquatic ecosystems, and any unique physical requirements that a species may possess. References selected for inclusion in the annotated bibliography generally contained information discussing important life history functions (e.g., spawning or overwintering areas), basic biological parameters (e.g., length, age), distribution of the fish species, harvest of fish, or documented impacts of resource development on fish. References that did not directly discuss fish but contained information on habitat concerns (e.g., studies of water availability for proposed water withdrawals) or stream invertebrates were also included. The geographic scope of the annotated bibliography was to be restricted to waters within or bordering NPR-A. Because relatively few studies of fish have been conducted in NPR-A, it was necessary to include references on the primary species from other arctic areas to obtain sufficient information for most fish species. Thus, references on fish from the entire North Slope of Alaska were included, as well as references from the arctic areas of Canada's Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories. The Mackenzie River and a few of its major northern tributaries served as the eastern boundary of references included in this bibliography. In addition, a few references discussing one or more of the primary species in areas of Alaska outside of the North Slope were included. Several sources were used to locate and obtain references for inclusion in this annotated bibliography. References contained within the offices of the NSB Department of Wildlife Management in Barrow, and within the offices of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's (ADF&G) Divisions of Habitat, Sport Fish, and Subsistence in Fairbanks were examined for their applicability to this project. These sources provided many of the reviewed references. An electronic search of ADF&G's Division of Habitat library holdings in Anchorage was conducted and provided a list of references that were examined for applicability. Many of the reviewed references were located by examining Literature Cited sections of papers under review for this study. Several unpublished lists of references on arctic Table 1. Common and scientific names of fish discussed in the annotated bibliography. COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME Primary species Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis Arctic grayling Thymallus arcticus Burbot Lota lota Broad whitefish Coregonus nasus Chum salmon Onchorhynchus keta Humpback whitefish Coregonus pidschian Least cisco Coregonus sardinella Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush Northern pike Esox lucius Pink salmon Onchorhynchus gorbuscha Round whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum Secondary species Alaska blackfish Dallia pectoralis Arctic cod Boreogadus saida Arctic flounder Liopsetta glacialis Arctic lamprey Lampetra japonica Bering cisco Coregonus laurettae Capelin Mallotus villosus Coho salmon Onchorhynchus kisutch Chinook salmon Onchorhynchus tshawytscha Fourhorn sculpin Myoxocephalus quadricornis Longnose sucker Catostomus catostomus Ninespine stickleback Pungitius pungitius Pond smelt Hypornesus olidus Rainbow smelt (boreal smelt) Osmerus mordax Saffron cod Eleginus gracilis Sheef ish Stenodus leucichthys Slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus Sockeye salmon Onchorhynchus nerka Invertebrates fishes were also examined for applicable sources of information. This annotated bibliography likely does not review all references on the fishes of NPR-A, but should reflect a review of most of the major studies conducted there and in nearby areas. Copies of the reviewed references are on file at the ADF&G Division of Habitat office in Fairbanks. Two indexes to the annotated bibliography are provided to allow the user to find those references that discuss fishes within a specific river system or geographic area, or that discuss a specific species of fish or life function of a specific species. The primary index was developed from the fish species reported in the annotated references. For each of the 12 primary species, those references containing information on a particular species are listed under that species by page number of their locations within the bibliography. In addition, those references dealing with particular species are further indexed by life function category. A list of the life function categories used in this index and the information contained in these categories are presented in Table 2. Indexing of annotations discussing secondary species is also presented by species but not by life function category. The second index was developed from the locations for which data on fishes are presented in the annotations. This index provides the user with the ability to identify those annotations that pertain to a specific region or river system (e.g., the Colville River drainage; the Point Lay-Wainwright area). The North Slope of Alaska and Canada was divided into seven areas to facilitate indexing. These areas are depicted in Figure 1 and are described below. Point Hope Area. This area contains the area of Point Hope and extends as far south as Kivalina. Major drainages within the area include the Kukpuk, Pitmigea, Ipewik, Kivalina, and Wulik rivers. Point Lay-Wainwright Area. This area is approximately bordered by the village of Point Lay and Peard Bay, and contains the drainages of the Kukpowruk, Kokolik, Utukok, Kuk, and Kugrua rivers, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay. Barrow Area. This area is bordered by Peard Bay on the west and ranges eastward to the Colville River drainage. This area contains Teshekpuk Lake, Elson Lagoon, Smith Bay, part of Harrison Bay, and the Inaru, Meade, Chipp, and Ikpikpuk rivers. Colville River Area. This area includes the entire Colville River drainage, and portions of Harrison Bay and Simpson Lagoon. Kuparuk-Sagavanirktok Area. This area contains the drainages of the Kuparuk, Toolik, Sagavanirktok, Kadleroshilik, Shaviovik, and Kavik rivers, and Gwydyr, Prudhoe, Foggy Island, and Mikkelsen bays. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This area contains that portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge draining into the Beaufort Sea and includes the drainages of the Canning, Sadlerochit, Hulahula, Jago, Aichilik, Kongakut, and Clarence rivers. Yukon Territory-Northwest Territories Area. This area includes the drainages from the Alaska-Canada border eastward to and including the Mackenzie River. Major drainages include the Malcolm, Firth, Babbage, Blow, and Mackenzie rivers. Table 2. Life function categories. Age and Growth - presents age, length, and weight data Behavior - describes habits and patterns of behavior Distribution - presents data on spatial and temporal locations of fish Food habits - describes organisms eaten by fish Harvest - presents data from sport, subsistence, or commercial fishing activities Impacts - describes documented impacts of resource development on fish and fish habitat Life history - presents general descriptions of a species life cycle Movements - presents data on patterns of migrations, movements associated with feeding Modeling - presents predictive statistical and computer generated estimates of population parameters Overwintering - presents data on locations used