Friday June 17, 2011
As mentioned in previous posts, FISHBIO is in Japan this week to present findings of a review of California acoustic telemetry research at the 1st International Conference of Fish Telemetry. The review, titled Hydroacoustic telemetry as a conservation tool: Integrating studies for comprehensive understanding of native species survival in California, synthesized information on 47 years of acoustic tracking research in California. It provides a comprehensive picture of coverage throughout the system, research foci, methodological comparisons, and shared and opposing trends in results. In general, we found that more work has been conducted in the Sacramento River and North Delta than in the San Joaquin River and South Delta. Most research has focused on the migration timing of salmonids, and relationships between river flow and their survival through the river system, while relatively less work has focused on the impacts of non-native predators. Most of the research is conducted using passive tracking with fixed arrays, and a relatively small portion is conducted using active, mobile tracking. Some studies have found a positive relationship between flow and survival, while others show none, or a negative relationship. Overall, acoustic telemetry has contributed substantially to our understanding of factors influencing salmonid survival and improved our ability to conserve species. For information on some of the acoustic telemetry projects conducted by FISHBIO see our recent posts (Follow That Fish!, Acoustic Tracking, Fisheries Outpatient Center, Basstracker).