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Wrangell-St. Elias is home to a tremendous array of fish resources. With hundreds of miles of streams draining into two of Alaska’s major river systems, the Park contains a diverse range of fish species as well as many abundant populations, including salmon populations that support large fisheries.
The Copper River and most of its tributaries are migration routes for sockeye, coho, and king salmon. These fish transport large quantities of marine derived nutrients into otherwise nutrient poor systems. These marine derived nutrients support many of our aquatic ecosystems.
Small lakes and clear water tributaries contain lake trout, Dolly Varden, burbot, grayling, cutthroat and rainbow trout, sculpin, suckers, and whitefish. Some of the northernmost populations of steelhead occur within the Park/Preserve.
Despite the uniqueness and diversity of Wrangell-St. Elias, relatively few scientific investigations have been undertaken resulting in a paucity of information about the environment, its inhabitants and the role park/preserve resources play in fulfilling a subsistence lifestyle. The knowledge of fish species that are not actively pursued by anglers remains relatively limited.
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