Stock origins of Dolly Varden collected from Beaufort Sea coastal sites ofArctic Alaska and Canada

Anadromous northern Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma support a summer subsiste nce fishery in Beaufort Sea coastal waters. These same waters coincide with areas of oil and gas exploration and development. The purpose of this stud y was to assess variation in stock origins of Dolly Varden collected from s ites along 400 km of Beaufort Sea coast. Mixed-stock analyses (MSA) of allo zyme data were used to compare collections from four sites (Endicott near P rudhoe Bay, Mikkelsen Bay, and Kaktovik in Alaska and Phillips Bay in Canad a) and to assess variation in stock contributions among summer months and b etween 1987 and 1988. The MSA estimates for individual stocks were summed i nto estimates for three stock groups: western stocks from the area near Sag avarnirktok River and Prudhoe Bay (SAG), Arctic National Wildlife Refuge st ocks (Arctic Refuge), and Canadian stocks. The MSA of Endicott samples take n in 1987 and 1988 did not differ among months in terms of contributions fr om local SAG stocks (range, 71-95%). Contributions from nonlocal (>100 km d istant) Canadian and Arctic Refuge stocks were not different from zero in 1 987, but contributions from Canadian stocks were so in July (17%) and Augus t (20%) but not in September of 1988. Thus, stock contributions to Endicott collections were different between 1987 and 1988. Samples from the Kaktovi k area in 1988 were different between months in terms of contributions from nonlocal SAG stocks (July, 7%; August, 27%). Significant contributions to these samples were made both months by Canadian (25% and 17%) and local Arc tic Refuge stocks (68% and 56%). Among the four coastal sites, local stocks typically contributed most to collections; however, every site had collect ions that contained significant contributions from nonlocal stocks. The MSA estimates clearly revealed the movement of Dolly Varden between U.S. and C anada coastal waters. If local stocks are affected by oil and gas developme nt activities, distant subsistence fisheries along the coast could also be affected.