Helicopter landed in high grass near stream.

Alaska Fisheries and Aquatics

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages an extensive array of riparian and wetland areas, lakes, streams, and coastlines on public lands in Alaska. These habitats include over 178,000 miles of river, nearly 2.5 million acres of lakes and more than 900 miles of coastline. Aquatic habitats are among the most important, productive, and diverse resources on the landscape. They provide habitat for countless species of plants, fish, and wildlife. They also provide ecosystem services such as:

  • Drinking water, pollination, and nutrient cycling
  • Attenuate effects of wildfires, floods, and drought
  • They are key to the vitality of local economies and communities.
  • They're the source of traditional foods and resources for Native Alaskans. 

Aquatic resources also support permitted activities on public lands such as energy and mineral development and lots of popular recreation opportunities. BLM Alaska’s Aquatic Resources Program includes a diverse group of specialists, which include hydrologists, ecologists, soil scientists, fish and wildlife biologists, and a geomorphologist. These staff work with BLM managers, tribal, federal, state and local governments and non-governmental partners to ensure the long-term sustainability of aquatic resources for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. In areas impacted by past land uses, program specialists collaborate with stakeholders to implement restoration projects to improve the health of aquatic resources. 

How large is the program?

Field work in Alaska is challenging and expensive due to weather and the remote and scattered nature of BLM-managed public lands. Six fisheries biologists, five hydrologists, a geomorphologist and a soil scientist implement the field-based program with support from their peers in the wildlife and plant conservation programs. Technical program support is provided from several senior program specialists located in the Alaska State Office. Each of these field specialists face tremendous challenges given the vast resources they are required to inventory and monitor. 

A group of scientists from various disciplines attend Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring training
A group of scientists from various disciplines attend Assessment, Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) training at Chester Creek in Anchorage, Alaska, in spring 2023.

What are we aiming for?

Aquatic resources program staff collect and synthesize key information for managers which helps ensure the maintenance of healthy aquatic habitats, conservation of water resources, and sustainable fish populations for the enjoyment of future generations. Program staff also collaborate with partners to improve our understanding of resource conditions. Where aquatic resources have been adversely affected by past land use, these staff work to develop and implement restoration projects.

Why do we do this? 

The primary function of the program is to collect and analyze information on fisheries resources and provide direction necessary for:

  • Compliance with laws, regulations and policies
  • Mineral and energy development
  • Land-use planning
  • Monitoring the effectiveness of management actions
  • Stream and watershed restoration projects
  • Climate change analysis
  • Management of fish species and habitats for subsistence use 
  • Recreation management
BLM fisheries biologist waist deep in stream conducting anadromous fish surveys in western Alaska.
BLM fisheries biologist waist deep in stream conducting surveys for fish that migrate to fresh water from the sea (anadromous fish) in western Alaska. BLM photo.