A decision analysis of flow management experiments for Columbia River mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) management

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1142-1156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint AD Alexander ◽  
Calvin N Peters ◽  
David R Marmorek ◽  
Paul Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Analysis ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Cost Information ◽  
Egg Survival ◽  
Recruitment Curve ◽  
Reasonable Cost ◽  
Prosopium Williamsoni ◽  
Flow Experiments ◽  
Adult Abundance

High spawning flows from Hugh Keenleyside Dam (HKD) on the Columbia River results in dewatering of eggs in mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) populations, but the ultimate effect on adult abundance depends on the shape of the egg-to-adult recruitment curve. Our decision analysis assessed the benefits of alternative flow experiments while accounting for uncertainties in this relationship and in flows in the Columbia and Kootenay rivers. The value of experimenting depended on the true recruitment relationship, how we quantified experimental benefits, and experimental design. With current uncertainty, the optimal HKD spawning flow (out of 11 alternative flows) was 1699.2 m3·s–1. Spawning flows below 1699.2 m3·s–1 did not improve egg survival because lower flows rendered high-quality spawning habitat unavailable and increased scour mortality. Two experimental designs, both with higher precision monitoring, had a high probability of detecting the true recruitment curve at reasonable cost. Information from these experiments suggested an optimal spawning flow of 1699.2 m3·s–1 if adult abundance were sensitive to egg mortality or 1982.4 m3·s–1 if the population were insensitive.

Brown trout spawning habitat selection and its effects on egg survival

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoé Gauthey ◽  
Margaret Lang ◽  
Arturo Elosegi ◽  
Cédric Tentelier ◽  
Jacques Rives ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Brown Trout ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Egg Survival

Strategies for Restoring River Ecosystems: Sources of Variability and Uncertainty in Natural and Managed Systems

2003 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Expert System ◽  
Statistical Model ◽  
Decision Analysis ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Expert Opinion ◽  
Decision Rules ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Salmon Recovery

<em>Abstract</em>.—We examine decision-support models designed to help recover salmon <em>Oncorhynchus </em>spp. in the Columbia River Basin as a case study for the use of models to help resolve scientific uncertainty and select management options. The models all have somewhat different objectives, use different data, and deal with a variety of salmon-related issues. Divergence of model outputs has, in the past, been used to justify different policy positions, leading some to conclude that science has failed to provide clarity to salmon recovery planning. Three distinct approaches are represented in the models: decision analysis, statistical, and expert system. Of the three approaches, decision analysis provides the clearest management advice and the most formal method for treating uncertainty. Its success depends on the engagement of decision makers in framing questions, identifying management options under consideration, and assigning values to possible outcomes. However, decision analysis could be very difficult to perform. As an alternative, the statistical model is the traditional scientific approach and it can operate with a large degree of detachment from policy. Statistical models proceed by testing hypotheses and estimating life-cycle parameters with available data. They have the advantage of scientific clarity, rigor, and empirical objectivity. The limitation of a statistical model is that the scope of the questions and their answers are restricted by availability of data, and in a domain that is data-poor, many pressing questions go unanswered. Expert system approaches fill gaps in data with expert opinion. In the context of salmon recovery, expert opinion allows consideration of the most concrete menu of specific options for salmon management. Expert opinion is a weaker basis for scientific prediction than is a mathematical relationship validated with empirical data. However, at the level of spatial resolution and environmental detail required to make salmon management decisions affecting the entire Columbia River Basin, there are no validated mathematical formulae for predicting the effects of management actions on salmon, and no adequate data archive exists for deriving such relationships. Communication between scientists and managers is improved when there is a formal institutional mechanism for summarizing scientific results and clarifying the interpretation of models for policy makers. If a modeling effort is driven by a desire to contribute to a particular decision, it is helpful to initially invest in enough communication to ensure that the model really is addressing the right question. Scientists can help managers craft decision rules that are formalized <em>before </em>analyses are undertaken. Decision rules define what measurements will be made, what statistical operations will be performed, and what threshold magnitudes of estimated quantities at specified levels of certainty will serve as criteria for the decision. Such specifications ensure that model results are properly used in the decision process. Committing to these specifications in advance helps dispel suspicions that analyses may be manipulated to achieve a particular outcome.

