Page 4 - Donlin Fall Newsletter
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STUDYING SMELT RETURNS
By Samantha Angaiak
As a part of Donlin Gold’s ongoing commitment to good environmental stewardship, we have been collecting data from Kuskokwim River rainbow smelt returns to better understand the life, history and reproduction of
the fish. We have monitored these returns for five prior seasons in total
and have continued these efforts through 2020. Unlike in prior years, we did not send our crew to the region to gather survey data due to COVID-19. We instead partnered with our stakeholders in various communities along the Kuskokwim River to collect data needed to complete the smelt study for 2020. It is our goal to actively engage to study the climate conditions
for fish populations to help those who depend on the Kuskokwim River for subsistence and transportation. We find that everyone benefits from having access to more information and scientific data about what is happening
to fish populations.
All photos on this page by Donlin Gold
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All images on this page are from the 2018 Smelt Study.
