Search

Search Results

• 11. [Article] AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Elliot Study Area

  Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synt hesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Elliot Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synt hesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the Elliott State Forest study area, which includes portions of the Coos, Umpqua, and Tenmile Lake drainages, to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish abundance, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities form the basis of the analyses. Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Elliot Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synt hesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the Elliott State Forest study area, which includes portions of the Coos, Umpqua, and Tenmile Lake drainages, to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish abundance, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities form the basis of the analyses. Close

• 12. [Article] AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Upper Nehalem and Clatskanie Study Area

  Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Upper Nehalem and Clatskanie Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the upper Nehalem and Clatskanie River drainages to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish presence, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities form the basis of the analyses. Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department of Forestry Upper Nehalem and Clatskanie Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the upper Nehalem and Clatskanie River drainages to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish presence, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities form the basis of the analyses. Close

• 13. [Article] AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department Of Forestry Miamii Study Area

  Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department Of Forestry Miamii Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the Miami River drainage to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish presence, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities will be the basis of the analyses. Title: AI - Fish Habitat Assessment in The Oregon Department Of Forestry Miamii Study Area Abstract -- A collaborative project between the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) was initiated to synthesize aquatic habitat and fisheries information for the Miami River drainage to assist in the development of operational management plans, stream habitat restoration projects, habitat conservation planning, and watershed analysis. The project summarizes the condition of stream habitat, the distribution and abundance of salmonid fishes, and the potential for restoration. The ODFW Aquatic Inventories Project has conducted stream habitat surveys as part of its basin survey project and habitat assessment project under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The goal of these surveys was to document the status and trends of stream conditions in coastal drainages. These surveys in conjunction with fish distribution, fish presence, potential barriers to passage, and past restoration activities will be the basis of the analyses. Close

• 14. [Article] Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon in Salmon River Basin, 2008 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-10

