Salmonid Population and Habitat Monitoring in the Lower

Columbia/Columbia Estuary Provinces

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

ODFW’S PROPOSED LOWER COLUMBIA/COLUMBIA ESTUARY

PROVINCES SALMONID MONITORING PROGRAM

Goal: to provide statistically-rigorous data on the status and trends of salmonid populations and stream/riparian habitats at the ESU and Population Complex scales using the EMAP sampling design

EMAP APPROACH

Provides a statistically-rigorous method to analyze the status and trends in resources

Sample sites are determined by a GIS-based spatially balanced random selection process

Provides a consistent framework to integrate monitoring projects

ODFW’S ESU AND POPULATION COMPLEX-SCALESALMONID MONITORING PROGRAM

Habitat Monitoring Status and trends in habitat quality and quantity

Juvenile Coho and Steelhead Monitoring Status and Trends in juvenile coho abundance and distribution Trends in juvenile steelhead abundance

Adult Spawner Abundance Monitoring Status and trends in abundance and distribution of adult coho

and winter steelhead

Lower Columbia Coho Salmon ESU

Steelhead ESUs in Lower Columbia

S W Washington

Lower Columbia

Task 1: Habitat Monitoring

Key QuestionStatus of Habitat Quantity/Quality?Trends in Habitat Quantity/Quality?Spatial Distribution of habitat quality?Relationships between habitat and land use?

Methods

50 habitat sites

500-1000 m length of survey

Standard ODFW habitat survey protocols

Portion resurveyed for QA/QC

KEY INDICATORS

Pool habitat SedimentWoodRiparianOff-channel habitat

• 100 sites for coho ESU• 50 sites for each steelhead ESU

HABITAT SURVEYSHABITAT SURVEYS

ALL COASTAL STREAMS

REFERENCE DATASET

SEDIMENT

HIGHER THAN REFERENCE

SIMILAR TO REFERENCE0

25

50

75

100

0 20 40 60 80 100

PERCENT GRAVEL IN RIFFLE UNITS

DESIRABLE

0

25

50

75

100

0 20 40 60 80 100

PERCENT FINES IN RIFFLE UNITS

UNDESIRABLE

ALL COASTAL STREAMS

REFERENCE DATASET

INSTREAM WOOD

SIMILAR TO REFERENCE

SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN REFERENCE

0

25

50

75

100

0 20 40 60 80 100

WOOD PIECES

DESIRABLE

0

25

50

75

100

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

KEY WOOD PIECES

DESIRABLE

0

25

50

75

100

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent gravel in riffle units

North Coast

Mid-Coast

Mid-South Coast

Umpqua

South Coast

Comparison of Habitat Features Across Geographic Regions

Geology Volcanic Sedimentary Other

% fine substrate in riffle units 0-10 31-40 11-20 41-50 21-30

N

Task 2: Juvenile Monitoring

Key QuestionsPopulation Status (coho)?Population Trends?Spatial and Temporal Distribution?Relationship to Parental Spawner Abundance?

Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring Approach

• Snorkel Surveys

• 1 km sample reaches

• 10-20% of sites resurveyed for QA/QC

• 100 sites for coho ESU• 50 sites for each steelhead ESU

JUVENILE SURVEYSJUVENILE SURVEYS

SpawningRearing and MigrationMigration

Number of Juvenile Coho Observed During Original Survey

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70Num

ber

of J

uven

ile C

oho

Obs

erve

d D

urin

g R

esur

vey

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

r ² = 0.99

Site Symbols

901676214029393183

Precision of Juvenile Snorkel Surveys

Fis

h/M

ete

r2

Year

North Coast

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Mid-Coast

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Mid-South Coast

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Umpqua

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

South Coast

1998 1999 2000 2001

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

No Data

North Coast

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Mid-Coast

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Mid-South Coast

Me

an

% o

f P

oo

ls p

er

Sit

e w

ith

Co

ho

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Umpqua

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

South Coast

Year

1998 1999 2000 2001

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

No Data

446(

15)

536(

10)

600(

10)

689(

5)78

1(11

)20

72(1

8)21

03(9

)21

61(1

0)22

20(1

2)11

53(1

0)13

76(3

1)10

23(1

7)40

(21)

2002

(5)

1542

(5)

152(

3)13

19(1

7)67

9(8)

1905

(34)

486(

4)13

85(1

8)44

0(18

)14

52(2

9)93

1(12

)11

99(3

)64

0(26

)32

6(15

)

