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Quantity and Quality of Freshwater Rearing Habitat in Relation to Juvenile Pacific Salmon Abundance in the Kulukak River, Alaska

Quantity and Quality of Freshwater Rearing Habitat in Relation to Juvenile Pacific Salmon Abundance in the Kulukak River, Alaska PDF Author: Jesse Mae Coleman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pacific salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Monitoring of freshwater habitat and its influence on stream-rearing fish is essential for recognizing and mitigating the impacts of human- and climate-induced changes. For the purposes of developing a monitoring program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, densities and habitat relationships of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and sockeye salmon O. nerka were estimated in two tributaries of the Kulukak River, Alaska, in July 2010. Multiple-pass depletion electrofishing was used to estimate density in a random sample of habitat units belonging to one of four categorical habitat classes. Regression methods were also used to quantify the physical habitat associations of juvenile coho and sockeye salmon density in the study areas. Densities of juvenile coho and sockeye salmon ranged from 0.22 fish-m−2 in West Fork riffles and 0.05 fish·m−2 East Fork riffles to 2.22 fish M−2 and 1.32 fish-m−2 in East Fork eddy drop zones (EDZ), respectively. The largest proportions of freshwater habitat were comprised of run (71 %) and EDZ habitats (44%) in the East Fork and West Fork, respectively. Regression coefficients for coho and sockeye salmon densities were positive with respect to proportional areas of in-stream overhanging vegetation (0.78 and 0.74, respectively), large wood (0.99 and 0.97, respectively), and undercut banks (0.99 and 0.02, respectively). Conversely, coho and sockeye salmon density was negatively related to depth (-1.45 and -0.52, respectively) and velocity (-2.45 and -1.67, respectively). Although substrate size was negatively related to sockeye salmon density (-0.40), this variable had a weak positive relationship with coho salmon density (0.08). These findings suggest that EDZ habitats are important for juvenile coho and sockeye salmon during summer rearing and in-stream cover is an essential component of these rearing habitats.

Quantity and Quality of Freshwater Rearing Habitat in Relation to Juvenile Pacific Salmon Abundance in the Kulukak River, Alaska

Quantity and Quality of Freshwater Rearing Habitat in Relation to Juvenile Pacific Salmon Abundance in the Kulukak River, Alaska PDF Author: Jesse Mae Coleman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pacific salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
Monitoring of freshwater habitat and its influence on stream-rearing fish is essential for recognizing and mitigating the impacts of human- and climate-induced changes. For the purposes of developing a monitoring program in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, densities and habitat relationships of juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch and sockeye salmon O. nerka were estimated in two tributaries of the Kulukak River, Alaska, in July 2010. Multiple-pass depletion electrofishing was used to estimate density in a random sample of habitat units belonging to one of four categorical habitat classes. Regression methods were also used to quantify the physical habitat associations of juvenile coho and sockeye salmon density in the study areas. Densities of juvenile coho and sockeye salmon ranged from 0.22 fish-m−2 in West Fork riffles and 0.05 fish·m−2 East Fork riffles to 2.22 fish M−2 and 1.32 fish-m−2 in East Fork eddy drop zones (EDZ), respectively. The largest proportions of freshwater habitat were comprised of run (71 %) and EDZ habitats (44%) in the East Fork and West Fork, respectively. Regression coefficients for coho and sockeye salmon densities were positive with respect to proportional areas of in-stream overhanging vegetation (0.78 and 0.74, respectively), large wood (0.99 and 0.97, respectively), and undercut banks (0.99 and 0.02, respectively). Conversely, coho and sockeye salmon density was negatively related to depth (-1.45 and -0.52, respectively) and velocity (-2.45 and -1.67, respectively). Although substrate size was negatively related to sockeye salmon density (-0.40), this variable had a weak positive relationship with coho salmon density (0.08). These findings suggest that EDZ habitats are important for juvenile coho and sockeye salmon during summer rearing and in-stream cover is an essential component of these rearing habitats.

Using Multispectral Aerial Imagery and GIS-based Approaches to Quantify Juvenile Salmon Rearing Habitat in the Kulukak River, Alaska

Using Multispectral Aerial Imagery and GIS-based Approaches to Quantify Juvenile Salmon Rearing Habitat in the Kulukak River, Alaska PDF Author: Christine Woll
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pacific salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
Monitoring the quality and quantity of freshwater rearing habitat for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. is essential for maintaining stocks of these species. Because field-based habitat monitoring in remote areas can be expensive, time-consuming, and/or subjective, new methods are desired. The objectives of this study were (1) to develop methods for using multispectral aerial imagery to classify juvenile rearing habitat and determine the accuracy of these methods and (2) to use these methods to quantify and map juvenile salmon habitat characteristics in two study areas in the Kulukak River, Alaska. I demonstrated that a decision-based fusion approach using images acquired in the visible, near-infrared, and thermal-infrared regions classified habitat classes important for juvenile salmon with accuracies of 82.5% and 67.5% in the respective study areas. In addition, I quantified and mapped habitat variables often used in juvenile salmon studies on several scales and created habitat-suitability maps for coho salmon O. kisutch, demonstrating that both my study areas differed in habitat quantity and quality and are most likely low-quality rearing areas. This study demonstrates that airborne images can be used to determine the quality and quantity of juvenile Pacific salmon rearing habitat in small streams and thus decision support in fisheries management.

