Ta’an Kwäch’än Council salmon habitat enhancement through beaver dam management
Working with Yukon Territory summer students, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council’s Kadin Hare and Lands and Resources team were able to temporarily lower 5 beaver dams on Fox Creek to encourage fish passage in July 2025, just before the expected Yukon River Chinook salmon run. Ta’an Kwäch’än Council is updating their restoration plan for Fox Creek with a focus on maintaining connectivity for juvenile rearing, and restoring adult spawning habitat with beaver management. This includes removing dams after mid-July when they are no longer juvenile salmon overwintering habitat, and after grayling spawning period. Doing this will flush all the silt to return gravels important to salmon spawners.
Ta’an Elders tell about the important role beavers play in the creation of wetlands for moose and other wildlife, including salmon overwintering habitat. Balance is important. Ta’an trap beavers to prevent their numbers from becoming too high and prevent dams from getting so large that they restrict salmon passage. Ta’an Kwäch’än Council is also monitoring Fox Creek and other creeks in their Traditional Territory for changes to water quality and quantity of juvenile salmon habitat. Monitoring these things and learning from the land helps Yukon First Nations identify what best predicts presence and abundance of juvenile chinook.
Arctic Beringia Fish Ecology 