Bering Cisco (Coregonus laurettae)
Research

Numerous research projects have been conducted on Bering cisco throughout Alaska. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and University of Alaska have all studied Bering cisco in recent years. ADF&G projects include documentation of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and assessments of subsistence harvests for non-salmon species such as whitefish. A University of Alaska project aims to determine the stock composition of Bering cisco populations in the lower Yukon River by examining the strontium isotope composition of the fish’s otoliths (ear bones). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service projects have sought to identify spawning habitats and spawning migration patterns in some reaches of the Yukon and Kuskokwim River drainages. Many of these projects use radio telemetry (biologists place radio transmitter tags into fish and then follow the signal in order to track the fish's movements). The information gathered is used to better manage and protect Bering cisco stocks and habitat.