Ryan A. Harnish

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System: A New Tool

Abstract Limitations of biotelemetry technology available in 2001 prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Portland District to develop a new acoustic telemetry system to monitor survival of juvenile salmonids through the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Eight years later, the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) consists of microacoustic transmitters (12 mm long, 0.43 g weight in air), autonomous and cabled receiving systems, and data management and processing applications. Transmitter pulse rate can be user-defined and as configured for this case study was set at 5 seconds, with an estimated tag life of 30 days and detection range of 300 m. Before JSATS development, no technology existed to study movement and survival of fish smaller than 10 g migrating long distances from freshwater and into saltwater. In a 2008 study comparing detection probabilities, travel times, and survival of 4,140 JSATS-tagged and 48,433 passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tagged yearling Chinook salmon (Oncor...

An Evaluation of the Maximum Tag Burden for Implantation of Acoustic Transmitters in Juvenile Chinook Salmon

Abstract A substantial percentage of the Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss smolts that emigrate to the ocean each year are smaller than 110 mm (fork length). However, relatively few researchers have implanted acoustic transmitters in fish of this size, and none have reported minimum fish lengths below 110 mm for which the tag burden did not negatively influence growth or survival. The influence of a surgically implanted acoustic microtransmitter and a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag on the growth and survival of hatchery-reared juvenile Chinook salmon was examined over a period of 30 d. Growth and survival were compared between treatment (tagged) and control (untagged) fish within three size-groups (80–89, 90–99, and 100–109 mm). The acoustic microtransmitter and PIT tag implanted in our study had a combined weight of 0.74 g; the combined tag burden for implanted fish ranged from 4.5% to 15.7%. The results indicated that growth and survival among implanted juvenile Chinook ...

Effect of Migration Pathway on Travel Time and Survival of Acoustic-Tagged Juvenile Salmonids in the Columbia River Estuary

Abstract We applied acoustic telemetry methods to characterize migration pathways and estimate associated travel times and survival probabilities for juvenile Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and steelhead O. mykiss migrating downstream through the Columbia River estuary (from river kilometer [rkm] 86 to rkm 8). Acoustic-tagged fish were detected as migrating in the navigation channel and in off-channel areas at each of the estuarine reaches we examined during May–August 2010. However, the majority of fish traveled in the main navigation channel from rkm 86 to rkm 37, at which point most fish left the river-influenced navigation channel; crossed a broad, shallow tidal flat; and migrated the final 37 km in a secondary channel, which was characterized as having greater tidal transport than the navigation channel. The pathway used by acoustic-tagged smolts to migrate through the estuary affected their rate of travel. In most reaches, navigation channel migrants traveled significantly faster than fish ...

A review of polymer-based water conditioners for reduction of handling-related injury

Fish are coated with an external layer of protective mucus. This layer serves as the primary barrier against infection or injury, reduces friction, and plays a role in ionic and osmotic regulation. However, the mucus layer is easily disturbed when fish are netted, handled, transported, stressed, or subjected to adverse water conditions. Water additives containing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or proprietary polymers have been used to prevent the deleterious effects of mucus layer disturbances in the commercial tropical fish industry, aquaculture, and for other fisheries management purposes. This paper reviews research on the effectiveness of water conditioners, and examines the contents and uses of a wide variety of commercially available water conditioners. Water conditioners containing polymers may reduce external damage to fish held in containers during scientific experimentation, including surgical implantation of electronic tags. However, there is a need to empirically test the effectiveness of water conditioners at preventing damage to and promoting healing of the mucus layer. A research agenda is provided to advance the science related to the use of water conditions to improve the condition of fish during handling and tagging.

Juvenile salmonid migratory behavior at the mouth of the Columbia River and within the plume

BackgroundEarly ocean experience is a critical time period that affects juvenile salmonid survival. Understanding juvenile salmonid behavior in nearshore marine environments and how oceanic conditions (such as dynamic river plume habitats) affect salmonid migration will contribute to salmonid survival studies and conservation and management efforts. Relatively few studies have been conducted on juvenile salmonid behavior as they migrate out the mouth of the Columbia River and some studies suggest that juvenile salmonids typically migrate north immediately upon entry into the ocean from the Columbia River. We present findings from a study that used acoustic telemetry to determine the migratory direction, residence time, and travel rate of juvenile salmonids as they left the Columbia River and entered the marine environment.ResultsA total of 8,159 acoustic-tagged salmonid smolts were detected at the mouth of the Columbia River. Of the fish detected at the mouth, an estimated 16% of yearling Chinook salmon, 10% of steelhead, and 26% of subyearling Chinook salmon were detected on a sparse array deployed outside the mouth of the Columbia River in the vicinity of the plume. The travel rate of Chinook salmon smolts decreased as they left the river and entered the marine environment, whereas the travel rate of steelhead increased. Chinook salmon also spent more time in the transitional area between the river mouth and plume compared to steelhead. In early spring, yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead were predominately detected on the plume array towards the edge of the shelf and to the south. Later in the season, yearling Chinook salmon and steelhead smolts were more often detected north of the river mouth. Subyearling Chinook salmon were most often detected on the portion of the plume array to the north of the river mouth.ConclusionsOur study showed that salmonid smolt migration out of the river into the nearshore marine environment appears to vary across species, season, and age class, and may be influenced by local environmental conditions. Direction of movement upon ocean entry cannot be assumed and is likely influenced by oceanic conditions such as wind and currents. We also present, for the first time, the utility of the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) to monitor the behavior of juvenile fish in the marine environment. Our results will help inform future studies using telemetry and hydroacoustics as well as trawl surveys to assess nearshore ocean juvenile salmonid distribution, behavior, and survival.

Seasonal Juvenile Salmonid Presence and Migratory Behavior in the Lower Columbia River

To facilitate preparing Biological Assessments of proposed channel maintenance projects, the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to consolidate and synthesize available information about the use of the lower Columbia River and estuary by juvenile anadromous salmonids. The information to be synthesized included existing published documents as well as data from five years (2004-2008) of acoustic telemetry studies conducted in the Columbia River estuary using the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System. For this synthesis, the Columbia River estuary includes the section of the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam at river kilometer (Rkm) 235 downstream to the mouth where it enters the Pacific Ocean. In this report, we summarize the seasonal salmonid presence and migration patterns in the Columbia River estuary based on information from published studies as well as relevant data from acoustic telemetry studies conducted by NOAA Fisheries and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) between 2004 and 2008. Recent acoustic telemetry studies, conducted using the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS; developed by the Portland District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), provided information on the migratory behavior of juvenile steelhead (O. mykiss) and Chinook salmon in the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean. In this report, Section 2 provides a summary of information from published literature on the seasonal presence and migratory behavior of juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River estuary and plume. Section 3 presents a detailed synthesis of juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead migratory behavior based on use of the JSATS between 2004 and 2008. Section 4 provides a discussion of the information summarized in the report as well as information drawn from literature reviews on potential effects of channel maintenance activities to juvenile salmonids rearing in or migrating through the Columbia River estuary and plume.