Pacific Ocean Shelf TrackingPacific Ocean Shelf Tracking

A Continental scale acoustic array for tracking the life histories of salmon and other species

George D. JacksonPOST Senior Scientist

Please include a map

Current POST arrayCurrent POST array

Alaska

Vancouver Island

Willapa Bay Columbia River

Snake RiverPOST acoustic detection line

2007 POST Scientific Results2007 POST Scientific Results

• Currently approaching 4 million detectionsCurrently approaching 4 million detections

• Ocean rather than freshwater survival is a more Ocean rather than freshwater survival is a more immediate problem to salmon smolt survivalimmediate problem to salmon smolt survival

• Stocks tagged show fairly steady levels of ocean Stocks tagged show fairly steady levels of ocean survival among yearssurvival among years

• Have compared smolt survival in rivers both with Have compared smolt survival in rivers both with and without damsand without dams

• Can obtain accurate calculation of swimming Can obtain accurate calculation of swimming speed/direction, migration rates and behaviour, speed/direction, migration rates and behaviour, and and mortality ratesmortality rates in freshwater and on the shelf in freshwater and on the shelf

2007 Scientific Results2007 Scientific Results

Tracking ReceiverModem

Vemco VR3 acoustic receiverVemco VR3 acoustic receiverwith underwater modemwith underwater modem

Flotation collarFlotation collarfor permanentfor permanentline deploymentline deployment

Major trends in migration behaviourMajor trends in migration behaviour

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Coho

Sockeye

Steelhead

N=597N=597Rapid vs. intermittent migratorsRapid vs. intermittent migrators

CohoCoho

SteelheadSteelheadSockeyeSockeye

Building up a database of survivalBuilding up a database of survival

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Species and stock

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Fraser(Cultus)

Sakinaw Squamish Englishman Keogh Thompson(Coldwater)

Thompson(Deadman)

SOCKEYE STEELHEAD

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2004

2005

2006

POST in the Columbia RiverPOST in the Columbia River

POST acoustic detection line

Yakima River

McGowan’sChannel

Lake Celilo

Lake Wallula

Lake BryanBonneville

McNary

Lower Granite

JohnDay

Snake River

Tracking migrating smolts from the Columbia

Tracking migrating smolts from the Columbia

Snake Yakima

Using POST to measure smolt survivalUsing POST to measure smolt survival

Relative Survival of Dworshak Spring Chinook

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Distance from release site (km)

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NOAA (2006)

FPC (2006)

POST (2006)

OceanSnake Columbia

Pressing questions can be addressedPressing questions can be addressed

• Smolts can be tracked seamlessly Smolts can be tracked seamlessly between freshwater and marine between freshwater and marine environmentsenvironments

• POST provides a valuable tool to POST provides a valuable tool to assess smolt survival in pristine and assess smolt survival in pristine and dammed riversdammed rivers

• POST can answer critical questions POST can answer critical questions regarding fish migrationsregarding fish migrations

• Where is the survival bottleneck?Where is the survival bottleneck?

• Smolts can be tracked 100’s km’s in Smolts can be tracked 100’s km’s in freshwater and 1000’s km on the freshwater and 1000’s km on the shelf (Columbia-Alaska)shelf (Columbia-Alaska)

• In the Columbia in 2006 ~$861 In the Columbia in 2006 ~$861 million spent on salmon issues-million spent on salmon issues-many still unresolved, POST can many still unresolved, POST can help answer questions critical to the help answer questions critical to the ColumbiaColumbia

http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/pls/erdcpub/docs/erdc/images/johnday1.jpg

Steps Toward Project SynthesisSteps Toward Project Synthesis

•POST can now provide comparative estimates of freshwater vs. marine smolt survival – not just tracking movement

•Ocean mortality is a critical problem facing salmon survival – ocean survival rates of steelhead and coho at extinction levels (southern BC)

•Smolt survival down the Columbia River through 8 dams is quite high and comparable or better than smolt survival in the Fraser River without dams

•Accurate calculation of swimming speeds and directional movement now available - fast vs. delayed migrators

•Expanding the POST array will give us better resolution of marine survival during smolt migration on the shelf and help identify bottlenecks or regions of high mortality that are currently unknown

Other speciesOther species

• POST has revealed incredible ocean movements of green sturgeon POST has revealed incredible ocean movements of green sturgeon – Lindley et al.– Lindley et al.

