Lummi FY2020 Nooksack River Estuary and Nearshore Juvenile Chinook Eco Analysis

This project provided funding for statistical data analysis of Lummi Nation’s extensive juvenile Chinook nearshore beach seine capture data collected from 2003-2016. The data set was being used at a significantly reduced scale by other parties to infer that density-dependent and competitive nearshore ecological interactions between hatchery- and natural-origin juvenile Chinook may be occurring, potentially to the detriment of natural-origin Chinook.

Confirming the existence of quantifiable competition, or alternatively confirming deficient evidence of competition, between juvenile chinook HORs and NORs in the Nooksack River nearshore is important for regional hatchery programs from an ESA regulatory standpoint. Conversely, identifying lack of competition or limited/insignificant potential for competitive mechanisms (i.e. low or no probability for competition to occur) between HORs and NORs is required for justifying and defending increasing hatchery production levels.