Seasonal Fish Transport Study on Snake River Salmon and Steelhead

A study initiated in 2004 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers investigates seasonal effects on salmon and steelhead transport. Juvenile fish are PIT-tagged weekly at Lower Granite Dam, with some barged and others migrating in-river, and growth is measured at Bonneville Dam. The project correlates smolt-to-adult return rates with biological and physical conditions to inform hatchery release and transport management decisions.

Use Cases

• Modeling smolt-to-adult return rates (SARs) based on fish size and ocean entry time
• Calculating transport benefit ratios to compare barged versus in-river migration survival
• Analyzing differential post-hydropower system mortality linked to river, plume, and ocean conditions
• Informing hatchery release timing decisions based on seasonal growth data

Strengths

• Long-term study initiated in 2004, providing multi-year temporal coverage
• Data collection involves weekly PIT-tagging and physical measurements at multiple dam sites
• Analysis correlates biological metrics with environmental conditions across river, plume, and ocean

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data formats include APPLICATION/VND.LOTUS-ORGANIZER and PDF, which may require specific tools for access

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Juvenile fish are PIT-tagged weekly at Lower Granite Dam, with a portion collected and re-measured at Bonneville Dam for growth calculation.

Time Range

Study began in 2004; temporal coverage extends through adult return cycles.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-14 22:54:48.469768; freshness should be verified

Geography

Snake River, focusing on Lower Granite Dam and Bonneville Dam.