Tagging, Mux, smolt, habitat and flow data - Movement and Survival of Juvenile Salmonids in Small Streams

The Strait of Juan de Fuca Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW) began in 2004 to test the watershed-scale response of steelhead and coho salmon to watershed restoration. The Strait IMW includes two treatment watersheds (East Twin River and Deep Creek) and one control watershed (West Twin River). Restoration treatments included LWD placement, road and culvert removal, off-channel habitat creation, and riparian planting. Monitoring of physical habitat as well as coho and steelhead parr densities began in 2004 using the EPA’s EMAP site selection and sampling protocols. Smolt and adult monitoring predates the IMW program and began as early as 1998 in some watersheds. Preliminary results suggest an increase in pool habitat and small increases in steelhead adults and smolts in East Twin River, as well as adult coho in Deep Creek. PIT tagging has revealed a large outmigration of age-0 coho in the fall that contributes to the adult return, stream swapping by juveniles, and varying return times for coho adults. Current research has answered a portion of our original questions and has raised new ones. Restoration treatments were completed fairly recently or are still in progress. As habitat typically does not respond immediately to treatment, additional years of monitoring are needed to determine watershed-scale fish response. Moving forward, analysis of otoliths to validate PIT tag data and new restoration methods such as carcass or nutrient enhancement may be merited. PIT tagging and habitat data. Includes fish weight, length, location, and PIT tag number. Habitat data includes wood measurements and stream surveys.

[
  "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/inportserve/waf/noaa/nmfs/nwfsc/dmp/pdf/20556.pdf"
]