Nelson Lagoon, Alaska, experienced unusually early subsistence harvests in 2016, with early berry ripening, salmon runs, and bird arrivals, aligning with broader regional patterns of early spring events.
Observation from Angela Johnson:
This year in Nelson Lagoon we experienced a lot of early comings. The first thing we noticed was early berries. We got all of our natural berries during the end of July, when usually we don't see them until mid August. Not only that, but they were consistently growing. We had berries from the end of July to the end of August. Usually the berries are here and gone. The next thing we noticed was an early run of silver salmon. I caught my first silver on July 19th 2016. Normally silver salmon show up around the second week of August, never in mid July. Then came the birds. The Brant and geese showed up early as well. I am not sure what this means, but it was different.
LEO says:
This observation resonates with many others from 2016 after an early spring, and the early emergence of plants and berries. There were so many early berry observations that LEO and USGS established a project to group all of the early berry reports. The project is attached and this observation will be added to the group. Local knowledge is best when it comes to normal times for the arrival and harvest of subsistence resources. From this post we learn that the silvers were about one month early for Nelson Lagoon. As ADFG describes silver salmon have quite a range of spawning times regionally. We hope that the early season for fish, berry and goose resulted in a good harvest from Nelson Lagoon residents.
If you are a berry harvester you are welcome to participate in our LEO Berry Assessment. See also the published report, How are your berries? Perspectives of Alaska’s environmental managers on trends in wild berry abundance. (J. Hupp et al.)
USGS Consult:
Goose nesting on the Colville River Delta on the North Slope was also about 1 week earlier than observed in most previous years. There were no apparent negative effects of early nesting on nest survival as approximately 90% of snow goose nests and 70% of black brant nests hatched. Goose nesting on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta was also reported to be earlier than long-term averages.
Resources:
Alaska Department of Fish and Game – Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) also called silver salmon, enter spawning streams from July to November, usually during periods of high runoff. Adult coho return timing reflects requirements of specific stocks. For example, in some streams with barrier falls, adults arrive in July when the water is low and the falls are passable, however in some streams, coho may wait until August or September when higher flows from fall rains allow passage into small streams not normally passable at low flows In large rivers, adults must arrive early, as they need several weeks or months to reach headwater spawning grounds.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game – In the fall, brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) from Alaska, Canada, and Russia spend six to nine weeks on Izembek Lagoon and adjacent areas near Cold Bay. There they feed on eel grass and build up fat reserves for migration. Canada geese (Barnta canadesis) fall migration includes staging on the upper Alaska Peninsula for several weeks, then a trans-oceanic flight to Oregon and California.
USGS Alaska Science Center – Goose Research: The USGS Alaska Science conducts a wide variety of research on landscape level and species level process related to goose species in Alaska. Black Brant - (Branta bernicla nigricans) & Canada Geese - (Branta canadensis)
Photo: Cackling Goose on a nest¹. Note white "collar" around neck and smaller bill than Canada Goose. Photo by Tim Bowman, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Source: USGS, Alaska Science Center, Goose Research
Observations From Members 
