Assess Salmonid Recolonization - White Salmon Rvr

This proposal monitored salmonid recolonization of the White Salmon River and tributaries. The 2013 ESA Recovery Plan sets abundance goals for fall and spring Chinook, coho, chum, & steelhead. The Recovery Plan calls for extensive monitoring after dam removal as a key action to the successful implementation of the plan. The goal of the project was to improve understanding of the abundance, distribution, origin, and productivity of colonizing ESA-listed salmon & steelhead. Juvenile outmigration was studied using a rotary screw trap. This effort was paired with an assessment of fish species composition and abundance in selected anadromous reaches of the mainstem and tributaries. These year one result were be compared to baseline data collected by the USGS prior to dam removal. Chinook and steelhead spawning surveys have been conducted by other agencies since 2013. Currently, the source of these returning fish and their productivity is unknown. This grant funded the first juvenile fish monitoring since dam removal. This proposal utilized existing information and collected new data to increase understanding of origin, distribution, abundance, and productivity of recolonizing salmonid populations. Monitoring was planned and coordinated through the White Salmon Tech Working Group. Other funds for juvinile salmonid monitoring were not available. This project began to address an important data gap that is identified in the Klickitat Lead Entity Salmon Recovery Strategy as well as the NMFS 2013 ESA Recovery Plan. A detailed final report has been uploaded in PRISM.

Collection of one year of juvenile salmonid monitoring data on the White Salmon River. No other monitoring of juvenile salmonids has been done on this river, after $37 million dollar investment in restoring fish passage.