PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

The Western Fisheries Research Center (WFRC) uses geospatial technologies to better understand the distributions and interactions of aquatic organisms (mainly fishes) and their environment. Geospatial technology involves the use of remote sensing, geographic positioning systems, and geographic information systems (GIS). Remote sensing is the technique of collecting information from features at a distance and typically requires the use of a satellite, side-scan sonar/radar, or aerial photography. Other remote sensing systems used by the WFRC include acoustic Doppler current profilers that collect water depth and velocity, and LIDAR, an airborne laser that collects highly accurate surface elevations. In contrast, geographic positioning systems collect locations of features. Two geographic positioning systems commonly used by the WFRC are Global Positioning Systems (GPS), which employ a constellation of satellites, and ground-based radio telemetry systems that require transmitters and receivers.

A side-scan sonar image of a school of fish. Image courtesy of Marine Sonic Technology, LTD.

The WFRC uses a variety of sampling methods for fishes and aquatic organisms including electro-shocking, sonar, radio telemetry or visual surveys. Once located, their positions are recorded with GPS. Aquatic habitat information is also collected by a variety of means such as remote sensing, field surveys, or computer modeling techniques. Hydrodynamic modeling has proven to be very useful because it can estimate water velocity and depth, water vectors and their magnitudes, and determine turbulence and discharge under different simulated flow regimes.

The WFRC uses a geographic information system (GIS) to register geospatial data to a common coordinate system, including ancillary data derived from digital elevation models or biological survey data. Once the physical and biological data are spatially integrated with GIS, predictive models can be developed using various techniques

A graphical display of an airborn LIDAR system used by the WFRC to collect bathymetric data. Picture courtesy of USACE, Shoals Program.

including cell-based modeling, pattern recognition, or proximity analysis. Cell-based models use regularly spaced cells in grids to align multiple layers of physical and biological data, which allows one to characterize a target species' habitat at multiple spatial scales surrounding the site. In contrast, pattern recognition models use predefined spectral or acoustic signatures to locate a target species or their habitat. Proximity analyses often prove useful for locating a target species or their habitat when they are within a certain distance of recognizable landscape or habitat features, like a thalweg or shoreline. GIS-based models have proved very useful to the WFRC because they can pinpoint important habitats, predict the probability of a rare species being present, help prioritize field surveys, and provide useful information to managers.

An acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) on the left and its graphical output on the right. The WFRC uses ADCP to obtain water depths and velocities along selected transects and to obtain accurate discharge estimates.

The WFRC began using GIS in 1987 to map white sturgeon habitat in the Columbia River and has since used it to characterize and map salmonid habitats throughout numerous watersheds of the Columbia River Basin. The WFRC also has an extensive telemetry program designed to monitor the downstream migration of salmon smolts and document passage problems they sometimes encounter around mainstem dams. The spatial distributions of Pacific lamprey, nongame fishes, and exotics like Eurasion water milfoil and shad are also being examined.

An underwater video camera used by the WFRC to capture images within water bodies.

The WFRC has cooperated with the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) in the development of two geospatial applications designed to provide biogeographic information related to salmonid and sturgeon habitats, salmonid life histories, and hatchery practices within the Columbia River Basin. Geospatial applications are particularly useful because they focus upon a specific topic of interest to resource managers and/or the public. The Digital Atlas of John Day Reservoir focused upon the potential effects of reservoir draw-downs upon white sturgeon and salmonid habitats. Utilizing hydrodynamic and cell-based modeling techniques, the WFRC simulated different river flows for the John Day Pool, information that was used by the Army corps of Engineers and Bonneville Power Administration. Our second geospatial application (BIGSAM) provides a wealth of information on hatchery practices and salmonid life histories throughout the Columbia River Basin and is often requested because of its extensive glossary and interactive mapping program.

A diagram of the various steps and data layers used to create a salmonid rearing habitat and stranding model. The cell-based model used bathymetric and hydrodynamic data to calculate the suitability of habitat within the project area.

The WFRC is currently developing a geospatial application for the Columbia River Gorge called the Bonneville Community Dynamics (BCD) Project, focusing on the distributions and interactions of aquatic organisms within the Bonneville Pool. By integrating physical and biological characteristics of the Bonneville Pool and its adjoining tributaries, we hope to gain a better understanding of community dynamics. By modeling at both fine and coarse scales, we hope to create the most useful GIS models for predicting the locations of exotic species that may be benefiting from management prescriptions, such as modified flow regimes. The WFRC is committed to geospatial technologies and applications and plans on developing more applications in the future.

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