Electrical Power for Valdez and the Copper River Basin-1981

the number of pink salmon counted in 1969 reached 1,000. In even yearsspawning by both pink and chum salmon occurs almost exclusively inthe intertidal reach of Allison Creek, an area estimated to be 40 feetwide by 300· feet long. During odd years, when stronger runs of pinksoccur in Prince William Sound streams, spawning also occurs inAllison Creek upstream to the existing weir.A basic understanding of the life cycle of pink and chum salmon isnecessary to recognize all potential impacts which could occur fromthe proposed project. Adult pink salmon return'to their natalstreams to spawn in mid-summer or fall of their second year. Adultchum salmon are predominantly three, four, and five year old fish.Pink salmon enter streams inthe.Valdez area in July and spawn inAugust and early September, while chum salmon spawn slightly later.Eggs are deposited in the streambed gravels' where development' tothe fry stage occurs. .Alevins (embryos which have emerged from the'egg) remain in thegravel until their yolk sacs are compietely, or almost completelyabsorbed •. The life cycles of pink and chum salmon are very similar •. For chums, the alevin stage' (from hatching to emergence) is completedIn 30 to 50' days, depending on the water temperature. In PortValdez, fry emergence of pink and chum salmon begins in mid-Apriland peaks in May.Both pink and chum salmon fry migrate to salt water during theirfirst summer, generally within a few days to a few weeks afteremergence. Once in. salt water, the young salmon feed in schoolsnear shore until late July or August; some remain near shore untilautumn. Between mid-summer of their first year and their secondsummer, they disperse throughout the offshore waters of the NorthPacific Ocean and Bering Sea.In salt water, main foods of young pink and/or chum salmon have beenreported to be cladocerans, copepods, barnacle naupli, barnaclecyprids, euphasids, and tunicates (Bakkala, 1970). Other studieshave shown harpacticoids to be a major' component of the stomachcontents of post-emergent pink and chum salmon fry (Kaczynski et.al., 1973; Healey, 1979). The seasonal population density of thecopepod Harpacticus uniremis in Port Valdez is shown in Figure 4.Wildlife known to occur in the Allison Lake drainage include brownbear, black bear, mountain goat, wolf, wolverine, marten, porcupine,and snowshoe hare. Upland game birds include willow, rock, andwhite-tailed ptarmigan and spruce grouse. There is littleinformationon the occurrence of small mammals and birds in the projectvicinity, although lists of species are available for the Valdezarea. A general list of species which may occur in the vicinity ofAllison Creek is provided in APPENDIX A.Waterfowl use of Allison Lake and the creek is considered quitelimited. The lake may occasionally be used for resting, and feedingmay occur in the shallow, upper part and along the braided streamchannel. Approximately 18 Canada geese have been observed resting(1