Status, Distribution, and Conservation of Native Freshwater Fishes of Western North America

2007 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Species List ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Prosopium Williamsoni ◽  
Catostomus Macrocheilus ◽  
Lewis And Clark

ABSTRACT The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed the Continental Divide in 1805 on the way west to the Pacific Ocean. Based on journal entries, members of the expedition probably encountered two species of resident salmonids and four of the six species of anadromous salmonids and steelhead (Family Salmonidae, genus <em>Oncorhynchus</em>). The salmonid species were called common salmon (now known as Chinook salmon <em>O. tshawytscha</em>), red charr (sockeye salmon <em>O. nerka</em>), white salmon trout (coho salmon [also known as silver salmon] <em>O. kisutch</em>), salmon trout (steelhead <em>O. mykiss</em>), and spotted trout (cutthroat trout <em>O. clarkii</em>). There was no evidence of the expedition encountering pink salmon <em>O. gorbuscha</em>, chum salmon <em>O. keta</em>, or species of true char <em>Salvelinus</em> spp. Common fishes procured from Indian tribes living along the lower Columbia River included eulachon <em>Thaleichthys pacificus</em> and white sturgeon <em>Acipenser transmontanus</em>. The identity of three additional resident freshwater species is questionable. Available descriptions suggest that what they called mullet were largescale sucker <em>Catostomus macrocheilus</em>, and that chubb were peamouth <em>Mylocheilus caurinus</em>. The third questionable fish, which they called bottlenose, was probably mountain whitefish <em>Prosopium williamsoni</em>, although there is no evidence that the species was observed in the Columbia River drainage. Missing from the species list were more than 20 other fishes known to Sahaptin-speaking people from the mid-Columbia region. More complete documentation of the icthyofauna of the Pacific Northwest region did not occur until the latter half of the 19th century. However, journals from the Lewis and Clark expedition provide the first documentation of Columbia River fishes.

Seasonal Distribution of Chondrococcus columnaris Infection in River Fishes as Determined by Specific Agglutinins

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Fujihara ◽  
F. P. Hungate
Keyword(s):  
Columbia River ◽  
Seasonal Distribution ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Cool Water ◽  
Annual Cycles ◽  
Prosopium Williamsoni ◽  
Columnaris Disease ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
River Site ◽  
River Fish

River fish populations infected with Chondrococcus columnaris disease were surveyed by measurements of C. columnaris agglutinating antibodies in blood sera of fishes and by isolation of the pathogen using microbiological plating methods. Agglutinins were demonstrated in all 13 fish species collected except whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni). Blood serum from samples of fishes at four Columbia River sites during 1965 and three Columbia River sites and one Snake River site during 1969–70 demonstrated single annual cycles of C. columnaris antibody production. During the two annual sampling periods, the magnitude of antibody titers and frequency of fish with agglutinins increased in warm water and declined in cool water. The rise in titers occurred after a winter low, and usually followed the period when the first C. columnaris organisms were isolated from native fish. Agglutinating titers up to 1:5000 were found but most peak titers were between 1:320 and 1:640.

Suitability criteria analyzed at the spatial scale of redd clusters improved estimates of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning habitat use in the Hanford Reach, Columbia River

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1636-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Geist ◽  
Julia Jones ◽  
Christopher J Murray ◽  
Dennis D Dauble
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Water Velocity ◽  
Point Pattern ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Cluster Location ◽  
Hanford Reach