  Abstract -- Recovery and conservation of naturally self-sustaining salmon populations is a central goal of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon in Salmon River Basin, 2008 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-10 Abstract -- Recovery and conservation of naturally self-sustaining salmon populations is a central goal of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) initiated a comprehensive program to monitor the status of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) populations and aquatic habitat in coastal drainages of Oregon (OWEB 2003). A 2005 assessment by ODFW concluded that Oregon coastal coho were viable at the scale of the Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) and demonstrated resilience in response to improving ocean conditions. Yet 7 of 21 (33%) individual populations within the ESU failed one or more of five criteria used to assess viability (Chilcote et al. 2005), and it is uncertain whether productivity levels across the ESU will recover sufficiently to withstand future periods of poor ocean conditions. The coho population in Salmon River was the only population in the ESU to fail all five viability criteria. Uncertainty remains about the response of Oregon coastal coho salmon to different combinations of freshwater and marine limiting factors, complicating recovery efforts (Lawson 1993; Lawson et al. 2004; IMST 2006). Such uncertainty cannot be resolved entirely by existing Oregon Plan monitoring programs, which target only a portion of the habitats and coho salmon life stages in large river basins, and with few exceptions (e.g., Johnson et al. 2005), were not designed to test population responses to individual management manipulations. In 2007, in response to the failure of viability criteria, ODFW managers discontinued releases of hatchery coho salmon into Salmon River as one of the primary management actions under the Oregon Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast Coho Evolutionarily Significant Unit (hereafter “coho plan,” Nicholas 2006). This change affords the first opportunity in Oregon to monitor the results of a large scale experiment in removing hatchery coho salmon from a basin for at least four generations (twelve years). Hatchery production has been a centerpiece of salmon management for decades, but rarely has full recovery from hatchery influence been given a chance to succeed. Salmon River offers a test basin to explore whether an independent population of coho salmon can recover from a prolonged period of very low abundance following removal of the primary factor limiting productivity. Here we describe the first year of a study to monitor the dynamics of the coho salmon population in the Salmon River basin on the central Oregon coast and to determine whether management changes targeting both hatchery influence and stream habitat complexity improve population viability. This research will validate assumptions about factors limiting coho recovery and determine whether recovery measures proposed by the Coho Plan have been effective. Our research is designed to document changes in population abundance, distribution, and life history structure of coho salmon following the removal of hatchery coho salmon from the watershed. It integrates adult, juvenile, and habitat components to establish links and describe variability between juvenile performance and adult recovery. It also monitors the coho salmon population across habitat types and life history stages to identify population responses at a landscape scale. We will establish the link between productivity and survival at each salmon life stage and recovery of the adult population. From these indicators, we will determine the potential resiliency of coho salmon, detail the biological benefits/tradeoffs of returning the ecosystem to natural salmon production, and assess whether supplementation should remain an option in Salmon River. As a conceptual framework, our research design and analyses are guided by the “viable salmonid population” criteria identified by McElhany (2000) and modified by Chilcote et al. (2005) and Nicholas (2006), including abundance, productivity, distribution, diversity, and habitat quality. The results of our new research will be integrated with habitat survey and adult population data collected under the existing Oregon Plan monitoring program and coho salmon population and life history data available from previous Salmon River surveys (Mullen 1978, 1979; Cornwell et al. 2001; Bottom et al 2005; Volk et al. in review). Together these data will address four principal objectives: 1. Quantify viability of the coho salmon population before and after hatchery coho salmon are removed from Salmon River. 2. Assess whether viability of the Salmon River coho population is limited by quantity and complexity of stream habitat. 3. Describe the diversity of juvenile and adult life histories of coho salmon in the Salmon River basin and estimate the relative contributions of alternate juvenile life history to adult returns. 4. Determine salmonid use and benefits of restored tidal wetlands before and after hatchery coho salmon are removed from Salmon River. By synthesizing historic data with new information for the Salmon River basin, we will compare population structure during three distinct periods – pre-hatchery (1974-77), hatchery (1990-2008), and post-hatchery (2009-2013). This annual report discusses the activities and findings from 2008, the first year of the multi-year project, including coho salmon distribution and abundance on the Salmon River spawning grounds, juvenile abundance and distribution in the watershed and estuary, migration timing, and life history diversity. Title: Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon in Salmon River Basin, 2008 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-10 Abstract -- Recovery and conservation of naturally self-sustaining salmon populations is a central goal of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) initiated a comprehensive program to monitor the status of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) populations and aquatic habitat in coastal drainages of Oregon (OWEB 2003). A 2005 assessment by ODFW concluded that Oregon coastal coho were viable at the scale of the Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) and demonstrated resilience in response to improving ocean conditions. Yet 7 of 21 (33%) individual populations within the ESU failed one or more of five criteria used to assess viability (Chilcote et al. 2005), and it is uncertain whether productivity levels across the ESU will recover sufficiently to withstand future periods of poor ocean conditions. The coho population in Salmon River was the only population in the ESU to fail all five viability criteria. Uncertainty remains about the response of Oregon coastal coho salmon to different combinations of freshwater and marine limiting factors, complicating recovery efforts (Lawson 1993; Lawson et al. 2004; IMST 2006). Such uncertainty cannot be resolved entirely by existing Oregon Plan monitoring programs, which target only a portion of the habitats and coho salmon life stages in large river basins, and with few exceptions (e.g., Johnson et al. 2005), were not designed to test population responses to individual management manipulations. In 2007, in response to the failure of viability criteria, ODFW managers discontinued releases of hatchery coho salmon into Salmon River as one of the primary management actions under the Oregon Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast Coho Evolutionarily Significant Unit (hereafter “coho plan,” Nicholas 2006). This change affords the first opportunity in Oregon to monitor the results of a large scale experiment in removing hatchery coho salmon from a basin for at least four generations (twelve years). Hatchery production has been a centerpiece of salmon management for decades, but rarely has full recovery from hatchery influence been given a chance to succeed. Salmon River offers a test basin to explore whether an independent population of coho salmon can recover from a prolonged period of very low abundance following removal of the primary factor limiting productivity. Here we describe the first year of a study to monitor the dynamics of the coho salmon population in the Salmon River basin on the central Oregon coast and to determine whether management changes targeting both hatchery influence and stream habitat complexity improve population viability. This research will validate assumptions about factors limiting coho recovery and determine whether recovery measures proposed by the Coho Plan have been effective. Our research is designed to document changes in population abundance, distribution, and life history structure of coho salmon following the removal of hatchery coho salmon from the watershed. It integrates adult, juvenile, and habitat components to establish links and describe variability between juvenile performance and adult recovery. It also monitors the coho salmon population across habitat types and life history stages to identify population responses at a landscape scale. We will establish the link between productivity and survival at each salmon life stage and recovery of the adult population. From these indicators, we will determine the potential resiliency of coho salmon, detail the biological benefits/tradeoffs of returning the ecosystem to natural salmon production, and assess whether supplementation should remain an option in Salmon River. As a conceptual framework, our research design and analyses are guided by the “viable salmonid population” criteria identified by McElhany (2000) and modified by Chilcote et al. (2005) and Nicholas (2006), including abundance, productivity, distribution, diversity, and habitat quality. The results of our new research will be integrated with habitat survey and adult population data collected under the existing Oregon Plan monitoring program and coho salmon population and life history data available from previous Salmon River surveys (Mullen 1978, 1979; Cornwell et al. 2001; Bottom et al 2005; Volk et al. in review). Together these data will address four principal objectives: 1. Quantify viability of the coho salmon population before and after hatchery coho salmon are removed from Salmon River. 2. Assess whether viability of the Salmon River coho population is limited by quantity and complexity of stream habitat. 3. Describe the diversity of juvenile and adult life histories of coho salmon in the Salmon River basin and estimate the relative contributions of alternate juvenile life history to adult returns. 4. Determine salmonid use and benefits of restored tidal wetlands before and after hatchery coho salmon are removed from Salmon River. By synthesizing historic data with new information for the Salmon River basin, we will compare population structure during three distinct periods – pre-hatchery (1974-77), hatchery (1990-2008), and post-hatchery (2009-2013). This annual report discusses the activities and findings from 2008, the first year of the multi-year project, including coho salmon distribution and abundance on the Salmon River spawning grounds, juvenile abundance and distribution in the watershed and estuary, migration timing, and life history diversity. Close

