The Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies

I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the CICOES REU during the summer of 2024, a program that allowed me to grow in all aspects of my life. I got the privilege to be a part of ecosystem field research on sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska. My specific project was entitled “Is Climate Warming Changing the Date of Habitat Migration in Juvenile Sockeye Salmon?” and it involved setting out a beach seine at 11 different sites around Lake Aleknagik once a week. For this project I used 60 years of past data, collected doing the same process I did during the summer of 2024, by the Alaska Salmon Program. We wanted to see if the climate crisis was changing the date of migration of the juvenile sockeye salmon from an in-shore littoral habitat to an off-shore pelagic habitat. What we found was that it is changing the date of migration to earlier in the year. Climate warming is causing the ice in Alaska to melt faster, which is in turn causing fish activity to begin sooner. Since fish activity is beginning sooner, the juvenile sockeye are migrating earlier in the year. This is important because it shows the sockeye are resilient and are adapting to challenges in their environment.

Aside from working on my project, I also had the opportunity to expand my network and further my knowledge by helping other researchers with their projects. I got to work with salmon in every stage of their life. The ecosystem I worked out of in Alaska is mostly untouched by humans, so I had the unique opportunity to interact with nature in a way I never had before. I got to see bears, bald eagles, millions of fish and all the beautiful sites Bristol Bay has to offer! My favorite bear encounter was watching a sow teach her two cubs how to fish and then growling at her cubs when they started to play fight! I loved being out in the field everyday! A University of Washington undergraduate class from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences was held while I was there, which allowed me the opportunity to sit in and expand my knowledge on the Alaskan ecosystem even more, as well as interact with other undergraduate students. I also got to talk to the professors about graduate school and have conversations with graduate students that spent time doing research at camp. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience that allowed me to grow professionally, socially and academically. I am extremely grateful and would like to thank everyone that made this possible.

Project Introduction

Research Poster