DESCRIPTION
The WDFW will use this grant
to conduct mid-winter mobile PIT Tag surveys on the Tucannon River from the
mouth to Panjab Bridge. The purpose of
the survey is to re-sight PIT tagged ESA listed spring Chinook or summer
steelhead from the Juvenile Life Cycle Model Study after fall movement but
before smolt out-migration occurs.
Re-sight surveys will consist of two to three staff members floating a
small-scale PIT Tag antenna via raft or foot survey, fitted with a GPS, with a
comment from each detection about micro-habitat utilization. Data will be verified and summarized for
inclusion in the Life Cycle Model Study.
Re-sight surveys will greatly increase the PIT Tag
data that is usable for the Life Cycle Model Study as it will greatly increase
the sample size of PIT tagged fish present between the PIT Tag arrays after
fall movement, and will increase the precision of the survival estimates
between reaches. As seen in the past,
detections from the PIT tag arrays alone on juveniles are limited by stream
depth and the tag orientation as juvenile migrate. These mobile surveys will alleviate the much
of the uncertainty regarding fish movement, should provide greater information
on the types of habitat that is preferred over the winter.
WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will use this grant to conduct mid-winter mobile PIT Tag surveys on the Tucannon River from approximately RM 11 to Panjab Bridge (RM 49.9) or, if time allows, from the Tucannon River mouth to Panjab Bridge. The purpose of the survey is to supplement the data collected in the Life Cycle Model (LCM) Assessment that was funded by SRFB in 2015 (#15-1322) by detecting the location (i.e., re-sighting) PIT tagged ESA listed spring Chinook or summer steelhead from the Juvenile LCM Assessment after fall movement but before smolt out-migration occurs. Re-sight surveys will consist of 2-3 staff members floating two small-scale PIT Tag antennas via raft or foot survey and will collect the GPS location and the type of micro habitat being utilized of each tagged fish that is detected. Data will be verified and summarized for inclusion in the LCM Assessment. Re-sight surveys will greatly increase the PIT Tag data that is usable for the LCM as it will greatly increase the sample size of PIT tagged fish present between the PIT Tag arrays after fall movement, and will increase the precision of the survival estimates between reaches. As seen in the past, detections from the PIT tag arrays alone on juveniles are limited by stream depth and the tag orientation as juveniles migrate. These mobile surveys will alleviate much of the uncertainty regarding fish movement and should provide greater information on the types of habitat they prefer over the winter.