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21. [Article] Abundance Monitoring of Juvenile Salmonids In Coastal Oregon and Lower Columbia Streams, 2008 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-1
Abstract -- As part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) initiated this project in 1998 to monitor the status and trend in abundance and distribution ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Abundance Monitoring of Juvenile Salmonids In Coastal Oregon and Lower Columbia Streams, 2008 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2009-1
Abstract -- As part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) initiated this project in 1998 to monitor the status and trend in abundance and distribution of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in coastal Oregon streams. This report summarizes the data collected during the summer of 2008 and, for coho salmon, compares it to data previously collected. The project originally surveyed only 1st-3rd order (tributary) streams but was expanded in 2002 to include juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and 4th-6th order (mainstem) rearing areas and in 2006 to the Oregon portion of the Lower Columbia River coho evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) (Figure 1). The sampling frame is intended to encompass all non-tidal coho and steelhead rearing habitat. The original 100k stream layer frame was replaced by a 24k frame in 2007. A Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified design (GRTS) (Stevens 2002) was used to create a spatially balanced, random point distribution. Sites were stratified by Monitoring Area (MA) and stream order (Table 1). A detailed description of the sampling frames and survey designs are found in Jepsen and Rodgers (2004) and Jepsen and Leader (2007). Field crews snorkeled all pools meeting the size criteria (6 m2 in surface area and 40 cm in maximum depth) in one kilometer of stream encompassing the GRTS point. Snorkeling was conducted during the minimum flow period from July to September using a single pass of one to four snorkelers, depending on stream width. In each pool counts were made of juvenile coho, Chinook, steelhead 90 mm, and cutthroat 90 mm. Presence was noted for dace, shiners, and trout < 90 mm. Sites with poor water clarity or quality were electrofished using a single pass without block nets to determine presence for coho, steelhead and cutthroat in each pool. To assess repeatability and quality control supervisory staff resurveyed 10% of tributary sites in each MA. Data were summarized by MA and stream order for analyses. Average pool density and percent pool occupancy for each site was averaged by MA. The percent of sites with at least one fish and with >0.7 coho/m2 are reported for each MA. 0.7 coho/m2 is regarded as full seeding after Nickelson et al. (1992) who reported full seeding based on electrofishing as 1.0 coho/m2 and Rodgers et al. (1992) who found that snorkelers observed 70% of the coho counted by electrofishing. CDFs, variances, and confidence intervals were created using tools developed by the EMAP Design and Analysis Team (EPA 2009).
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22. [Article] Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon In Salmon River Basin, 2008-2010 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2011-10
Abstract -- Hatcheries have been a centerpiece of salmon management in the Pacific Northwest for more than a century but recent evidence of adverse interactions between hatchery and naturally-produced ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Recovery of Wild Coho Salmon In Salmon River Basin, 2008-2010 Report Number: OPSW-ODFW-2011-10
Abstract -- Hatcheries have been a centerpiece of salmon management in the Pacific Northwest for more than a century but recent evidence of adverse interactions between hatchery and naturally-produced salmon have resulted in substantial changes in many hatchery programs. In 2007 the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife terminated a 30-year artificial propagation program for coho salmon in the Salmon River basin after a status assessment concluded that wild population viability was threatened by hatchery effects on salmon productivity (Chilcote et al. 2005). Hatchery-reared coho comprised 50-100% of the naturally spawning population in recent years. Low productivity was reflected in a low spawner to recruit ratio, and life-stage specific survival was lower than that of nearby populations. The temporal distribution of adult spawning in the basin was truncated and peaked 1.5 months earlier relative to the pre-hatchery period and adjacent coastal populations. The cessation of hatchery releases into Salmon River not only removed the primary factor believed to limit productivity of the local population, it also constituted a rare management experiment to test whether a naturally-spawning population can recover from a prolonged period of low abundance after interactions with hatchery-produced