HIA is involved in the planning and operation of multiple Fish Monitoring Projects. These projects are not done with the goal of regulation or restriction in mind, but for a better understanding of the state of our fish resources and systems that allow us to identify priority needs and ideally enhance harvest opportunity and secure food sovereignty for our community .
Check it out here:
Neva Lake
The Neva Lake sockeye salmon stock has been monitored since 2002 under a cooperative project led by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from Hoonah Indian Association and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Weir counts are used to estimate escapement, and age, sex, and length sampling has occurred to analyze stock composition.
Hoktaheen
Jackson Combs photo.
The Sockeye of Hoktaheen have been a main food resource for thousands of years, yet the last on-site study was done over two decades ago. We are currently in the initial stages of conducting an updated Stock Assessment and establishing a Fish Monitoring site similar to our operations at Neva.
This site will act as our outpost to the outer coast, allowing HIA to monitor not just the health of sockeye and the Hoktaheen system, but detect invasive species, record potential climate change data, and document traditional resources of our people.
News:
Update:
Sept. 2025 – HIA has been awarded $50,000 through First Nations Development Institute’s “Restoring our Relatives” grant program. These funds will support two Fish Monitoring positions for the Hoktaheen Weir project in 2026! Hiring will begin next spring.
Thank you FNDI!
Summer 2025 – HIA and the USFS have surveyed the Hoktaheen system and identified two potential locations to install and operate a video monitoring fish weir system. We are now in the permitting phase of this project.
01/2025: HIA was recently awarded $176,008 through U.S Fish and Wildlife Services Tribal Wildlife Grant to design and implement a fish monitoring program in 2025.
Berg Bay
Glacier Bay Cultural Site Protected Through Collaborative Partnership
Basket Bay
Basket Bay was monitored under a partnership between Angoon and U.S. Forest Service for multiple years. A traditional resource for Angoon, Hoonah, and Tenakee. We have submitted proposals to increase opportunity for subsistence sockeye fishing at Basket Bay & Kook Lake. To better understand our resource we look to conduct an updated stock assessment in the near future.
Pavlof Lake
Another historical food source for Hoonah people. Fish monitoring will be conducted through a partnership of HIA-Environmental and USFS Hoonah Ranger district in the future.
Local Streams
Coho Mapping
Stream Temperature Monitoring
Cutthroat trout caught in Bearpaw Lake.
Easily accessible by a well maintained trail off the main road near Freshwater Bay, trout, dolly varden, and even coho can be caught in this great little spot.
Jackson Combs photo.