For the first part of my next steps toward capstone finalization, I have chosen to read the introduction section of the book titled Salmon 2100: The Future of Wild Pacific Salmon. The volunteer orientation for being a Steelhead and Lamprey surveyor for the Johnson Creek Watershed Council was on Tuesday as well, and in the next few weeks, I will be helping with several days of surveying!
Steelhead and Lamprey Survey Volunteer Orientation
After braving rush-hour traffic and finding expensive PSU parking ($8!!), I managed to arrive at the official volunteer orientation, held at the PSU Native American Student and Community Center in downtown Portland. For the following two hours, we were introduced to the background, justification, logistics, and methods for surveying for steelhead and pacific and brook lamprey. Much of the orientation was spearheaded by Janel Hull, one of JCWC’s staff members and an L&C Biology alum from 2 years ago! Here are some of my notes regarding fish biology from the informative session:
- Anecdotal evidence of steelhead and lamprey in Johnson creek existed, but there was no comprehensive data about their status. Thus this survey effort (new this year!) was created to further understanding of steelhead/lamprey spawning grounds and habitat use within Johnson Creek.
- Steelhead: Elongated spawning season in freshwater (jan-may), juveniles spend 2-4 years in freshwater before out-migrating to the ocean, eventually returning to their natal waters for spawning. They are repeat-spawners and may go through the out and in-migration cycle a few times.
- Pacific Lamprey: Parasitic during ocean phase of life (attaches itself to fish and other marine animals, similar to a leech). During their up-migration, they overwinter and can spend up to 1 year in freshwater before spawning. Juvenile life stage lasts between 3-8 years.
- Brook Lamprey: non-anadromous “resident species.” Much smaller than Pacific Lamprey.
- Redds (place where fish like Salmon and Lamprey deposit eggs) are distinct and can reveal the species of fish that made the redd. Brook Lamprey have small soft-ball sized redds while Pacific Lamprey have dinner-plate sized redds. Steelhead redds are large, often reaching sizes of 1m. Redds are created differently according to species: Steelhead and salmon beat their bodies against the riverbed, causing debris and upturned rocks to float immediately downstream of redds while lamprey species move each rock individually with their suction mouthparts and deposit rocks upstream and downstream of redds.
All in all, I am excited to get out there and begin stream surveys for the JCWC. We will be working in waders, killer! I hope that this experience will help me get a feel for the hands-on approach to studying population, dispersal, and distribution of salmonid species. Surveys start next Saturday.
Salmon 2100 Book
Here is a short summary of the key points in the Salmon 2100 introduction and my own reflections and thoughts about the matter.
History & Policy:
According to the book, wild pacific salmon numbers steeply declined following the discovery of gold in California and the subsequent mining activities. Indeed, “One can argue that the most severe salmon decline took place in the 19th century – not the 20th century – though that is not to imply that the 20th century was a favorable one for salmon” (p. 14). Interestingly enough, the public consensus supports salmon recovery efforts, but the policy conundrum referred to in this chapter is that few are willing to make the decisions necessary for salmon recovery. Furthermore (or possibly, because of) salmon restoration is a wicked problem, involving many interest groups, no clear solution and conflicting or confusing scientific literature, and polarization (p. 15).
Salmon Geographic Extent
The book briefly explains the historical geographic range of the pacific salmon and the various sub-species that exist today. A particularly interesting observation was made on the “unfixed” distribution of salmon; for example, pacific salmon may extend their range into Asian and North American rivers emptying into the Arctic Ocean due to shifting climates and the warming of the poles. These areas may become crucial habitats for future pacific salmon if the projected growth of 45-65 million people (and the resulting land-cover change) by year 2100 is realized in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia areas (p. 18). The implication of finding alternate suitable habitats for pacific salmon is and will become a crucial tool in combating the functional extinction of pacific salmon species. Much like in the book I read previously The Fish in the Forest: Salmon and the Web of Life by Dale Stokes, Salmon 2100 mentions the importance of salmon in contributing MDN’s (Marine Derived Nutrients) to a watershed’s biotic and abiotic environments.
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Shiloh Psujek says
I’m excited that you’re getting such a cool opportunity to work directly in your area of focus! I can’t even begin to count how many times I feel like I would’ve been able to contribute to my own studies if I had the chance to work with wolves. Enjoy this! Your topic also sounds really cool, and I think that you’ve clearly got a good grasp on the basics so far. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been out of the ENVS loop for a while, but what area(s) are you planning on pursuing with salmon? Restoration, conservation, policy, etc.? Especially in the Pacific Northwest, salmon are so important to the society and culture that I feel you’ll have a ton of awesome information to go on. Can’t wait to see where you take this!