Summary

Description

This is an ongoing Bonneville Power Administration funded project to annually collect, PIT tag, and release wild Chinook salmon parr in up to 17 streams of the Salmon River drainage in Idaho and subsequently monitor these fish (and fish tagged by ODFW) through in-stream monitors and downstream dams. The overall study objectives are as follows: 1) Assess the migrational characteristics and estimate parr-to-smolt survival rates for wild spring/summer Chinook salmon smolts at Lower Granite Dam. 2) Characterize the survival and movement of parr and smolts as they leave natal rearing areas of selected streams. 3) Examine the relationships between fish movement, environmental conditions within the streams, and weather and climate data. 4) Monitor parr-to-smolt growth rates on previously PIT tagged wild parr at Little Goose or Lower Granite Dam each spring. Regional fisheries managers use data generated by this project to make real-time management decisions for operation of the hydropower system (FCRPS) to better protect these ESA-listed fish during smolt migrations. Baseline data from this study provide a foundation for understanding the biocomplexity of these populations, which is critical to effective recovery efforts for these threatened wild fish populations. Up to 6 water quality parameters collected hourly in 16 streams of the Salmon River basin in Idaho.