Juvenile chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha , migration is regulated by a host of both physiological and environmental variables. This research uses a combination of mathematical and statistical models to investigate data on juvenile chinook salmon migration including radio telemetry data from the Grande Ronde and Snake Rivers and in-stream capture rate data from the Skagit River. Water temperature does not appear to be a significant factor in explaining migration patterns in either river system. As part of this project, horizontal viewing discs for measuring water clarity were evaluated and found to be a good, inexpensive measuring device that can be used in a wide variety of situations. Steel Modeling the influence of pesticides on the fitness of anadromous salmonids.
Pesticide use in agricultural and urban environments is widespread in the Pacific Northwest.
In many areas, up top 50 pesticides might be present in any given water body. Established toxicity standards for pesticides are based on concentrations that are lethal to any given organism. However, anadromous salmonids may experience reduced fitness when exposed to pesticides at concentrations far below established lethal levels. These sub-lethal effects include olfactory inhibition, which may result in disruption of imprinting, compromised predator avoidance, and increased straying. The purpose of this research project is to predict areas, if any, in a given catchment or estuary, where anadromous salmonids are likely to experience sub-lethal concentrations of a given pesticide.