Current Status of Accomplishment or Milestone: This report was completed and the volume is at the publishers. The citation is: Boehlert, G.W., ed. 1997. Application of acoustic and archival tags to assess estuarine, nearshore, and offshore habitat utilization and movement by salmonids. NOAA Technical Memorandum. NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-236. 62 p. To view or download this report,click here.
Background: Declining survival of several salmonid stocks on the west coast has raised alarms in the scientific, environmental, and fishing communities. Central California coho salmon have been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and other stocks in Northern California and Oregon are being considered for listing. The causes of declining stocks are complex, but have been attributed to a variety of factors, including variations in freshwater flow, dams, habitat degradation, hatchery practices, climate variability, and ocean conditions. Fundamental to understanding variability in survival in the estuary and ocean is improved knowledge of movements and habitat utilization during different life history stages, including the relationship to environmental variability. A workshop was organized in Seattle in September, 1996, to examine the means by which new tagging technologies, principally acoustic and archival, or data recording tags, can contribute to our understanding of the movement and habitat utilization.
Purpose of Activity/Goal of Project: Tag technology is a relatively fast-moving field and several salmonid biologists are interested in applying these technologies; thus, it was timely to convene this workshop to promote communication among scientists interested in salmon and the technologists and engineers developing tags. The general goal of the workshop was to address the potential application of acoustic and data logging tags to describe the utilization of estuarine and ocean environments by salmon during different life-history stages to better understand the role of environmental factors in movements and survival.
Description of Accomplishment and Significant Results: The workshop report includes papers or abstracts presented at the meeting, including three introductory papers which lay out perspectives on the important research needs, experience papers describing research work on topics dealing with applications of acoustic or data logging tags and associated research, and technology papers on the status and evaluation of tags. A written summary of two discussion groups, one on biology, ecology, and oceanography and the second on technology, is augmented by a series of workshop recommendations. Finally, the volume includes several contributed abstracts on pertinent biology and technology.
Significance of Accomplishment (e.g., to the Center, to Managment, and to NMFS Strategic plan Goals): Understanding movements and habitat utilization by salmonids is critical for evaluation of the sources of mortality. New technologies in tagging have the potential to address several key questions on this topic to help us understand this source of mortality. The published volume will foster communication and promote the development of technologies specific to salmon needs.
Problems: None
Key Contact: George Boehlert (831-648-8515)