We improved our predictions of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) habitat use by analyzing spawning habitat at the spatial scale of redd clusters. Spatial point pattern analyses indicated that redd clusters in the Hanford Reach, Columbia River, were consistent in their location from 1994 to 1995. Redd densities were 16.1 and 8.9 redds·ha-1 in 1994 and 1995, respectively, and individual redds within clusters were usually less than 30 m apart. Pattern analysis also showed strong evidence that redds were uniformly distributed within the clusters where interredd distances ranged from 2 to 5 m. Redd clusters were found to occur predominantly where water velocity was between 1.4 and 2 m·s-1, water depth was 2-4 m, and lateral slope of the riverbed was less than 4%. This habitat use represented a narrower range of use than previously reported for adult fall chinook salmon. Logistic regression analysis determined that water velocity and lateral slope were the most significant predictors of redd cluster location over a range of river discharges. Overestimates of available spawning habitat lead to nonachievable goals for protecting and restoring critical salmonid habitat. Better predictions of spawning habitat may be possible if cluster-specific characteristics are used.

A Spatial Model to Assess the Effects of Hydropower Operations on Columbia River Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Habitat

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1379-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Hatten ◽  
Kenneth F. Tiffan ◽  
Donald R. Anglin ◽  
Steven L. Haeseker ◽  
Joseph J. Skalicky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Spatial Model ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Spawning Habitat

Biology, Management, and Conservation of Lampreys in North America

2009 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Columbia River ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Water Flows ◽  
Adult Lamprey ◽  
Reintroduction Success ◽  
Management And Conservation ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Historical Range

<em>Abstract</em>.—Between 1999 and 2007, more than 2,600 adult Pacific lampreys <em>Entosphenus tridentatus </em>(formerly <em>Lampetra tridentata</em>) were reintroduced to the Umatilla River, where they had been extirpated by poisoning, from nearby locations in the Columbia River consistent with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources guidelines. Reintroduced adult Pacific lampreys were able to find suitable spawning habitat, construct nests, and deposit viable eggs (81–93% mean egg viability per nest). Their larvae were able to feed and grow. Median lengths for age 0+, 1+, and 2+ larvae were 19, 63, and 109 mm, respectively. Mean density of larvae in survey plots increased over time from 0.08 to 6.56 larvae/m<sup>2</sup>. Geographical distribution of larvae in the river increased downstream, but larvae failed to become established in the lower Umatilla River where water flows were regulated for irrigation. Annual abundances of trapped, recently metamorphosed, out-migrating larvae increased during the study from nearly zero to 180,000, but not in all years, which suggests that many might not be surviving migration to the Columbia River, possibly because of irrigation withdrawals. Abundances of trapped, returning adult lamprey also increased from 2003 to 2006, which corresponded with the period when adult lampreys that were the progeny of reintroduced lampreys were expected to return, but long-term monitoring is necessary to confirm that increases were the result of the reintroduction. Our results also demonstrated that even if presumptive causes of extirpation were known and removed before reintroduction, success is not guaranteed. Reintroduction not only assists in redistributing animals to parts of their historical range, but in conjunction with monitoring, it may be essential to identify additional limiting factors that were unknown at reintroduction.

An estimate of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning habitat and redd capacity upstream of a migration barrier in the upper Columbia River

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy P Hanrahan ◽  
Dennis D Dauble ◽  
David R Geist
Keyword(s):  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Anadromous Fish ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Complex Issue

Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River is the upstream terminus for anadromous fish because of its lack of fish passage facilities. Management agencies are currently evaluating the feasibility of reintroducing anadromous fish upriver of Chief Joseph Dam. We evaluated the physical characteristics of potential fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning habitat in the upper section of Chief Joseph Reservoir. The objectives were to estimate the location and quantity of potential spawning habitat and to determine the redd capacity of the area based on spawning habitat characteristics. The suitability of the study area was estimated through the use of geomorphic analysis, empirical physical data, and modeled hydraulic data. We estimated that 5% (48.7 ha) of the study area contains potentially suitable fall chinook salmon spawning habitat. Potential spawning habitat is primarily limited by deep water and low water velocities, resulting in 20% (9.6 ha) of the potential spawning habitat being characterized as high quality. Estimates of redd capacity within potential spawning habitat range from 207 to 1599 redds. The results of our study provide fisheries managers with useful information for evaluating the complex issue of reintroducing anadromous fish to the Columbia River upstream of Chief Joseph Dam.

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