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Application of restoration scenarios to basin-scale demographics of coho salmon inferred from pit-tags
Citation:
Ebersole, J. L., M. Colvin, P. J. Wigington Jr, S. G. Leibowitz, AND K. BUrnett. Application of restoration scenarios to basin-scale demographics of coho salmon inferred from pit-tags. Presented at International Symposium on Advances in Fish Tagging and Marking Technology, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, February 24 - 28, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Effective habitat restoration planning requires correctly anticipating demographic responses to altered habitats. New applications of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag technology to fish-habitat research have provided critical insights into fish movement, growth, and survival.
Description:
Effective habitat restoration planning requires correctly anticipating demographic responses to altered habitats. New applications of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag technology to fish-habitat research have provided critical insights into fish movement, growth, and survival. Syntheses of demographic data gleaned from PIT tags can now better inform and help prioritize restoration activities. Using habitat-specific growth, survival and movement data from PIT-tagged coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), we illustrate the potential benefits of spatially-explicit habitat restoration scenarios in an Oregon, USA coastal basin. Use of in-stream antenna arrays, remote scanning of PIT-tagged fish, and multiple recapture efforts allowed us to document seasonal movement, growth and survival throughout a 63 km2 basin over 4 years. We used hierarchical linear models to evaluate habitat-specific growth and survival rates, which we then incorporated into a stream network simulation model to estimate population sensitivity to specific habitat restoration scenarios. We found that under present conditions, survival and growth are greater in tributary habitats compared to downstream mainstem habitats. Intermittent tributaries are particularly important as seasonal refugia and provide valuable spawning and foraging habitats. Under potential restoration scenarios, the greatest benefits, in terms of sensitivity of juvenile coho salmon population abundances are likely to be observed in the mainstem. These findings highlight the value of habitat-specific demographic data to restoration planning, and the utility of PIT-tag approaches for fish population monitoring at whole-basin scales.