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Fisheries Monitoring Scenario
Method:
Students learn first-hand the problems facing fisheries managers by developing their own
fisheries management budget and research plan.
Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- Discuss why monitoring fish populations is important.
- Develop a multi-year fisheries management plan and budget.
Materials Needed:
Preparation:
You may want to read the Fisheries Research Methods
activity first, or do it with your students. It will help familiarize you with the techniques
discussed here.
Background:
There are many research methods used by fisheries managers to assess salmon run strength and
stock health. These methods vary tremendously in accuracy, cost, staffing needs, equipment, and
training required. Managers usually don't have a budget large enough to cover all the research
needs in their areas. This forces them to prioritize the projects that they do. A manager may
choose to use a more accurate and expensive counting method on a river with a very large
salmon run, or one that is especially important to local residents. Managers often have to use a
less accurate counting method because it is less expensive and better fits the constraints of their
budget. An example would be doing an aerial survey on a spawning stream rather than installing
a weir or counting tower.
Procedure:
Divide your class into teams of two or three students each. Hand out the three management
scenarios among the groups. This will allow the students to develop and discuss different
management priorities and strategies. Provide each student team with a print out of the survey
methods available.
Discussion
Have each student team read their scenario to the class, then present their monitoring plans.
Discuss the following: The difficulty of gathering accurate scientific data over such a large and
remote area. The economic reality of making management decisions based on limited budget and
personnel. The pressures various political, cultural, and economic groups may place on a
fisheries manager.
Monitoring Scenario One
You are the Tribal Government Resource Management Specialist. Recently, you have been given
the job of finding out how many salmon are spawning in the rivers and streams on tribal lands.
Salmon are the most important subsistence food of the people in the villages along these rivers.
Commercial fishing for salmon also provides the most jobs in your area.
Important events to consider: The early reports from fishermen and fisheries
researchers at the mouth of the brown River show that this year may be the lowest return of
Chinook salmon on record. A mining company from Colorado is considering purchasing private
land in the headwaters of the Black River for a large gold mine. The village of Snowshoe is
requesting that information be collected about the number of salmon spawning in this river so
they can fight to halt the development.
There are 7 primary rivers under your management where salmon spawn. You have a yearly
budget of $450,000. A total of $150,000 can be spent each year to purchase needed equipment.
The $300,000 left is your annual budget for operating field projects. You need to make a three-
year monitoring plan that will help you determine as accurately as possible how many salmon
spawn within the whole system.
Purple River: Over 350 feet wide, and very muddy. The Purple River has a run of
salmon that's extremely important to the subsistence and commercial economy of area
communities.
White River: This is a fairly narrow, shallow, clear-water stream, but it often floods
getting deep and muddy when rainstorms occur. This stream is one of the most important
spawning areas for Chinook salmon in the Interior.
Blue River: This is a clear-water river, less than 300 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
Brown River: This river is almost a half mile wide, very deep and muddy. The Brown
River runs over 2,000 miles from the ocean, through your tribal government lands, and on into
Canada. There are 20 Native villages along this river inside the U.S. that harvest salmon for
subsistence and commercial use. These fish are important to villages in Canada, too. Native
tribes in Canada and the Canadian government are concerned that you may be taking too many of
the fish that are returning to spawn in Canada.
Green River: This river is over 350 feet wide, 20 feet deep and muddy. The Green
River has one of the largest chum salmon runs inside the United States. Many villages in your
area harvest fish that originate from this system.
Black River: This river is about 200 feet wide. The Black River is normally clear but
heavy rains and floods in summer often make the water too muddy to see through.
Yellow River: This river is over 500 feet wide, deep and muddy. Salmon in the Yellow
River are important to commercial and subsistence fishermen on both sides of the border.
Return to Top
Monitoring Scenario Two
You are the Tribal Government Resource Management Specialist. Recently, you have been given
the job of finding out how many salmon are spawning in the rivers and streams on tribal lands.
Salmon are the most important subsistence food of the people in the villages along these rivers.
Commercial fishing for salmon also provides the most jobs in your area.
Important events to consider: Native tribes in Canada are reporting reduced catches and
fewer fish spawning in area streams. The Canadian government is very concerned that you may
be taking too many of the fish that are destined to spawn in Canada.
There are 7 primary rivers under your management where salmon spawn. You have a yearly
budget of $450,000. A total of $150,000 can be spent each year to purchase needed equipment.
The $300,000 left is your annual budget for operating field projects. You need to make a three-
year monitoring plan that will help you determine as accurately as possible how many salmon
spawn within the whole system.
Purple River: Over 350 feet wide, and very muddy. The Purple River has a run of
salmon that's extremely important to the subsistence and commercial economy of area
communities.
White River: This is a fairly narrow, shallow, clear-water stream, but it often floods
getting deep and muddy when rainstorms occur. This stream is one of the most important
spawning areas for Chinook salmon in the Interior.
Blue River: This is a clear-water river, less than 300 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
Brown River: This river is almost a half mile wide, very deep and muddy. The Brown
River runs over 2,000 miles from the ocean, through your tribal government lands, and on into
Canada. There are 20 Native villages along this river inside the U.S. that harvest salmon for
subsistence and commercial use. These fish are important to villages in Canada, too. Native
tribes in Canada and the Canadian government are concerned that you may be taking too many of
the fish that are returning to spawn in Canada.
Green River: This river is over 350 feet wide, 20 feet deep and muddy. The Green
River has one of the largest chum salmon runs inside the United States. Many villages in your
area harvest fish that originate from this system.
Black River: This river is about 200 feet wide. The Black River is normally clear but
heavy rains and floods in summer often make the water too muddy to see through.