Resource Use and Life History Patterns of Juvenile Coho and Chinook Salmon in an Alaskan Estuary

Resource Use and Life History Patterns of Juvenile Coho and Chinook Salmon in an Alaskan Estuary PDF Author: Brianna Dailey Pierce
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 97

Book Description
Estuaries are valuable nursery grounds for anadromous Pacific salmon supplying diverse habitats, quality foraging grounds, and a transition between freshwater and saltwater environments. By providing alternative rearing habitats, estuaries may also bolster the life history diversity expressed in a population, thereby increasing population-level stability. Conversely, the degradation and loss of estuarine habitats has been partially responsible for declines in wild salmon populations. In Alaska, most natural systems are largely intact with minimal anthropogenic alterations. However, the human population and associated land use is increasing. Alaska has the opportunity to learn from the mistakes made in the Pacific Northwest and identify and protect the critical rearing habitat of these culturally, economically, and ecologically valuable species. To do so, we need an understanding of how juvenile salmon use Alaskan estuaries. In this thesis, I describe the resource use, residence, and movement patterns of juvenile salmon in the Anchor River estuary in southcentral Alaska. Specifically, I (1) assess the resource partitioning between juvenile Coho and Chinook salmon, (2) determine which age classes use the estuary and for how long, (3) examine the tidal movement of juvenile salmon, and (4) utilize a social network analysis to explore the social structure of juvenile Coho Salmon. Coho and Chinook salmon primarily partitioned resources spatially and to a lesser extent temporally, whereas their prey resources overlapped considerably. Varying abundances of Chinook Salmon provided a natural experiment that I used to determine that Coho Salmon interactively partition habitat resources by primarily occupying tidal marsh channels when Chinook Salmon are present in the main channel. Although juvenile Coho Salmon were present throughout the sampling period (May-Oct), they were most abundant later in the season (Aug) and individuals of all three age classes reared in the estuary for over 100 d. Some Coho Salmon tagged in 2015 were still present in the estuary in 2016. Chinook Salmon were most abundant earlier in the season (Jun-July) and did not remain in the estuary past mid-August. The longest individual residence time for a Chinook Salmon was 42 d. Channel connectivity influenced the tidal movement patterns of Coho Salmon. I used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and in-channel antennas to assess fish movement in two marsh channels. In the marsh channel that remained fully connected to the main channel at low tide, fish movement was mostly independent of the tidal stage or channel depth. In the marsh channel that was only marginally connected to the main channel, fish detections were greatest when the tidal stage was high enough to raise the channel depth. However, contrary to my expectations, fish were detected throughout the tidal cycle and at all channel depths, indicating that they used the marginal connection to move between habitat patches even at low tide. Juvenile Coho Salmon social relationships varied through time. I constructed static and dynamic social networks from the time-stamped observations of fish detections to explore the social structure of juvenile Coho Salmon. Fish did not preferentially associate with similarly sized fish. Fish did not appear to maintain stable relationships, but instead exhibited fission-fusion dynamics where social relationships were continually formed and dissolved, indicating that the frequent co-occurrence of individuals is likely due to mutual site fidelity and not social preference. Although the Anchor River is relatively small, the salmon populations it supports are highly important to the culture, economy, and ecology of the region. The results of this thesis demonstrate that the diverse habitats of the estuary support multiple species and life history types for prolonged periods. By appropriately identifying and conserving critical juvenile salmon rearing habitat, we can help maintain healthy salmon populations into the future. This thesis includes an animated dynamic social network (Video S1) provided as supplementary material.

