Behind the Scenes with the SeaBank Chronicles and Salmon Beyond Borders

By Beth Short-Rhoads

Have you ever wanted to join a flyover to high-elevation salmon habitat in the remote Canadian wilderness? Climb aboard a new episode of the SeaBank Chronicles where Salmon Beyond Borders and the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT) take you on a birdseye tour of the vast and nearly-roadless Taku River watershed.

Photo by Chris Miller | csmphotos.com

If you haven’t yet listened to ASFT’s SeaBank Chronicles, it’s a short podcast that delivers ecosystem science, but with a twist: an immersive soundscape woven with music and audio effects. A cross between radio theater and a science lesson, this podcast places you in the starring role of a groundtruthing adventurer, guided by a trusty radio operator (that’s me).

In the 7-minute episode “Passport to a Salmon Stronghold,” Salmon Beyond Borders wanted to announce that the Taku River, a transboundary system shared by Alaska and Canada, has been designated an official salmon stronghold–and to explain why this extraordinary development matters.

Before researching this episode, I’d thought of the Taku River as a Southeast Alaska waterway. But 90% flows through northwestern Canada–a revelation that is both comforting and concerning. First the comforting part: just as the lower reaches of the Taku are stewarded by the Douglas Indian Association and other conscientious Alaskans, the upper reaches are cared for by the Taku River Tlingit First Nation. Good stewardship is good news for salmon (and the people who depend on them).

But the transboundary nature of the Taku also means Canadian mining projects that threaten the watershed with sulfates, heavy metals, and the potential for catastrophic scouring. One such mine, the Tulsequah Chief, has been leaching toxins into the Taku since before Alaska became a state. Experts say there are more mines planned beyond the U.S.border–as many as 100 projects are in some stage of exploration or development.

During our flyover–listen for the sounds of helicopter blades, splashing water, and birdsong– hope is also on view. You’ll encounter streams forming at the feet of melting glaciers, cool channels that scientists believe will one day, in as little as 15 years, yield new salmon habitat. 

I won’t ruin the surprise by revealing the final destination in our Taku flyover–you can experience that in the podcast. Hint: it’s a place that salmon climb over 3,100 feet to reach, overcoming huge elevation gains, boulders, and logjams in the grand finale of a lifecycle marathon. Cue evocative instrumentals that convey awe, mystery, and celebration.

It’s a massive understatement to say that in writing the script for “Passport to a Salmon Stronghold” I was heartened to learn this fact: while salmon habitat is shrinking elsewhere on the planet, the Taku watershed is–against all the odds of a changing climate–expanding places for salmon to call home. You can help protect the Taku’s stronghold promise by joining Salmon Beyond Borders in taking action.

And now, it’s time to sit back and put on your headset. Your radio operator is standing by with another SeaBank Chronicles transmission.

Beth Short-Rhoads produces and hosts The SeaBank Chronicles, a 7-minute science and mystery podcast from the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust (ASFT). ASFT empowers citizens and policymakers with its data-rich SeaBank Ecosystem Report, an annual survey of the economic, social, and cultural wealth held by the lands and waters of Southeast Alaska.