Freshwater Fish Inventory of the Alagnak Watershed, Alagnak Wild River, Southwest Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network

A freshwater fish inventory was conducted from March through August, 2002 in the Alagnak Watershed. The objectives of the inventory were (1) to document species that were expected yet undocumented and (2) to provide initial descriptions of the distributions, abundance, and biologic characteristics of these species. Minnow traps, minnow seines, beach seines, snorkel gear, hand nets, fyke nets, tow nets, gill nets, hook-and-line, and a gastric lavage were used to sample fish. River, lake, pond, and stream habitats were sampled. Nine of 14 expected but undocumented species were captured or observed: Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis), Arctic lamprey (Lampetra japonica), burbot (Lota lota), coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus), ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), northern pike (Esox lucius), round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). The fish community of the Alagnak Watershed appears to have fewer species (lower species richness) than the adjacent Naknek and Kvichak systems. The National Park Service's (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program has begun a nationwide inventory of natural resources within park units. As part of this effort, freshwater fish inventories are being conducted in the Southwest Alaska The primary objective of the inventory was to document, through capture or observation, fishes that were expected yet undocumented in the Alagnak Watershed. A secondary objective was to provide initial descriptions of the distributions, abundance, and biologic characteristics of these species. The list of expected but undocumented species list was based on fish communities of adjacent watersheds and included 14 species (listed alphabetically by common name followed by scientific name): Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis), Arctic lamprey (Lampetra japonica), burbot (Lota lota), coastrange sculpin (Cottus aleuticus), humpback whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), least cisco (Coregonus sardinella), longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), northern pike (Esox lucius), pond smelt (Hypomesus olidus), pygmy whitefish (Prosopium coulteri), round whitefish 4 (Prosopium cylindraceum), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) (AKNHP 2000). respectively) are the largest lakes in the watershed. Nonvianuk Lake drains into the Alagnak River from an elevation of 192 m via the Nonvianuk River. Kukaklek Lake is the origin of the Alagnak River at an elevation of 246 m. The Alagnak river flows 120 km before draining into the Kvichak River and then Bristol Bay. The inventory was conducted during the spring and summer of 2002, using a a variety of sampling gear. These included minnow traps, minnow seines, beach seines, snorkeling gear, hand nets, fyke …