Takotna River Weir
A resistance-board weir has been operated on the Takotna River for over 20 years (2000-2013 and 2017-present), providing the only upriver, long-term data set for upper Kuskokwim salmon spawning and escapement. Since 2017, the Commission, in partnership with the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association (BSFA), Takotna Tribal Council, Nikolai Edzeno’ Tribal Council, and Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), has operated this weir, located 2 miles upstream of Takotna. Since 2022, KRITFC and TTC have operated this weir.
The Takotna River weir.
Each year, KRITFC recruits and hires local community members from Takotna to oversee weir operations – including installing the weir in mid-June, enumerating daily fish passage, and removing the weir at the end of the season – making this weir the only completely community-run weir in the state of Alaska. Nearly half of the 55 full-time residents in Takotna have been involved with the weir in some way, signaling its importance as a capacity building project and avenue to involve local Kuskokwim residents in fisheries management and research.
Aerial view of the Taktona River weir.
The Takotna River weir historically operates between July 1 and August 10, with weir installation taking place in June. During weir operation, duties of the crew team include:
Counting king and chum salmon spawner escapement into these important headwaters spawning grounds.
Collecting age, sex, and length data from a sub-sample of king salmon that passed the weir.
Gathering environmental data like water and air temperature, precipitation, and water flow volume at the weir.
Taking non-lethal flesh samples from king salmon to test for heat stress.
2021 weir installation was slowed but not stopped by high waters.
In 2023, the Takotna River weir crew members were Robert Perkins (crew leader), Daniel Dooler, Shawn Gover, Joe Martinez, Junior Martinez. Manuel Martinez, George Rodriguez, and Richie Wachter. Tsen’anh, Quyana, Thank you to this team for successfully running the weir this season!