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PNW Project Overview 2000
A Conference to Present Results of Olympic Natural Resources Center Salmon Conservation Validation Monitoring Scientific Panel Deliberations
Principal
Investigator:
John
Calhoun,
University of Washington, Olympic Natural Resources Center
Awarded: $21,500
Project
Description:
This
project supports a conference to present the results of critical analysis
of salmon conservation efforts and the measures used to assess their
success or failure. Co-chairs
for the “Validation Monitoring Panel,” (Dr. Daniel Botkin
and
Dr.
David Peterson) led panel efforts to examine the pertinent primary
questions:
- Is
counting numbers of adult salmon necessary, practical, and feasible as
a measure of policy success?
- What
other variables (such as habitat) are necessary to measure success?
- If
it’s impractical, what are the alternatives to counting numbers of
adult salmon?
The
scientific basis for validation monitoring of salmon conservation
practices must be developed in order to provide social confidence and
political support for the investments of vast public resources in salmon
conservation and restoration. Economic,
social, and cultural values are at stake in Pacific Northwest efforts to
conserve salmon runs. Without
the scientific basis for validating conservation efforts, the huge public
investment will be lost.
Project Status:
1. ONRC
hosted a conference in Olympia, Washington on December 1, 2000 for over
100 participants.
2.
LGL Limited
submitted a Synopsis of Salmon Abundance Monitoring
Techniques included as appendix materials in the Validation Monitoring
Report.
1. Report
Citation
Botkin,
D.B., D.L. Peterson, and J.M. Calhoun (technical editors). 2000. The
Scientific Basis for Validation Monitoring of Salmon for Conservation and
Restoration Plans. Olympic Natural Resources Technical Report. University
of Washington, Olympic Natural Resources Center, Forks, Washington, USA
This
report is not intended to be a “cook book” or a set of standards. Nor is it a detailed guide with which resource managers (e.g.
a fisheries biologist on a National Forest) can directly implement
validation monitoring. Such a
specific guide is a logical next step.
This
report, which addresses general principles, is necessary because the very
idea of validation monitoring, as well as specific points about monitoring
the number of adult salmon, has been controversial.
Before launching into a detailed plan, scientists must come to
agreement about how, when, and where to conduct validation monitoring. Consensus is needed on may scientific issues, such as
temporal and spatial scales of monitoring, accuracy, interpretation of
cause-and-effect relationships, and the appropriate use of monitoring data
for forecasting.
Therefore,
the Olympic Natural Resources Center presents this report to set the stage
for additional discussion by the scientific community and policy makers.
It is ONRC’s hope that this report will lead to a consistent
scientific framework for validation monitoring of salmon conservation
efforts in the Pacific Northwest.
The report is available online: The Scientific Basis for Validation Monitoring of Salmon for Conservation and Restoration Plans.
2. Review of salmon abundance monitoring techniques prepared by LGL Limited and LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc.
Review
citation:
Link, M.R., and M.J. Nemeth. November 2000. Monitoring Salmon
Abundance in Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory: a Synopsis
of Techniques and Projects in 2000. Prepared for the Olympic Natural
Resources Center.
Monitoring salmon is feasible under a variety of conditions, and many
methods have been developed and continue to be refined. Numerous
long-term monitoring projects have allowed researchers to assess and
detect changes in fish abundance over time. Although choice of
method is usually dictated by information needs and habitat type, there is
some evidence that technological advances radiate unequally across the
different regions that salmon inhabit. In addition, every monitoring
method has its own limitation or features that are very important to
understand when it comes to making inferences pertaining to changes in
abundance over time. Therefore, a dedicated effort to synthesize
experience with available techniques and their quantitative features would
be useful. LGL foresees that funding to monitor escapement in this
region will continue to increase over the next two decades. LGL also
predicts that this increased funding and increased demands on abundance
data will lead to greater numbers of systems monitored and to significant
improvements to all techniques.