Juvenile Salmonid Trophic Data from the West Coast Ocean Survey

The Northern California Current and Columbia River plume are the geographic focus of this dataset. It contains stomach contents from juvenile salmonids, primarily Chinook and Coho, collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The data supports the Juvenile Salmon and Ocean Ecosystem Survey (JSOES), which began its 23rd year of sampling in FY20.

Use Cases

• Forecasting adult salmon returns based on ocean indicators mentioned in the description
• Analyzing correlations between ocean conditions and juvenile salmon distribution and abundance
• Evaluating trophic dynamics and their effect on juvenile salmonid survival
• Decoupling the effects of freshwater mitigation from changing ocean environments for management strategies

Strengths

• Data comes from the longest-running salmon survey on the U.S. west coast, with 23 years of sampling as of FY20
• Managed by a federal scientific agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Survey has demonstrated correlations between ocean conditions and salmon metrics, providing a proven basis for forecasting

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data is provided in PDF format, which may complicate direct analysis

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Stomach contents collection from juvenile salmonids as part of the Juvenile Salmon and Ocean Ecosystem Survey (JSOES)

Time Range

Survey has been conducted for over 23 years as of FY20

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:51:22.391283; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northern California Current (NCC) nearshore ecosystem and Columbia River plume