coho salmon are eliminated. This report summarizes the results of coho population studies at Salmon River for the first three years after the hatchery program was discontinued. The study in Salmon River is timely because ecological interactions between hatchery and wild fish have been implicated in the reduced survival and decreased productivity of wild coho and other salmonid populations (Nickelson 2003, Buhle et al. 2009, Chilcote et al. 2011). Recent studies involving a diversity of salmonid species and watersheds have shown a negative relationship between hatchery spawner abundance and wild population productivity regardless of the duration of hatchery influence (Chilcote et al. 2011). Yet neither the mechanisms of these productivity declines nor their potential reversibility have been investigated. Recent management changes at Salmon River provide an opportunity to experimentally evaluate coho salmon survival and productivity following the elimination of a decades-long hatchery program. The results will provide new insights into the reversibility of hatchery effects and the rate, mechanisms, and trajectory of response by a naturally spawning coho salmon population. Hatchery programs have been shown to change the timing and distribution of naturally spawning adults, but ecological and genetic influences on the spatial structure and life history diversity of juvenile populations are poorly understood. Conventional understanding of the life history of juvenile coho has presumed a relatively fixed pattern of rearing and migration. However, recent studies have found much greater variation in juvenile life history and habitat-use patterns than previously expected (Miller and Sadro 2003, Koski 2009), including evidence that estuaries may play a prominent role in the life histories of some coho salmon populations. A recent study in the Salmon River basin found considerable diversity in the life histories of juvenile Chinook salmon, including extended rearing by fry and other subyearling migrants within the complex network of natural and restored estuarine wetlands (Bottom et al. 2005). Unfortunately, interpretation of juvenile life history variations at Salmon River was confounded by the Chinook hatchery program, which has concentrated spawning activity in the lower river near the hatchery and may directly influence juvenile migration and rearing patterns. Discontinuation of the coho hatchery program at Salmon River provides an opportunity to quantify changes in juvenile life history following the elimination of all hatchery-fish interactions with the naturally spawning population. Such responses may provide important insights into the mechanisms of hatchery influence on wild salmon productivity and population resilience. Our research integrates adult and juvenile life stages, examines linkages to physical habitat conditions in fresh water and the estuary, and describes variability between juvenile performance and adult returns. It also monitors the coho salmon population across habitat types and life history stages to identify population responses at a landscape scale. We will determine productivity and survival at each salmon life stage and monitor the response of the adult population following the cessation of the coho salmon hatchery program. From these indicators, we will determine the potential resiliency of the coho salmon population, and evaluate the biological benefits or tradeoffs of returning the ecosystem to natural salmon production. Our study design encompasses four population phases: (1) pre-hatchery conditions (Mullen 1979), (2) dominance by hatchery-reared spawners (2008), (3) first generation naturally produced juveniles (2009-2011), and (4) second generation naturally produced juveniles (starting in 2012). This research will validate assumptions about factors limiting coho recovery and determine whether recovery actions have been effective. Here, we report on findings from 2008-2010 to address four principal objectives: 1. Quantify life stage specific survival and recruits per spawner ratio of the coho salmon population before and after hatchery coho salmon are removed from Salmon River. 2. Assess whether the Salmon River coho population is limited by capacity 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 various juvenile life histories to adult returns. 4. Determine seasonal use of the Salmon River estuary and its tidally-inundated wetlands by juvenile coho salmon. The field sampling that supported the study on coho salmon also captured Chinook salmon and steelhead and cutthroat trout during routine sampling in the watershed and estuary. This report emphasizes coho salmon results, but also summarizes catch, distribution, and migration data for other salmonids to compare densities and abundances in freshwater and the estuary. Additional results for Chinook, steelhead, and cutthroat are presented in Appendix A. See Stein et al. (2011) for more detailed information on life history diversity, migration patterns, habitat use, and abundance of cutthroat trout.
