Approach

Identifying the most significant factors affecting survival of salmon and steelhead while they outmigrate and reside in the Salish Sea

LLTK propose to convene leading scientists and managers to approach this issue from an ecosystem context. Scientists representing multiple disciplines will focus on the juvenile life stages of Chinook, coho, pink, chum, sockeye, and steelhead.

Resident forms of Chinook and coho--those salmon that remain in the Salish Sea their entire lives--may also be investigated. The life stages include the periods when salmon are downriver of traditional freshwater monitoring locations (e.g., smolt traps, hatcheries) to the point where they leave the Salish Sea.

These stages can be broken down as follows: lower river, estuary, nearshore, and pelagic. A solid understanding of the health/condition of the fish as they enter and leave the Salish Sea marine environment will be sought in order to determine whether impacts in the freshwater (environment or hatcheries) contribute to mortality, or in case there is delayed mortality after the fish leave the Salish Sea, but driven by impacts occurring in the Sea. Factors that don’t appear to be driving survival will also be documented as both pieces of information will help inform management decisions.

The project includes three phases:

1. comprehensive research planning;
2. coordinated, systematic research; and
3. dissemination and application of the research results to management.

We currently envision a project duration of 6 years; however, some activities implemented through this process could continue after the project is complete as regular monitoring to continuously inform management decisions.

Canadian scientists will continue to be facilitated by the PSF to develop and implement relevant research in the Strait of Georgia. Through the PSF, Canadian scientists have developed a relevant research plan for Chinook and coho in the Strait of Georgia. Scientists from the United States will be facilitated by LLTK, and will soon begin the research planning phase for the greater Puget Sound region, including Hood Canal and relevant portions of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Over the course of the United States research planning phase, PSF and LLTK will convene the project scientists from the United States and Canada along with the greater scientific community and interested public to discuss hypotheses, information gaps, and research priorities; refine and coordinate both research plans; and begin to seek joint research opportunities. US/Canada workshops and meetings will continue to be held over the course of the project to coordinate research activities, develop Salish Sea-wide sets of simultaneously collected ecological data, compare and contrast results, etc.