• 15. [Article] Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative Sections 18-27: Appendix 1- 4 1997

  Abstract -- Oregon developed a conservation plan known as Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative (OCSRI) to guide the protection and restoration of anadromous fish in coastal river basins. The ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative Sections 18-27: Appendix 1- 4 1997 Abstract -- Oregon developed a conservation plan known as Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative (OCSRI) to guide the protection and restoration of anadromous fish in coastal river basins. The four appendices include informational documents related to the OCSRI. Appendix 1 contains briefing papers covering policy, cumulative effects, physical habitats, water quantity, water quality and fishery management. Appendix 2 is the monitoring program documentation covering the OCSRI monitoring background and working documents, development of benchmark values for analysis, assessment, and evaluation of progress toward objectives and federal measures that support or coordinate with OCSRI monitoring. Appendix 3 covers the population dynamics model, and includes the introduction, methods, habitat quality component, forward simulation component, depiction of habitat quality, forward simulations and results and discussion. Appendix 4 includes core mapping documentation like maps, list of core areas and documentation for each core area. Title: Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative Sections 18-27: Appendix 1- 4 1997 Abstract -- Oregon developed a conservation plan known as Oregon's Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative (OCSRI) to guide the protection and restoration of anadromous fish in coastal river basins. The four appendices include informational documents related to the OCSRI. Appendix 1 contains briefing papers covering policy, cumulative effects, physical habitats, water quantity, water quality and fishery management. Appendix 2 is the monitoring program documentation covering the OCSRI monitoring background and working documents, development of benchmark values for analysis, assessment, and evaluation of progress toward objectives and federal measures that support or coordinate with OCSRI monitoring. Appendix 3 covers the population dynamics model, and includes the introduction, methods, habitat quality component, forward simulation component, depiction of habitat quality, forward simulations and results and discussion. Appendix 4 includes core mapping documentation like maps, list of core areas and documentation for each core area. Close

• 16. [Article] AI - Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon, 1999

