Elwha Dam Removal Fish Community Monitoring in Strait of Juan de Fuca

Over 45 species of fish were collected monthly from April to September since 2006 to monitor the nearshore fish community response to the Elwha River dam removal in Washington. The dataset, from NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center, includes species composition, size distribution, and abundance data from treatment and reference sites. It focuses on juvenile stages and bio-indicators like surf smelt and salmon to evaluate sediment process changes.

Use Cases

• Modeling changes in species diversity and composition based on long-term monitoring data from treatment and reference sites.
• Analyzing abundance variability of juvenile salmon and surf smelt as bio-indicators of sediment process changes.
• Evaluating seasonal patterns in fish assemblage structure in shallow subtidal and intertidal habitats.
• Assessing the impact of dam removal on benthic versus water column fish species based on size distribution data.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage with data collection starting in 2006.
• Includes over 45 identified fish species, providing a broad community view.
• Sampling design compares treatment and reference sites on a monthly basis from April to September.
• Explicitly identifies five promising bio-indicators for tracking change.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in legacy .xls and Access files, which may require specific tools to open.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Monthly beach seine sampling at potential reference and treatment sites.

Time Range

2006 onward, with seasonal sampling from April to September each year.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:49:13.719655; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern and Central Strait of Juan de Fuca, near the Elwha River mouth, Washington.