Counting Salmon to Save Whales

Salmon power the food chain in Alaska and understanding the health of their populations is critical to conserving other species. Over the past few summers, researchers at UAA’s Applied Environmental Research Center (AERC) have devised new and better ways to monitor salmon on military bases near Anchorage. The data they gather may prove crucial to saving another iconic local animal.

Samuel Franklin, B.S. Natural Sciences ’21, is part of an AERC team working to assess and monitor Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s salmon stocks and help natural resources managers determine their role in the diet of Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga whale population.