  Abstract -- The physical habitat of a stream forms the template from which the biological community can develop. The structure and complexity of the stream habitat influences the species composition, distribution, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon, 1999 Abstract -- The physical habitat of a stream forms the template from which the biological community can develop. The structure and complexity of the stream habitat influences the species composition, distribution, and production of the fish community. Assessing the status of stream habitat conditions in coastal Oregon streams is important for monitoring the effects of landscape and aquatic management practices on the character of riparian stream habitat. Comprehensive habitat assessments are also important for watershed assessments, restoration planning, and for studying the relationship between stream habitat, fish abundance, and fish distribution. The goals of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OPSW) Habitat Monitoring Program are to 1) provide an annual update on the status of stream habitat in Western Oregon, and 2) track trends in habitat over time. This report on stream habitat conditions covers sampling that occurred between June and October of 1999. The report is grouped into six different areas: • Current habitat status by Gene Conservation Area (GCA) • The status of habitat in relation to landscape variables • An assessment of the high quality habitat existing on the landscape • A comparison of 1998 and 1999 stream conditions • An analysis of habitat variable precision • An assessment of fish distribution outside of known coho salmon distribution Title: AI - Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon, 1999 Abstract -- The physical habitat of a stream forms the template from which the biological community can develop. The structure and complexity of the stream habitat influences the species composition, distribution, and production of the fish community. Assessing the status of stream habitat conditions in coastal Oregon streams is important for monitoring the effects of landscape and aquatic management practices on the character of riparian stream habitat. Comprehensive habitat assessments are also important for watershed assessments, restoration planning, and for studying the relationship between stream habitat, fish abundance, and fish distribution. The goals of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OPSW) Habitat Monitoring Program are to 1) provide an annual update on the status of stream habitat in Western Oregon, and 2) track trends in habitat over time. This report on stream habitat conditions covers sampling that occurred between June and October of 1999. The report is grouped into six different areas: • Current habitat status by Gene Conservation Area (GCA) • The status of habitat in relation to landscape variables • An assessment of the high quality habitat existing on the landscape • A comparison of 1998 and 1999 stream conditions • An analysis of habitat variable precision • An assessment of fish distribution outside of known coho salmon distribution Close

• 17. [Article] Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon 2005 Monitoring Report Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2007-5