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23. [Article] Distribution of amphibians in wadeable streams and ponds in western and southeast Oregon, Information Report 2009-02
Abstract -- The Oregon Conservation Strategy (ODFW 2006) identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy species”, or Species of Greatest ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Distribution of amphibians in wadeable streams and ponds in western and southeast Oregon, Information Report 2009-02
Abstract -- The Oregon Conservation Strategy (ODFW 2006) identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy species”, or Species of Greatest Conservation Need (per USFWS requirements for State Wildlife Action Plans). The distribution of many species of amphibians in western Oregon is sparsely documented (Oregon Conservation Strategy, page 27). Although a broad-scale survey for amphibian presence would provide much information about amphibian distribution, most studies have focused on limited areas. One cost-effective approach is to combine amphibian observational surveys with existing aquatic habitat surveys conducted as part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OCSRI 1997). The Oregon Plan has been in place since 1997 and the monitoring component provides a survey framework for streams in the lower Columbia River and Oregon coast drainages. The sampling framework is also compatible with implementation of the aquatic components of the Conservation Strategy, as demonstrated by this study. This study describes the presence of amphibians in and along wadeable streams in coastal and lower Columbia River drainages of Oregon, ponds and sloughs in the Willamette Valley, and selected streams in the Great Basin of southeast and central Oregon. As a component of monitoring under the Oregon Plan, the Aquatic Inventories Project (AIP) conducts aquatic habitat surveys at randomly selected and spatially balanced sites across all 1st through 4th order streams (wadeable) in coastal and lower Columbia River drainages. The purpose of the habitat surveys is to describe stream morphology, instream physical habitat, and riparian vegetation. Because the surveyors were already observing features within and alongside the stream channel, they were able to record observations of amphibians. The amphibian component was consistent with the survey protocol used by the US Geological Survey’s Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative. The advantage of coupling an amphibian component with the OR Plan aquatic surveys was that it not only was an efficient use of resources, but more importantly, provided information using a statistically rigorous survey design across a broad geographic area. In the summer of 2006, AIP began collecting amphibian occurrence data during physical stream habitat surveys as a pilot study to determine if our standard survey protocol could be modified to document distribution of amphibians characterized as Strategy Species under the Oregon Conservation Strategy. During the summer season, field crews observed four strategy species of amphibians and eleven amphibian species total. The potential to use these data to fill the gaps within the known current distribution of amphibians and to potentially develop a habitat based distribution models for these species led to the summer 2007 work. Amphibian data are also collected during four other survey projects, and although the site selection procedure does not conform to the same statistical standards as the Oregon Plan survey design, the projects offer a number of opportunities to collect amphibian occurrence information over a wide variety of habitats. The amphibian observations from these four projects are also included in this report. The four projects are as follows: • AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys on selected streams throughout the state. • AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys at stream habitat restoration projects in Western Oregon. • Surveys to document the distribution of Oregon chub also record amphibian data from over 1,000 pond and slough sites within the Willamette Valley floodplain since 1991. • The Native Fish Investigations Project began a study in 2007 to document the distribution and abundance of Redband Trout in the Great Basin region of Eastern Oregon. Surveys in the summer of 2007 occurred in 8 of Oregon’s 10 ecoregions (Figure 1)(Omernick 1994). Ecoregions are relatively large areas defined by distinctive geographic and ecological characteristics; flora and fauna communities and geographic conditions are typically distinct. Ecoregions provide an ecological framework for describing amphibian distribution across the state. The goals of our 2007 work were to: • Increase the consistency, efficiency and ability of habitat crews in identifying amphibians through improved training. • Increase knowledge of distribution and habitat associations of amphibians in streams in western Oregon (location, stream size and type), and infer distribution in all coastal and lower Columbia drainages. • Describe temporal changes in stream habitat use by amphibians (seasonal, annual). • Estimate surveyor bias by comparing standard crew data with intensive resurveys. • Describe distribution of amphibians in ponds, sloughs and other off channel aquatic habitats in the Willamette Valley. • Describe distribution of amphibians in the Great Basin of eastern Oregon. Many of Oregon’s amphibians rely on aquatic habitats at some point of their life, either for breeding and juvenile development or to inhabit as adults. Most aquatic amphibians breed from late winter to early summer, and many adults remain in or near their breeding sites into the summer. Most tadpoles and juvenile amphibians are also active in and occupy aquatic habitats during the summer. The aquatic habitat and redband trout surveys are appropriate opportunities to observe species and life stages (breeding adults, tadpoles and juveniles) that occupy aquatic or riparian habitats during the summer. Likewise the Oregon chub surveys are likely to observe amphibian species and life stages in ponds and sloughs during the spring and fall. These types of surveys are an efficient and cost-effective means to collect information on amphibian species that are closely tied to aquatic habitat throughout their life cycle. Amphibian species that are more terrestrial in nature may be better surveyed through a different approach.