Juve

nile

Co

ho

/m2

0.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.61.82.02.2 Mid-South Coast 1999

Site Number (sample size)

Adults/Mile

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Juv

enile

s/M

ile

0

200

400

600

800

R2=0.58 ; P=0.13

R2=0.94 ; P=0.01

Mid-CoastMid-South Coast North Coast 1999South Coast Umpqua 1999

1999 Adults vs 2000 Juveniles

1998 Adults vs 1999 Juveniles

Mid-Coast

Mid-South Coast

North Coast

South CoastUmpqua

Relationship Between Spawners and Juveniles

Adults/Mile

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

% E

gg

to

Pa

rr S

urv

iva

l

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1999 Juvenile Data2000 Juvenile Data

Egg to Parr Survival Rates

Task 3: Adult Abundance Monitoring

Key QuestionsPopulation Status?Populations Trends?Spatial and Temporal Distribution?Occurrence of Hatchery Fish in Natural Spawning

Populations?

MONITORING APPROACH

BASED ON ADULT BASED ON ADULT SPAWNERSSPAWNERS

UTILIZES VISUAL COUNTS UTILIZES VISUAL COUNTS IN STREAM SURVEYSIN STREAM SURVEYS

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING AND TAG RECOVERY AND TAG RECOVERY FROM SPAWNED FROM SPAWNED CARCASSESCARCASSES

SpawningRearing and MigrationMigration

• Coho Salmon• 240 sites for the ESU• 40 sites/population complex

• Steelhead• 60 sites/ESU (2 ESUs)• 20 sites/population complex

ADULT SURVEYSADULT SURVEYS

Precision of Spawner Abundance EstimatesPrecision of Spawner Abundance Estimates

Geographic Unit

Relative Precision

1990-97

1998-2000

Goal EMAP

ESU + 28% + 20% + 16%

MA + 54% + 30% + 22%

Major Basin + 63% + 60% + 35%

COHO SPAWNER ABUNDANCE IN COASTAL ESUCOHO SPAWNER ABUNDANCE IN COASTAL ESU

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

NORTH COAST

MID COAST

UMPQUA

MID-SOUTH COAST

AD

UL

T C

OH

O S

PA

WN

ER

S +

/- 9

5%

C I

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

ACCURACY OF SURVEY-BASED ACCURACY OF SURVEY-BASED ABUNDANCE ESTIMATESABUNDANCE ESTIMATES

Smith River Adult Coho

Year

1999 2000 2001

Adu

lt S

paw

ners

+ 9

5% C

onfid

ence

Inte

rval

s

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

Mark-Recapture EstmateSurvey Estimate

STREAMS

SPAWNER DENSITY 0 - 5 6 - 10 11 - 20 21 - 50 51 - 100 101 - 700

COHO COHO SPAWNER SPAWNER DENSITY IN DENSITY IN MID-SOUTH MID-SOUTH COAST GCGCOAST GCG

HATCHERY-WILD RATIO OF SPAWNERS HATCHERY-WILD RATIO OF SPAWNERS

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

South Coast 2000 (n=63)

South Coast 1999 (n=39)

South Coast 1998 (n=54)

Mid-South Coast 2000 (n=280)

Mid-South Coast 1999 (n=267)

Mid-South Coast 1998 (n=788)

Umpqua 2000 (n=425)

Umpqua 1999 (n=136)

Umpqua 1998 (n=108)

Mid Coast 2000 (n=144)

Mid Coast 1999 (n=49)

Mid Coast 1998 (n=212)

North Coast 2000 (n=500)

North Coast 1999 (n=61)

North Coast 1998 (n=44)

Hatchery Wild

RATIONALE AND RELATIONSHIP TO REGIONAL PROGRAMS

FWP, NMFS BiOp, Subbasin Summaries and the Oregon Plan all call for:

Increased M&E of status and trends in biological and environmental conditions at the Province and Subbasin scales

A framework for the coordination and integration of monitoring efforts

A process to prioritize how and where habitat protection and restoration efforts are focused

WHAT IS AT RISK IF THIS PROJECT IS NOT FUNDED?

Resource managers will continue to lack the data to evaluate resource status and trends and assess progress towards recovery

Our ability to learn from what we do (adaptive management) will continue to be limited

Implementing this program will provide the data to assess long-term trends in resource status at Provincial and Subbasin scales

Thank You