Using remote sensing data to assess salmon habitat status and trends in Puget Sound river deltas
Presentation Abstract
Puget Sound Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Steelhead (O. mykiss), and Hood Canal summer chum (O. keta) are currently listed as “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service is required to evaluate their listing status and trends in habitat conditions every five years. However, consistent habitat monitoring programs have not been developed to evaluate the status and trends of habitats used by listed Puget Sound salmon populations. To address this need, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has been developing a monitoring program to provide consistent status and trends data for key habitat environments utilized by salmon. River deltas are one such critical environment, as juvenile salmon utilize delta habitats for rearing and to complete the physiological adaptations necessary to transition to marine waters. These favorable habitats occur primarily along the margins of distributary channels and tidal channels in delta estuaries. Therefore, consistent delineations of tidal channel features can provide an indicator of habitat quantity (e.g., tide channel area and channel edge habitat length) and quality (e.g., channel network complexity and node density) that can be used to evaluate the status and trends of delta habitat essential to juvenile salmon. We have initiated a monitoring program to map tidal channel features throughout Puget Sound’s major river deltas using high resolution aerial imagery. We have completed preliminary delineations of tidal channel features using 2010 to 2011 aerial imagery, and are currently updating these delineations using 2013 imagery. Because tidal and wetlands are increasingly the focus of salmon habitat restoration, we anticipate that consistent mapping of tidal channel features over time will illustrate trends of delta habitat quantity and quality that can be used to inform status reviews and management strategies.
Session Title
Linking Metrics to Climate Impact Pathways and Restoration Performance Monitoring across Puget Sound Floodplains and Estuaries
Conference Track
Climate Change and Ocean Acidification
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Pacific salmon fisheries--Washington (State)--Puget Sound--Remote sensing; Salmonidae--Habitat--Washington (State)--Puget Sound--Remote sensing; Habitat (Ecology)--Washington (State)--Puget Sound--Remote sensing; Habitat surveys--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Using remote sensing data to assess salmon habitat status and trends in Puget Sound river deltas
2016SSEC
Puget Sound Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and Steelhead (O. mykiss), and Hood Canal summer chum (O. keta) are currently listed as “Threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service is required to evaluate their listing status and trends in habitat conditions every five years. However, consistent habitat monitoring programs have not been developed to evaluate the status and trends of habitats used by listed Puget Sound salmon populations. To address this need, the Northwest Fisheries Science Center has been developing a monitoring program to provide consistent status and trends data for key habitat environments utilized by salmon. River deltas are one such critical environment, as juvenile salmon utilize delta habitats for rearing and to complete the physiological adaptations necessary to transition to marine waters. These favorable habitats occur primarily along the margins of distributary channels and tidal channels in delta estuaries. Therefore, consistent delineations of tidal channel features can provide an indicator of habitat quantity (e.g., tide channel area and channel edge habitat length) and quality (e.g., channel network complexity and node density) that can be used to evaluate the status and trends of delta habitat essential to juvenile salmon. We have initiated a monitoring program to map tidal channel features throughout Puget Sound’s major river deltas using high resolution aerial imagery. We have completed preliminary delineations of tidal channel features using 2010 to 2011 aerial imagery, and are currently updating these delineations using 2013 imagery. Because tidal and wetlands are increasingly the focus of salmon habitat restoration, we anticipate that consistent mapping of tidal channel features over time will illustrate trends of delta habitat quantity and quality that can be used to inform status reviews and management strategies.