  Abstract -- Monitoring programs under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds were designed to assess the status and trend in fish populations and aquatic habitat in Oregon’s coastal basins. Although ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon 2005 Monitoring Report Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2007-5 Abstract -- Monitoring programs under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds were designed to assess the status and trend in fish populations and aquatic habitat in Oregon’s coastal basins. Although the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds was initiated in response to the petition to list Oregon coastal coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), monitoring was subsequently expanded to include other salmonids. Through coordinated surveys we are able to evaluate freshwater habitat, fish distribution, and abundance of juvenile and adult coho salmon and steelhead trout. The habitat survey project has the broadest geographic scope of inference and ties to other program components as well – basin surveys, surveys at habitat restoration sites, adult and juvenile coho surveys, and life cycle watersheds (Flitcroft et al. 2002). The Oregon Plan facilitated cooperation and partnerships to study the contemporary life history dynamics of coho salmon in the Oregon coastal ESU (Evolutionary Significant Unit). A viability and status assessment of Oregon coastal Coho (Chilcote 2005) and the Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (Nicholas 2006) evaluated the relationship of aquatic habitat to the productivity of coho salmon populations and recommended actions to promote recovery. The habitat portion of the viability assessment was based on a review of aquatic and riparian habitat collected by the Aquatic Inventories Project (ODFW) from 1990 to 2004 (Rodgers et al. 2005). The authors of the habitat assessment (Rodgers et al 2005) and viability assessment (Chilcote 2005) concluded that coho productivity in 22 coastal coho populations was limited by the complexity of stream habitat used by juvenile coho during their first winter of freshwater residence. The term “stream complexity” integrates geomorphic and structural characteristics of streams and associated aquatic habitat. Complex geomorphic features may be observed in low gradient streams flowing through wide valley floors with multiple channels and off-channel habitats. Structural complexity refers to the size and configuration of pools, large wood pieces and jams, substrate, and undercut banks. The combination of geomorphic and structural features provides cover and refugia during high winter flows for juvenile coho. Stream reaches that can or have the potential to create these conditions are commonly located in lower reaches of moderate size streams in areas with wide valley floors and are considered to contain high quality habitat for juvenile coho. Burnett et al. (2007) developed spatial models to estimate high-quality habitat rearing potential, termed intrinsic potential, in coastal streams. A stream’s intrinsic potential was modeled using valley width, gradient, and stream flow. Historically, streams identified as having high intrinsic potential may have been the most productive for juvenile coho salmon; restoration of these reaches may be the key to recovery of coho salmon. The viability assessment and Coho Plan recommend that we monitor the trends in total amount and spatial distribution of these habitats in coastal drainages. This report discusses the findings from aquatic habitat surveys conducted in summer 2005 in coastal drainages. Our objectives are to describe and compare channel morphology, instream habitat and complexity, and riparian conditions in all wadeable streams in five monitoring areas. The sample design permitted us to post stratify the sample sites into three additional frames: sites within coho and steelhead distribution, sites outside coho distribution, and sites within high intrinsic potential for coho. We also used two habitat models to integrate habitat attributes to describe the habitat quality and capacity for different life stages of juvenile coho and steelhead. Title: Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon 2005 Monitoring Report Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2007-5 Abstract -- Monitoring programs under the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds were designed to assess the status and trend in fish populations and aquatic habitat in Oregon’s coastal basins. Although the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds was initiated in response to the petition to list Oregon coastal coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), monitoring was subsequently expanded to include other salmonids. Through coordinated surveys we are able to evaluate freshwater habitat, fish distribution, and abundance of juvenile and adult coho salmon and steelhead trout. The habitat survey project has the broadest geographic scope of inference and ties to other program components as well – basin surveys, surveys at habitat restoration sites, adult and juvenile coho surveys, and life cycle watersheds (Flitcroft et al. 2002). The Oregon Plan facilitated cooperation and partnerships to study the contemporary life history dynamics of coho salmon in the Oregon coastal ESU (Evolutionary Significant Unit). A viability and status assessment of Oregon coastal Coho (Chilcote 2005) and the Conservation Plan for the Oregon Coast Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (Nicholas 2006) evaluated the relationship of aquatic habitat to the productivity of coho salmon populations and recommended actions to promote recovery. The habitat portion of the viability assessment was based on a review of aquatic and riparian habitat collected by the Aquatic Inventories Project (ODFW) from 1990 to 2004 (Rodgers et al. 2005). The authors of the habitat assessment (Rodgers et al 2005) and viability assessment (Chilcote 2005) concluded that coho productivity in 22 coastal coho populations was limited by the complexity of stream habitat used by juvenile coho during their first winter of freshwater residence. The term “stream complexity” integrates geomorphic and structural characteristics of streams and associated aquatic habitat. Complex geomorphic features may be observed in low gradient streams flowing through wide valley floors with multiple channels and off-channel habitats. Structural complexity refers to the size and configuration of pools, large wood pieces and jams, substrate, and undercut banks. The combination of geomorphic and structural features provides cover and refugia during high winter flows for juvenile coho. Stream reaches that can or have the potential to create these conditions are commonly located in lower reaches of moderate size streams in areas with wide valley floors and are considered to contain high quality habitat for juvenile coho. Burnett et al. (2007) developed spatial models to estimate high-quality habitat rearing potential, termed intrinsic potential, in coastal streams. A stream’s intrinsic potential was modeled using valley width, gradient, and stream flow. Historically, streams identified as having high intrinsic potential may have been the most productive for juvenile coho salmon; restoration of these reaches may be the key to recovery of coho salmon. The viability assessment and Coho Plan recommend that we monitor the trends in total amount and spatial distribution of these habitats in coastal drainages. This report discusses the findings from aquatic habitat surveys conducted in summer 2005 in coastal drainages. Our objectives are to describe and compare channel morphology, instream habitat and complexity, and riparian conditions in all wadeable streams in five monitoring areas. The sample design permitted us to post stratify the sample sites into three additional frames: sites within coho and steelhead distribution, sites outside coho distribution, and sites within high intrinsic potential for coho. We also used two habitat models to integrate habitat attributes to describe the habitat quality and capacity for different life stages of juvenile coho and steelhead. Close

