Laureli Kinneen, KNOM – Nome
Salmon Lake is the primary spawning ground for red salmon on the Pilgrim River north of Nome and 40 miles north of the Gold Rush City, the lake is critical habitat for red salmon smolt — the place where fish grow for a couple of years before heading out to sea.
The salmon numbers at the time of statehood were so high, they supported a commercial fishery. Things have changed. A road that passes salmon lake was put in in the late 1950s. Salmon numbers have not been consistent since.
The Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation—the regional CDQ group—has a project that could bring red salmon back to the Pilgrim River.
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