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Abstract -- The ODFW Oregon Conservation Strategy identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy species”, or Species of Greatest Conservation ...
Citation Citation
- Title:
- 2008 Amphibian Distribution Surveys in Wadeable Streams and Ponds in Western and Southeast Oregon, Information Reports Number 2010-05
Abstract -- The ODFW Oregon Conservation Strategy identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy species”, or Species of Greatest Conservation Need (per USFWS requirements for State Wildlife Action Plans). The distribution of many species of amphibians in western Oregon is sparsely documented (Oregon Conservation Strategy, page 27). Although a broad-scale survey for amphibian presence would provide important baseline information about amphibian species composition and distribution, most studies have focused on limited areas. The majority of Oregon’s amphibians rely on aquatic habitats at some point of their life, either for breeding and juvenile development or to inhabit as adults. Most aquatic amphibians breed from late winter to early summer, and adults frequently remain in or near their breeding sites into the summer. Most tadpoles and juvenile amphibians are also active in and occupy aquatic habitats during the summer. Ongoing aquatic habitat and fish surveys are opportunities to observe species and life stages (breeding adults, tadpoles and juveniles) that occupy aquatic or riparian habitats during the summer. One cost-effective approach is to combine amphibian surveys with existing aquatic habitat and fish surveys such as those conducted as part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OCSRI 1997). The Oregon Plan has been in place since 1997 and the monitoring component provides a survey framework for streams in the lower Columbia River and Oregon coast drainages. The sampling framework is also compatible with implementation of the aquatic components of the Conservation Strategy, as demonstrated by this study. This study describes the presence of amphibians in and along wadeable streams in coast and lower Columbia River drainages of Oregon, ponds and sloughs in the Willamette Valley, and selected streams in the Great Basin of southeast and central Oregon. As a component of monitoring under the Oregon Plan, the Aquatic Inventories Project (AIP) conducts aquatic habitat surveys at randomly selected and spatially balanced sites across all 1st through 4th order streams in coastal and lower Columbia River drainages. The purpose of the habitat surveys is to describe stream morphology, instream physical habitat, and riparian vegetation. Because the surveyors were already observing features within and alongside the stream channel, they were able to record observations of amphibians. The amphibian component was consistent with the survey protocol used by the US Geological Survey’s Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (http://armi.usgs.gov/). The advantage of coupling an amphibian component with the OR Plan aquatic surveys was that it not only was an efficient use of resources, but more importantly, provided information using a statistically rigorous survey design across a broad geographic area. The Native Fish Investigations Project began a six year study in 2007 to document the distribution and abundance of redband trout in the Great Basin region of Eastern Oregon. The site selection procedure is comparable to the statistical standards as the Oregon Plan survey design. Amphibian data are also collected during three other survey projects, and although the site selection procedure does not conform to the same statistical standards as the Oregon Plan survey design, the projects offer a number of opportunities to collect amphibian occurrence information over a wide variety of habitats. The amphibian observations from these three projects are also included in this report. The three projects are as follows: • AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys on selected streams throughout the state. • AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys at stream habitat restoration projects in Western Oregon. • Native Fish Project conducts surveys of pond and slough sites for Oregon chub in the Willamette Valley. Due to the success of the 2006 and 2007 field studies, we continued our research during the summer of 2008 to improve our knowledge of distribution and community structure of amphibians. The summer 2008 surveys took place in 9 of Oregon’s 10 ecoregions (Figure 1) (Thorson et al. 2003). Ecoregions provide a framework for discussing amphibian distribution across the state because they are relatively large areas defined by distinctive geographic and ecological (flora and fauna) characteristics. The goals of our 2008 work were to: • Increase the consistency, efficiency and ability of habitat crews in identifying amphibians through improved training. • Increase knowledge of distribution, community structure, and habitat associations of amphibians in streams in: o Western Oregon coastal and lower Columbia drainages. o Ponds, sloughs and other off-channel aquatic habitats in the Willamette Valley. o Great Basin of eastern Oregon and selected streams in central Oregon. • Combine the 2008 observations with the 2006-07 results.