• 18. [Article] Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment

  Abstract -- The Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment focuses on habitat conditions for salmonids (salmon, steelhead and trout) in the watershed. The report follows the guidelines of the Oregon Watershed ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment Abstract -- The Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment focuses on habitat conditions for salmonids (salmon, steelhead and trout) in the watershed. The report follows the guidelines of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Manual (WPN 1999). The Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment presents the existing baseline information on watershed conditions (based on available reports and data) and oral history interviews. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was built to display, analyze and store much of the data. Habitat factors for the decline of salmonids are compared, and major protection and restoration opportunities are identified and prioritized. This Phase I assessment does not generally provide the detailed field reconnaissance and comprehensive field studies that are necessary for proceeding with specific protection and restoration projects. Rather, this assessment lays out the groundwork for a second phase of assessment that bridges the gap between identifying major areas for action and conducting specific projects. Topics included are preliminary analysis of existing data, GIS base map and baseline information, historical habitat conditions, channel habitat typing, fisheries resource and habitat assessment, channel modifications, sediment sources, riparian and wetland conditions, water quality, water use and hydrology, refugia, watershed condition, data gaps, significant legal and public issues, prioritized preservation and restoration, opportunities, and GIS metadata. Title: Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment Abstract -- The Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment focuses on habitat conditions for salmonids (salmon, steelhead and trout) in the watershed. The report follows the guidelines of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Manual (WPN 1999). The Scappoose Bay Watershed Assessment presents the existing baseline information on watershed conditions (based on available reports and data) and oral history interviews. A Geographic Information System (GIS) was built to display, analyze and store much of the data. Habitat factors for the decline of salmonids are compared, and major protection and restoration opportunities are identified and prioritized. This Phase I assessment does not generally provide the detailed field reconnaissance and comprehensive field studies that are necessary for proceeding with specific protection and restoration projects. Rather, this assessment lays out the groundwork for a second phase of assessment that bridges the gap between identifying major areas for action and conducting specific projects. Topics included are preliminary analysis of existing data, GIS base map and baseline information, historical habitat conditions, channel habitat typing, fisheries resource and habitat assessment, channel modifications, sediment sources, riparian and wetland conditions, water quality, water use and hydrology, refugia, watershed condition, data gaps, significant legal and public issues, prioritized preservation and restoration, opportunities, and GIS metadata. Close

• 19. [Article] The Status and Trend of Physical Habitat and Rearing Potential in Coho Bearing Streams in the Oregon Coastal Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-5

  Abstract -- In 1997, the Oregon Coastal Restoration Initiative (OCSRI 1997) identified the quality of stream habitat as a potential factor influencing the decline of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: The Status and Trend of Physical Habitat and Rearing Potential in Coho Bearing Streams in the Oregon Coastal Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-5 Abstract -- In 1997, the Oregon Coastal Restoration Initiative (OCSRI 1997) identified the quality of stream habitat as a potential factor influencing the decline of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Oregon coastal streams. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) implemented a monitoring program that utilized a random, spatially balanced survey design to provide statistically rigorous information on the status and trend of habitat conditions in Oregon coastal streams. In response to the ESA listing of coho salmon, the State of Oregon published a comprehensive review of aquatic habitat in the Oregon Coastal Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) in 2005 (Rodgers et al 2005). The NOAA Fisheries more recently published a request for additional information in the 2009 Federal Register notice (Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 29, 2009). This report will serve as an update to Rodgers et al (2005), and will provide an analysis of the current status and trends in aquatic habitat from 1998 through 2008 within the Oregon Coastal Coho ESU. The status and trend of instream physical habitat conditions in the Oregon Coastal coho ESU were assessed from twelve variables collected by the ODFW habitat monitoring program from 1998-2008. Habitat conditions were described at the scale of the ESU, four monitoring areas/strata within the ESU, and by six land use categories (agriculture, urban, private non-industrial and industrial forest, and public state and federal forest). The condition of habitat was compared among monitoring areas and land use categories. In addition, the habitat condition at random survey sites was compared to that at sites experiencing minimal human disturbance (i.e. reference sites). Potential winter rearing capacity for juvenile coho salmon was calculated for all available habitat and for high quality habitat at the monitoring area scale and in selected population units. We calculated the rearing potential from high quality habitat because modeling (Nickelson and Lawson 1998) demonstrated that during periods of prolonged poor ocean survival, only areas with high quality habitat will be able to support coho at full seeding during poor marine conditions. The final objective of this report is to discuss whether sufficient habitat capacity exists to support productivity of juvenile coho at the monitoring strata scale during periods of low marine survival. Title: The Status and Trend of Physical Habitat and Rearing Potential in Coho Bearing Streams in the Oregon Coastal Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-5 Abstract -- In 1997, the Oregon Coastal Restoration Initiative (OCSRI 1997) identified the quality of stream habitat as a potential factor influencing the decline of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in Oregon coastal streams. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) implemented a monitoring program that utilized a random, spatially balanced survey design to provide statistically rigorous information on the status and trend of habitat conditions in Oregon coastal streams. In response to the ESA listing of coho salmon, the State of Oregon published a comprehensive review of aquatic habitat in the Oregon Coastal Coho Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) in 2005 (Rodgers et al 2005). The NOAA Fisheries more recently published a request for additional information in the 2009 Federal Register notice (Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 81 / Wednesday, April 29, 2009). This report will serve as an update to Rodgers et al (2005), and will provide an analysis of the current status and trends in aquatic habitat from 1998 through 2008 within the Oregon Coastal Coho ESU. The status and trend of instream physical habitat conditions in the Oregon Coastal coho ESU were assessed from twelve variables collected by the ODFW habitat monitoring program from 1998-2008. Habitat conditions were described at the scale of the ESU, four monitoring areas/strata within the ESU, and by six land use categories (agriculture, urban, private non-industrial and industrial forest, and public state and federal forest). The condition of habitat was compared among monitoring areas and land use categories. In addition, the habitat condition at random survey sites was compared to that at sites experiencing minimal human disturbance (i.e. reference sites). Potential winter rearing capacity for juvenile coho salmon was calculated for all available habitat and for high quality habitat at the monitoring area scale and in selected population units. We calculated the rearing potential from high quality habitat because modeling (Nickelson and Lawson 1998) demonstrated that during periods of prolonged poor ocean survival, only areas with high quality habitat will be able to support coho at full seeding during poor marine conditions. The final objective of this report is to discuss whether sufficient habitat capacity exists to support productivity of juvenile coho at the monitoring strata scale during periods of low marine survival. Close

