Fish collected by Columbia FRO staff. - FWS photo

Columbia FRO completed its portion of field work for the 2006 Mitigation Program season in early October.

The program is intended to evaluate the benefits of mitigated habitats to fish species in the Missouri River with an emphasis on side channels (chutes). By monitoring these mitigation sites and collecting basic fisheries and habitat data it can be determined how the sites are benefiting riverine fish communities.

Columbia FRO’s field work for 2006 consisted of approximately 1,000 gear deployments of seven different gear types at 4 chutes. The sampling season began in April with three chutes, Lisbon, Overton and Tate.

In June Columbia FRO began monitoring the recently completed Tadpole chute. We collected a variety of species ranging in size from 10 mm to well over 1,000 mm. Our monitoring will provide Corps of Engineers with feedback on how fish are responding to constructed sites and how to get the best biological response from each location.