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25. [Article] Amphibian Distribution in Wadeable Streams and Ponds in Western and Southeast Oregon, 2009-2010 Progress Reports 2011
Abstract -- The ODFW Oregon Conservation Strategy identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy Species”, or “Species of Greatest Conservation ...Citation Citation
- Title:
- Amphibian Distribution in Wadeable Streams and Ponds in Western and Southeast Oregon, 2009-2010 Progress Reports 2011
Abstract -- The ODFW Oregon Conservation Strategy identified monitoring needs for 17 amphibian species native to the state of Oregon that are designated as “Strategy Species”, or “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” (per USFWS requirements for State Wildlife Action Plans). The distribution of many species of amphibians in western Oregon is sparsely documented (Oregon Conservation Strategy, page 27). Although a broad-scale survey for amphibian presence would provide important baseline information about amphibian species composition and distribution, most studies have focused on limited areas. The majority of Oregon’s amphibians rely on aquatic habitats at some point of their life, either for breeding and juvenile development or to inhabit as adults. Most aquatic amphibians breed from late winter to early summer, and adults frequently remain in or near their breeding sites into the summer. Most tadpoles and juvenile amphibians are also active in and occupy aquatic habitats during the summer. Ongoing aquatic habitat and fish surveys are opportunities to observe species and life stages (breeding adults, tadpoles and juveniles) that occupy aquatic or riparian habitats during the summer. One cost-effective approach is to combine amphibian surveys with existing aquatic habitat and fish surveys such as those conducted as part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds (OCSRI 1997). The Oregon Plan has been in place since 1997 and the monitoring component provides a survey framework for streams in the lower Columbia River and Oregon coast drainages. The sampling framework is also compatible with implementation of the aquatic components of the Conservation Strategy, as demonstrated by this study. This study describes the presence of amphibians in and along wadeable streams in coast and lower Columbia River drainages of Oregon, ponds and sloughs in the Willamette Valley, and selected streams in the Great Basin of southeast and central Oregon. As a component of monitoring under the Oregon Plan, the Aquatic Inventories Project (AIP) conducts aquatic habitat surveys at randomly selected and spatially balanced sites across all 1st through 4th order streams in coastal and lower Columbia River drainages. The purpose of the habitat surveys is to describe stream morphology, instream physical habitat, and riparian vegetation. Because the surveyors were already observing features within and alongside the stream channel, they were able to record observations of amphibians. The advantage of coupling an amphibian component with the OR Plan aquatic surveys was that it not only was an efficient use of resources, but more importantly, provided information using a statistically rigorous survey design across a broad geographic area. The Native Fish Investigations Project began a six year study in 2007 to document the distribution and abundance of redband trout in the Great Basin region of Eastern Oregon. The site selection procedure is comparable to the statistical standards as the Oregon Plan survey design. Amphibian data are also collected during three other survey projects, and although the site selection procedure does not conform to the same statistical standards as the Oregon Plan survey design, the projects offer a number of opportunities to collect amphibian occurrence information over a wide variety of habitats. The amphibian observations from these three projects are also included in this report. The three projects are as follows: AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys on selected streams throughout the state. AIP conducts aquatic habitat surveys at stream habitat restoration projects in Western Oregon. Native Fish Project conducts surveys of pond and slough sites for Oregon chub in the Willamette Valley. Due to the success of the 2007 and 2008 field studies, we continued our research during the summer of 2009 and 2010 to improve our knowledge of distribution and community structure of amphibians. The summer 2009 and 2010 surveys took place in 9 of Oregon’s 10 ecoregions (Figure 1) (Thorson et al. 2003). Ecoregions provide a framework for discussing amphibian distribution across the state because they are relatively large areas defined by distinctive geographic and ecological (flora and fauna) characteristics. The goals of our 2009-2010 work were to: Increase the consistency, efficiency and ability of habitat crews in identifying amphibians through improved training. Increase knowledge of distribution, community structure, and habitat associations of amphibians in streams in: Western Oregon coastal and lower Columbia drainages. Ponds, sloughs and other off-channel aquatic habitats in the Willamette Valley. Great Basin of eastern Oregon and selected streams in central Oregon. Combine the 2009-2010 observations with the 2007-2008 results.