DESCRIPTION
This project is an expansion of project West Sound Water Type Assessment Phases I & II, SRFB 09-1690 & 10-1878. The work is considered a high priority for the lead entity, as noted on the 3 Yr Work Program for the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan. Effective salmon recovery requires the restoration and protection of fish habitats. Kitsap, Pierce, and Mason County stream buffer width requirements are set by watertype. Existing watertype maps demonstrably under-represent the extent of fish and fish habitat, and many streams are mapped incorrectly or not at all. Consequently, many stream channels that warrant protection are not receiving appropriate buffers. Through visual and electrofishing surveys, Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) will determine and correct water type classifications in an additional 95 miles of streams in prioritized portions of WRIA 15 using state-sanctioned protocols. With GPS, WFC will accurately map previously unmapped and incorrectly mapped water courses. In addition to providing data to ensure informed and responsible management of these watersheds, this assessment will generate species-specific distribution data to assist with restoration project identification and prioritization efforts. WFC will incorporate assessment results in a web-based interactive GIS available to resource managers and the general public at www.wildfishconservancy.org. Data formats will be compatible with State, County, City, and Tribal datasets.
Through visual and electrofishing surveys, Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) used state-sanctioned protocols to determine and correct water type classifications in over 100 miles of streams in prioritized portions of WRIA 15. With GPS, WFC accurately mapped and classified water courses. In addition to providing data to facilitate informed and responsible management of these watersheds, this assessment generated data to assist with restoration project identification and prioritization efforts. Target fish include all Westsound species including Chinook, coho, chum, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. WFC incorporated assessment results in a web-based interactive GIS available to resource managers and the general public at www.wildfishconservancy.org. Data formats are compatible with State, County, City, and Tribal datasets. This project complements WFC’s SRFB-funded watertype assessments in WRIAs 2, 7, 13, 14, and 22.
During the course of the fieldwork WFC also identified 13 habitat restoration and protection opportunities, and described in detail the five highest priority opportunities.
This assessment is an expansion of Wild Fish Conservancy’s (WFC) SRFB 09-1690 & 10-1878. It was a high priority for the lead entity, as noted on the 3 Yr Work Program. Effective salmon recovery requires the restoration and protection of fish habitats. Kitsap, Pierce, and Mason County stream buffer width requirements are set by watertype. Without water type assessments, existing watertype maps demonstrably under-represent the extent of fish and fish habitat, and many streams are mapped incorrectly or not at all.