• Numerous stocks interact in different rivers and estuariesNumerous stocks interact in different rivers and estuaries• All green sturgeon stocks studied spent time in Columbia RAll green sturgeon stocks studied spent time in Columbia R• Move from Sacramento R to the northwest coast of Vancouver Is Move from Sacramento R to the northwest coast of Vancouver Is

(sturgeon playground) (sturgeon playground) • Record movement from Sacramento R to Alaska ~2700 kmRecord movement from Sacramento R to Alaska ~2700 km

Three major achievements:1) Provide a quantitative tool for doing direct experimental tests of

hypotheses in the ocean – and through hydrosystems2) Developing migration pathways of juvenile salmon (certain stocks

have their own highways)3) Develop a communication backbone – a telecommunications

infrastructure for delivery of a wide range of ocean data

The array can now be used to test long held beliefs on salmon biology and other species (e.g. sturgeon)

Science ImpactScience Impact

Societal Impact of Results to DateSocietal Impact of Results to DateSocietal Impact of Results to DateSocietal Impact of Results to Date

• Sturgeon research will never Sturgeon research will never be the same!!be the same!!

• POST is addressing intractable POST is addressing intractable Columbia R salmon problemsColumbia R salmon problems-results challenge long-held -results challenge long-held assumptionsassumptions-demonstrate importance of the -demonstrate importance of the ocean to salmonocean to salmon-prove hard problems have -prove hard problems have tractable solutionstractable solutions

• Established fisheries agencies Established fisheries agencies are still a challenge are still a challenge -highly conservative -highly conservative -POST needs to demonstrate -POST needs to demonstrate through examplethrough example

Project Data Available in OBISProject Data Available in OBIS

• All of POST data from 2004 to last All of POST data from 2004 to last season present on OBISseason present on OBIS

• POST has a dynamic link to OBISPOST has a dynamic link to OBIS

• OBIS regularly crawls POST data OBIS regularly crawls POST data base –changes passed base –changes passed POSTPOST→OBIS→OBIS

• POST data are summarised by hour POST data are summarised by hour (although number of pings recorded)(although number of pings recorded)

• 68,510 records68,510 records

• data can be displayed as tracks on data can be displayed as tracks on the OBIS site with online mapping the OBIS site with online mapping software (ACON mapper)software (ACON mapper)

• links to the POST website for people links to the POST website for people who want to see every pingwho want to see every ping

• 2007 data yet to be entered into 2007 data yet to be entered into POST data basePOST data base

Education & OutreachEducation & Outreach

• New POST web siteNew POST web site

• Over 1 million visitors to Over 1 million visitors to Vancouver Aquarium have Vancouver Aquarium have seen POST animation since seen POST animation since new Exploration Gallery new Exploration Gallery opened in Oct 2006 where opened in Oct 2006 where POST video is viewed with POST video is viewed with other research on high other research on high definition flat screen TVdefinition flat screen TV

• High profile conferences: High profile conferences: symposia: AAAS, AFS symposia: AAAS, AFS presentations: PICES, presentations: PICES, Oceans 2007, MTS/IEEE, Oceans 2007, MTS/IEEE, OBI, Spain tracking meetingOBI, Spain tracking meeting

Next Steps2010Next Steps2010

• Publish, Publish, PublishPublish, Publish, Publish

• Broader acceptance of Broader acceptance of POST by user communityPOST by user community

• Joint geographical Joint geographical expansion and fill-in of expansion and fill-in of POST array linesPOST array lines

• Expansion of research Expansion of research programprogram

• Work on securing high-Work on securing high-level buy-in to make level buy-in to make POST sustainablePOST sustainable

Limits to KnowledgeLimits to Knowledge• $100m USA, $25m Canada spent annually on salmon hatcheries$100m USA, $25m Canada spent annually on salmon hatcheries

-do hatcheries help or hurt?-do hatcheries help or hurt?-what role do rearing, disease or genetics play?-what role do rearing, disease or genetics play?--POST can assess by direct experimental tests in the oceanPOST can assess by direct experimental tests in the ocean

• Commercial fisheries: $100m+ lost from shutting down fisheries to protect Commercial fisheries: $100m+ lost from shutting down fisheries to protect endangered sockeye stocks - POST can distinguish run times between endangered sockeye stocks - POST can distinguish run times between fished and endangered stocksfished and endangered stocks--Real-time POST data could protect weak stocksReal-time POST data could protect weak stocks

• Open ocean continues to be a challenge beyond the POST arena -Open ocean continues to be a challenge beyond the POST arena -OTN OTN technology developments will helptechnology developments will help (New OTN geolocation tag (New OTN geolocation tag → → download download open ocean data to new generation POST receiver)open ocean data to new generation POST receiver)