Adult Anadromous Fish Radiotelemetry Project (1996-2004)

NOAA College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho US Army Corps of Engineers
AAFRP Project Description Data Description Glossary Maps & Publications Contact

Project Description

Adult salmon and steelhead migrating to their natal streams in tributaries of the Columbia River pass up to nine dams and their reservoirs, four each in the lower Columbia and Snake rivers and five in the mid Columbia River (see maps). Many of these fish are from stocks that are currently listed under the Endangered Species Act as a result of significant declines in their numbers over the last 100 years. Conservation efforts to recover Columbia River salmon stocks have focused on all life stages where potential improvements may be realized. Salmon and steelhead that migrated to the oceans as smolts and have successfully survived to feed, grow, and mature to adulthood in the ocean and then re-enter the Columbia River still face a potentially arduous journey to reach natal spawning streams. In this project, we use radiotelemetry to monitor and evaluate potential hazards for adult salmon and steelhead migrating through the Columbia River basin. Our main goal is to accurately characterize the migration behavior for these fish, identify potential problem areas in their passage, especially at dams and through reservoirs of the lower Columbia and Snake rivers, and evaluate methods to improve their migration and survival.

Fish used for these studies are primarily collected at Bonneville Dam, the first hydropower project most fish reach during their migration, about 235 km from the mouth of the Columbia River. They are then outfitted with radiotransmitters and transported about 10 km downstream from the dam for release. As these radio-tagged salmon and steelhead migrate upstream, they are monitored using a network of fixed-site radio receivers at dams, near the mouths of tributary rivers, and by mobile tracking by boat and truck. Additional information is gathered from tags returned from hatcheries, crews conducting spawning ground surveys, and from commercial and sport fisheries. Data accessible through this web site have been interpreted by project biologists, both for ease of use and because of the complexity of the receiver array and the database itself. Data have been summarized by placing codes on individual records, each code indicating a particular action (see Data Summary).

This project has been on-going since 1996. To date, we have tagged spring, summer, and fall chinook salmon and steelhead during multiple years and sockeye salmon during one year. We also have a companion project to evaluate the passage of Pacific lamprey in the lower Columbia River. Studies described here are primarily funded by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers with assistance from the U. S. Geological Survey, Nation Marine Fisheries Service, Bonneville Power Administration, Bureau of Reclamation, and College of Natural Resources at the University of Idaho.

Project Personnel 1996-2004

Theodore Bjornn1
Chuck Boggs1
Ted Bohn2
Brian Burke2
Chris Caudill1
Bill Daigle1
Travis Dick1
Michelle Feeley1
Kinsey Frick2
Tom Goniea1
David Griffith1
Brian Hastings1
Megan Heinrich1
Brett High1
Travis Horton1
Joel Hunt1
Mike Jepson1
Eric Johnson1
Dan Joosten1
Matt Keefer1
Pat Keniry1
Steve Lee1
Nancy Martin1
Alicia Matter2
Sarah McCarthy2
Mark Morasch1
Carol Morat1
Mary Moser2
Jay Nance1
George Naughton1
Christine Nauman1
Paul Ocker2
Darren Ogden2
Chris Peery1
Amy Pinson1
Tami Reischel1
Rudy Ringe1
Sally Schrank1
David Sparks2
Lowell Stuehrenburg2
Ken Tolotti1
Cody Williams1
Adnan Zahoor1

1 = University of Idaho
2 = NOAA
AAFRP Project Description Data Description Glossary Maps & Publications Contact

The Adult Anadromous Fish Radiotelemetry Project was originally hosted by the NWFSC, NOAA (1996-2007). It is currently hosted by Columbia River DART (Data Access in Real Time), Columbia Basin Research, School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington. All Data Queries presented on this web site are designed and implemented by DART.

last modified 12/27/2004