• 20. [Article] AI - Year 2000 Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon

  Abstract -- The goals of the habitat monitoring portion of the Oregon Plan program are to develop baseline statistics, describe current conditions and track trends in habitat condition over time. This ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: AI - Year 2000 Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon Abstract -- The goals of the habitat monitoring portion of the Oregon Plan program are to develop baseline statistics, describe current conditions and track trends in habitat condition over time. This program functions as the landscape link in the overall Oregon Plan monitoring program. Field work for the habitat monitoring program began in 1998 with coordinated site visitations conducted with the two other Oregon Plan monitoring programs; juvenile rearing survey and adult salmon spawning survey programs. The Oregon Plan Habitat Survey program is nested within the Aquatic Inventories Project (AIP). The AIP was begun by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in 1990 and has expanded to include a wide variety of inventory, modeling and monitoring efforts. The central purpose of these diverse projects is the inventory of physical aspects of the environment that are important for aquatic life and the habitat needs of salmonids and other fishes during the freshwater stages of their life history. Some of the significant ongoing or recently completed projects that are part of the AIP are: Basinwide cesus surveys, Oregon plan Habitat surveys, Restoration Project Monitoring, Salmonid Habitat and Diversity Watersheds Project, Fish Inventories, Great Basin Redband Trout, Oregon Chub Status and Recovery Project, Salmon River Estuary, and Columbia River Estuary Project. Title: AI - Year 2000 Stream Habitat Conditions in Western Oregon Abstract -- The goals of the habitat monitoring portion of the Oregon Plan program are to develop baseline statistics, describe current conditions and track trends in habitat condition over time. This program functions as the landscape link in the overall Oregon Plan monitoring program. Field work for the habitat monitoring program began in 1998 with coordinated site visitations conducted with the two other Oregon Plan monitoring programs; juvenile rearing survey and adult salmon spawning survey programs. The Oregon Plan Habitat Survey program is nested within the Aquatic Inventories Project (AIP). The AIP was begun by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) in 1990 and has expanded to include a wide variety of inventory, modeling and monitoring efforts. The central purpose of these diverse projects is the inventory of physical aspects of the environment that are important for aquatic life and the habitat needs of salmonids and other fishes during the freshwater stages of their life history. Some of the significant ongoing or recently completed projects that are part of the AIP are: Basinwide cesus surveys, Oregon plan Habitat surveys, Restoration Project Monitoring, Salmonid Habitat and Diversity Watersheds Project, Fish Inventories, Great Basin Redband Trout, Oregon Chub Status and Recovery Project, Salmon River Estuary, and Columbia River Estuary Project. Close