Sustainable Fisheries Management

Sustainable Fisheries Management PDF Author: E. Eric Knudsen
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439822670
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 745

Book Description
What has happened to the salmon resource in the Pacific Northwest? Who is responsible and what can be done to reverse the decline in salmon populations? The responsibly falls on everyone involved - fishermen, resource managers and concerned citizens alike - to take the steps necessary to ensure that salmon populations make a full recovery. T

Fish-habitat Relationships and the Effectiveness of Habitat Restoration

Fish-habitat Relationships and the Effectiveness of Habitat Restoration PDF Author: Philip Roni
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Estuarine restoration
Languages : en
Pages : 154

Book Description
"A major underpinning of recovery efforts for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) listed under the Endangered Species Act is that there is a strong relationship between freshwater habitat quantity and quality and salmon abundance, survival, and productivity in the freshwater environment. This is a major component of Endangered Species Act recovery plans and biological opinions for salmon and steelhead (O. mykiss), including the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (BiOp). With regard to habitat, the 2008 BiOp incorporates an expanded tributary habitat program that requires implementation of habitat improvement actions, including actions to protect and improve mainstem and side channel habitat for fish migration, protect and improve spawning and rearing, and restore floodplain function. Because this is a key underpinning of the 2008 BiOp and other biological opinions, it is important to 1) document our understanding of the relationship between habitat quantity an d quality and salmon production, 2) quantify the improvements in salmon production and survival that can be expected with different restoration actions, and 3) use models to help identify habitat factors limiting production and quantify population-level responses to restoration. This technical memorandum provides a synthesis of scientific literature and our current level of knowledge on these three topics"--Executive summary.

Fish-habitat Relationships and the Effectiveness of Habitat Restoration

Fish-habitat Relationships and the Effectiveness of Habitat Restoration PDF Author: Philip Roni
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Estuarine restoration
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
"A major underpinning of recovery efforts for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) listed under the Endangered Species Act is that there is a strong relationship between freshwater habitat quantity and quality and salmon abundance, survival, and productivity in the freshwater environment. This is a major component of Endangered Species Act recovery plans and biological opinions for salmon and steelhead (O. mykiss), including the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion (BiOp). With regard to habitat, the 2008 BiOp incorporates an expanded tributary habitat program that requires implementation of habitat improvement actions, including actions to protect and improve mainstem and side channel habitat for fish migration, protect and improve spawning and rearing, and restore floodplain function. Because this is a key underpinning of the 2008 BiOp and other biological opinions, it is important to 1) document our understanding of the relationship between habitat quantity an d quality and salmon production, 2) quantify the improvements in salmon production and survival that can be expected with different restoration actions, and 3) use models to help identify habitat factors limiting production and quantify population-level responses to restoration. This technical memorandum provides a synthesis of scientific literature and our current level of knowledge on these three topics"--Executive summary.

Pacific Salmon & their Ecosystems

Pacific Salmon & their Ecosystems PDF Author: Deanna J. Stouder
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461563755
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 681

Book Description
The symposium "Pacific Salmon and Their Ecosystems: Status and Future Options',' and this book resulted from initial efforts in 1992 by Robert J. Naiman and Deanna J. Stouder to examine the problem of declining Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Our primary goal was to determine informational gaps. As we explored different scientific sources, state, provincial, and federal agencies, as well as non-profit and fishing organizations, we found that the information existed but was not being communicated across institutional and organizational boundaries. At this juncture, we decided to create a steering committee and plan a symposium to bring together researchers, managers, and resource users. The steering committee consisted of members from state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, and private industry (see Acknowledgments for names and affiliations). In February 1993, we met at the University of Washington in Seattle to begin planning the symposium. The steering committee spent the next four months developing the conceptual framework for the symposium and the subsequent book. Our objectives were to accomplish the following: (1) assess changes in anadromous Pacific Northwest salmonid populations, (2) examine factors responsible for those changes, and (3) identify options available to society to restore Pacific salmon in the Northwest. The symposium on Pacific Salmon was held in Seattle, Washington, January 10-12, 1994. Four hundred and thirty-five people listened to oral presentations and examined more than forty posters over two and a half days. We made a deliberate attempt to draw in speakers and attendees from outside the Pacific Northwest.

Upstream

Upstream PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309176204
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 472

Book Description
The importance of salmon to the Pacific Northwestâ€"economic, recreational, symbolicâ€"is enormous. Generations ago, salmon were abundant from central California through Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to British Columbia and Alaska. Now they have disappeared from about 40 percent of their historical range. The decline in salmon numbers has been lamented for at least 100 years, but the issue has become more widespread and acute recently. The Endangered Species Act has been invoked, federal laws have been passed, and lawsuits have been filed. More than $1 billion has been spent to improve salmon runsâ€"and still the populations decline. In this new volume a committee with diverse expertise explores the complications and conflicts surrounding the salmon problemâ€"starting with available data on the status of salmon populations and an illustrative case study from Washington state's Willapa Bay. The book offers specific recommendations for salmon rehabilitation that take into account the key role played by genetic variability in salmon survival and the urgent need for habitat protection and management of fishing. The committee presents a comprehensive discussion of the salmon problem, with a wealth of informative graphs and charts and the right amount of historical perspective to clarify today's issues, including: Salmon biology and geographyâ€"their life's journey from fresh waters to the sea and back again to spawn, and their interaction with ecosystems along the way. The impacts of human activitiesâ€"grazing, damming, timber, agriculture, and population and economic growth. Included is a case study of Washington state's Elwha River dam removal project. Values, attitudes, and the conflicting desires for short-term economic gain and long-term environmental health. The committee traces the roots of the salmon problem to the extractive philosophy characterizing management of land and water in the West. The impact of hatcheries, which were introduced to build fish stocks but which have actually harmed the genetic variability that wild stocks need to survive. This book offers something for everyone with an interest in the salmon issueâ€"policymakers and regulators in the United States and Canada; environmental scientists; environmental advocates; natural resource managers; commercial, tribal, and recreational fishers; and concerned residents of the Pacific Northwest.