Yellow River: This river is over 500 feet wide, deep and muddy. Salmon in the Yellow
River are important to commercial and subsistence fishermen on both sides of the border.
Return to Top
Monitoring Scenario Three
You are the Tribal Government Resource Management Specialist. Recently, you have been given
the job of finding out how many salmon are spawning in the rivers and streams on tribal lands.
Salmon are the most important subsistence food of the people in the villages along these rivers.
Commercial fishing for salmon also provides the most jobs in your area.
Important events to consider: A huge fire occurred last year near the village of Rocky
River. Villagers there can't count on shooting a moose this year or on generating income from fur
trapping. They are extremely concerned about reports of reduced returns of fall chum salmon.
The Black River has an important salmon run that may be declining. The village of Fort O'Conor
has very high unemployment since a small fish processing plant recently closed.
There are 7 primary rivers under your management where salmon spawn. You have a yearly
budget of $450,000. A total of $150,000 can be spent each year to purchase needed equipment.
The $300,000 left is your annual budget for operating field projects. You need to make a three-
year monitoring plan that will help you determine as accurately as possible how many salmon
spawn within the whole system.
Purple River: Over 350 feet wide, and very muddy. The Purple River has a run of
salmon that's extremely important to the subsistence and commercial economy of area
communities.
White River: This is a fairly narrow, shallow, clear-water stream, but it often floods
getting deep and muddy when rainstorms occur. This stream is one of the most important
spawning areas for Chinook salmon in the Interior.
Blue River: This is a clear-water river, less than 300 feet wide and 4 feet deep.
Brown River: This river is almost a half mile wide, very deep and muddy. The Brown
River runs over 2,000 miles from the ocean, through your tribal government lands, and on into
Canada. There are 20 Native villages along this river inside the U.S. that harvest salmon for
subsistence and commercial use. These fish are important to villages in Canada, too. Native
tribes in Canada and the Canadian government are concerned that you may be taking too many of
the fish that are returning to spawn in Canada.
Green River: This river is over 350 feet wide, 20 feet deep and muddy. The Green
River has one of the largest chum salmon runs inside the United States. Many villages in your
area harvest fish that originate from this system.
Black River: This river is about 200 feet wide. The Black River is normally clear but
heavy rains and floods in summer often make the water too muddy to see through.
Yellow River: This river is over 500 feet wide, deep and muddy. Salmon in the Yellow
River are important to commercial and subsistence fishermen on both sides of the border.
Return to Top
Survey Methods Available to You:
Aerial surveys:
Cost: $800 per stream surveyed
Staff needs: 1 pilot; one experienced observer
Counting Accuracy: Fairly low
Benefits: This is the least expensive counting method. You only need an airplane, pilot,
counter, and gasoline. This is also the best way to cover a large area.
Problems: Aerial surveys can give you a fairly inaccurate count. You may have cloud
cover over part of a stream, or water reflections or fish in deep water might be hard to see.
Counting Tower:
Cost: $2000 to set up. $35,000 per season to run
Staff needs: 1 crew leader and 1-2 technicians
Counting Accuracy: Good if water remains clear and sampling is consistent.
Benefits: You need very little equipment to set up a counting tower. In addition, staff
need very little training in order to do accurate counts. This is a great program to hire high school
students or other village residents to run.
Problems: This can only be used in a shallow, narrow, clear-water stream. High water
or muddy water from storms can interrupt counts. There is no way to stop the migrating fish, so
the tower has to be manned constantly to keep counts accurate.
Weir:
Cost: $50,000 to purchase and transport equipment to site. $50,000 to run each season
Staff needs: 1 crew leader, 2 technicians
Counting Accuracy: Very high
Benefits: This counting method can tell you exactly how many fish you have in the
spawning stream along with species, and sex ratio.
Problems: This method can only be used in a fairly shallow, narrow, clear-water
stream. High water from storms can overflow the weir and allow the fish to pass uncounted.
Muddy water can also interrupt counts.
Sonar:
Cost: $200,000 to purchase equipment; $50,000 to operate per season
Staff needs: 1 crew leader, 3 technicians.
Counting Accuracy: Very high IF only one species of fish is traveling through the
sonar beam.
Benefits: This method can be used in a wider, deeper, muddy water system. It allows
you to count fish that you can't physically see.
Problems: Equipment costs are very high. Staff need to be highly trained to operate the
equipment and interpret the data. The sonar system needs to be monitored and calibrated
frequently in order to give accurate counts.
Mark/Recapture:
Cost: $30,000 to purchase and ship equipment. $165,000 to operate per season.
Staff needs: 1 permanent biologist, 1 seasonal crew leader, 3 technicians
Counting Accuracy: Good, but delayed (see problems)
Benefits: The best method available to determine the total fish moving through a very
large, wide, muddy river system.
Problems: This method is very labor intensive. 200-300 fish need to be tagged every
day and 2,000-3,000 need to be examined every day. The population estimate you come up with
is at least 1 -2 weeks behind what's occurring in the fishery. So, this method can't be used to
make in- season management decisions (fishing openers/closings)
Test Net/Fish Wheels
Cost: $8,000 for each
Staff: 1 biologist, 1 crew leader, 1 technician
Accuracy: Fair
Benefits: This is "real-time" information. You can use it to help make in-season
management decisions like opening commercial seasons.
Subsistence Monitoring:
Cost: $30,000
Crew: 1 technician
Counting Accuracy: Fair
Benefits: This method confirms the run information you got from using test nets. Local
fishermen are more involved in providing fishing data.
Problems: Fishermen may not fish consistently day-to-day, so the data may be
sporadic.
Text and graphics by USFWS staff
Last modified 24, February, 2009
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