AI - Pacific Salmon Conservation: Designating Salmon Habitat and Diversity Watersheds, A Process to Set Priorities for Watershed Protection and Restoration.

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Andrew G. Talabere, Kim K. Jones

Publish Date: December 30, 2002

Online Link: http://nrimp.dfw.state.or.us/crl/Reports/AI/Salmon%20Habitat%20and%20Diversity%20Watershed.pdf

BPA Project #:

Contact Information

Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Name: Kim Jones

Job Position: Project Leader

Telephone: (541)757-4263 x260

E-Mail Address: kim.jones@oregonstate.edu

Description

Abstract: The goal of this strategy is to identify watersheds that are important for the short-term conservation of local salmon populations, and for the long-term persistence of the salmon metapopulations in coastal drainages of Oregon. Factors important to meeting this goal are 1) determine the appropriate scale at which to summarize data and select watersheds, 2) identify population centers or cores for each species, 3) identify biological factors that may influence metapopulation dynamics, 4) identify high quality aquatic habitat and landscape features that may influence local populations and the maintenance of interconnected populations, and 5) identify centers of salmonid biodiversity. The network of watersheds identified through this process is intended to serve as a dynamic template for the protection of salmon habitat and diversity. The minimum scale for our analysis is a subwatershed as defined by Rickenbach (2000), in accordance with US Geological Survey standards (Seaber et. al. 1987). The subwatershed unit was chosen for our analysis because it had a standardized and available map base for the coastal basins of Oregon, was biologically meaningful for salmonid populations, had sufficient data available to allow for summarization of biological parameters and physical features, and is of a size that can be effectively managed for landscape processes. The criterion of small manageable watersheds precludes selecting large blocks of land as some earlier plans have done. We will use data on spatial structure of core populations, life history diversity, and incidence of adult hatchery fish to indicate some of the key biological processes affecting potential metapopulation structure and dynamics. These data will help us identify the contemporary centers of abundance, and postulate how local populations currently and historically interacted across the landscape. Habitat quality and landscape features influence the distribution of core populations and the connectivity of population elements. Knowing the relationship of quality aquatic habitat to population centers will help describe what refugia are available to the core populations and how the quality of habitat may influence recolonization of vacated habitat. Finally, centers of salmonid biodiversity influence population dynamics will be identified from overlapping population centers for each species. Overlapping provide the most efficient return on management resources. The short-term strategy is based on fish populations, whereas the long-term strategy will incorporate subwatersheds of high quality habitat where physical processes are coupled with life history adaptations and population dynamics. The overall approach will transition from protection of population centers and high quality habitats to connectivity of habitats and populations, accomplished at the watershed scale, regardless of jurisdiction.

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Geographic Extent: North Coast Managment Area - Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests

Status: Final

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Format: PDF File

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Is a physical copy maintained for reference at Headquarters? No