From the Edge

From the Edge PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fishery conservation
Languages : en
Pages : 72

Book Description


Some Aspects of the Comparative Ecology of Fishes Associated with Juvenile Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus Nerka (Walbaum), in the Lakes of the Naknek River System, Alaska

Some Aspects of the Comparative Ecology of Fishes Associated with Juvenile Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus Nerka (Walbaum), in the Lakes of the Naknek River System, Alaska PDF Author: Richard L. Wallace
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Estuarine ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Book Description
A study of the distribution, relative abundance and diet of fishes sympatric with juvenile sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), within the freshwater nursery areas of the Naknek River system was undertaken from 1961 to 1963. The study was part of an extensive investigation to determine what factors in the freshwater environment were limiting the size of the populations of sockeye salmon returning to the rivers of Bristol Bay, Alaska. The speties found associated with juvenile salmon in the limnetic zones of the Naknek system were the pond smelt, Hypomesus olidus (Pallas); the least cisco, Coregonus sardinella Valenciennes; the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus; and the ninespine stickleback, Pungitius pungitius (Linnaeus). Life history information was collected for these sympatric species. Tow nets were used to capture samples of fish from the limnetic portions of the nursery areas. Some samples were collected by beach seines, lake traps and otter trawls. Plankton samples were collected and compared to the diets of the limnetic fishes. Although some confusion has existed in the literature, I concluded that pond smelt of the Naknek system belong to Hypomesus olidus (Pallas). The populations of smelt were comprised of six age-groups in the late summer, but most specimens belonged to three age-groups. Most members of the species spawn in the spring of the fourth year of life. The estimated fecundity ranged from 900 to 4,300 eggs per female. Seven age-groups of least ciscoes were present in the populations of the Naknek system. The species in the Naknek system probably spawned for the first time in the fall of their fourth year. The estimated fecundity of two specimens was 4,006 and 14,380 eggs. Populations of three spine stickleback were comprised of three age-groups of fish. I was unable to assign ages to ninespine stickleback. Estimates of the fecundity of the species ranged from 116 to 456 eggs per female. All species studied were distributed throughout the Naknek system. The relative abundance of the fishes studied was variable between and within nursery areas and from year to year. The population densities of pond smelt and threespine stickleback were larger in the surface waters compared to the deep waters. The relative abundance of sockeye fry, yearlings and ninespine stickleback was greater in the surface stratum rather than the deep stratum in most nursery areas. The five main food items utilized by these limnetic species were cladocerans (Bosmina sp. and Daphnia sp.); copepods (cyclopoid copepods and Diaptomus sp.); and Dipteran insects. Analysis of the similarity of diets indicated that the diets of sockeye fry and pond smelt were more similar than were the diets of sockeye fry or yearlings and any other sympatric species. The diet of sockeye fry was more similar to that of either species of stickleback than was the diet of sockeye yearlings. An analysis of the food of various sizes of each species of fish indicated the diets of three age-groups of smelt were more similar than the diets of various age-groups of any other fish. The food composition of three age-groups of ciscoes and two size groups of both species of stickleback showed a strong positive correlation. The diets of sockeye fry and yearlings showed the weakest positive correlation of the species studied. All species of fish studied selectively fed on one or more components of the zooplankton. Daphnia sp. and cyclopoid copepods were strongly selected in Lake Coville. Cyclopoids were selected in South Bay. Bosmina sp. was selected from the waters of West End. In Lake Coville, the greatest potential competition for food probably existed between the large populations of pond smelt and sockeye fry. In the West End nursery area, potential competition between juvenile salmon and both species of stickleback may not be severe, depending on the age composition of the salmon population present in the nursery area. The possibility exists that the relatively low numbers of adult sockeye salmon returning to the comparatively rich lakes of the Naknek River system is due to the presence of large populations of sympatric species of fish. Each of these sympatric species feed on the same general types of food organisms as do the juvenile salmon and may affect the numbers of young salmon that leave the lake, and subsequently return from the ocean.