Salmon Hatchery - Cordova, Alaska - Fish Hatcheries on Waymarking.com

Prince William Sound is an important salmon producing region for Alaska. The Sound is a semi-protected body of saltwater with openings to the Gulf of Alaska. It is rimmed by glacial fjords and largely undisturbed upland habitat. The communities of Cordova, Tatitlek, Valdez, Whittier, and Chenega are located around the Sound. There are more than 1,100 coastal streams and a number of lakes that are used by salmon for spawning and rearing habitat. The Copper River, a large glacial system flowing from Alaskas interior, empties into the Pacific Ocean near Cordova.
Six species of salmon inhabit the rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal waters of Prince William Sound. Pink salmon is most abundant. The Copper River is known for its sockeye and chinook salmon. Chum salmon occur in a number of areas, and coho are scattered throughout the Sound.
Commercial salmon fishing for pink, sockeye, chum, coho, and chinook salmon has long been a mainstay of the Prince William Sound economy. Fish are harvested by both seine and gillnet gear. Salmon sport fisheries are important in accessible areas near Cordova, Valdez, and Whittier. Subsistence and personal use fisheries are important to local residents as a source of food and particularly important to the Native Alaskan villages of Tatitlek and Chenega in the Sound as well as communities along the Copper River drainage.

Salmon are critical in the Prince William Sound ecosystem, as they represent a primary food source at their various life stages for a wide variety of birds, fish, and mammals. Similarly, the salmon depend on the productivity of the Sound for food during their migrations as juveniles and adults. The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was a landmark event in Prince William Sound that impacted the ecosystem, the communities, and the fisheries.

Type of Facility: Fish Hatchery Management Agency: County/Local Government Has a Vistor Center: no Offers Tours: no Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   03/20/2011 sassainfl visited it