FY07-09 proposal 200704900
Jump to Reviews and Recommendations
Section 1. Administrative
Proposal title | Efficacy of carcass analogs for restoring the productivity of nutrient limited salmonid streams |
Proposal ID | 200704900 |
Organization | Columbia River Research Laboratory |
Short description | This project will assess the influence of seasonal additions of salmon carcass analogs on various measures of stream productivity and nutrient flow through the aquatic community. |
Information transfer | Results from this research will be published in peer-reviewed journals. |
Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
Contacts
Contact | Organization | |
---|---|---|
Form submitter | ||
Matthew Mesa | U.S. Geological Survey | matt_mesa@usgs.gov |
All assigned contacts | ||
Matthew Mesa | U.S. Geological Survey | matt_mesa@usgs.gov |
Matthew Mesa | U.S. Geological Survey | matt_mesa@usgs.gov |
Section 2. Locations
Province / subbasin: Columbia Gorge / Wind
Latitude | Longitude | Waterbody | Description |
---|---|---|---|
N 45 48.130’ | W 121 51.516’ | Cedar Creek | Near the trail starting at Cedar Creek Road |
Dry Creek | |||
Little Wind River | |||
N 45 47.652’ | W 121 55.507’ | Martha Creek | Near the Wind River nursery |
Ninemile Creek | |||
Paradise Creek | |||
Trapper Creek |
Section 3. Focal species
primary: Chinook Lower Columbia River ESUprimary: Coho Lower Columbia River ESU
primary: Steelhead Lower Columbia River ESU
secondary: Chum Columbia River ESU
secondary: Pacific Lamprey
Section 4. Past accomplishments
Year | Accomplishments |
---|
Section 5. Relationships to other projects
Funding source | Related ID | Related title | Relationship |
---|---|---|---|
BPA | 199801900 | Wind River Watershed | We have been, and will continue, to work collaboratively with researchers on this project |
BPA | 200105500 | Salmonid Response to Fertiliza | The principal investagators on this past project are aware of our proposal, interested, and have advised us |
Section 6. Biological objectives
Biological objectives | Full description | Associated subbasin plan | Strategy |
---|---|---|---|
Document efficacy of carcass analogs | We will assess the effects of seasonal applications of carcass analogs on measures of stream and fish production | Lower Columbia | Experimentally evaluate nutrient enrichment programs (LLT) and risks using fish from hatcheries or suitable analogs |
Document efficacy of carcass analogs | We will assess the effects of seasonal applications of carcass analogs on measures of stream and fish production | Lower Columbia | Consider ecological functions of salmon, including nutrients in establishing escapement goals. |
Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)
Work element name | Work element title | Description | Start date | End date | Est budget |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report | Prepare reports or publications summarizing the results from this research. | Preparation of annual reports and journal publications. Analysis and write up of all data. | 10/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $412,188 |
Biological objectives Document efficacy of carcass analogs |
Metrics |
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Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Apply carcass analogs to selected streams in the Wind River basin. | Carcass analogs will be placed in several stream sections within the Wind River basin to evaluate their efficacy for restoring stream productivity | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $213,201 |
Biological objectives Document efficacy of carcass analogs |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties Research |
||||
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Assess the stable isotope ratios of 13C and 15N in selected flora and fauna in treatment and control sections of our test streams. | Stable isotope ratios will be estimated from the flora and fauna of test streams to trace the flow of nutrients through the community | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $142,134 |
Biological objectives Document efficacy of carcass analogs |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties Research |
||||
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Measure the levels of contaminants in a representative sample of analog material. | A sample of analog material will be sent to an outside contractor for contaminants analysis | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $14,213 |
Biological objectives Document efficacy of carcass analogs |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties Research |
||||
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Monitor the chemical and biological responses of the stream communities to the application of analogs. | Monitor several variables indicative of stream and fish production before, during, and after analog placement | 1/1/2007 | 9/30/2009 | $639,602 |
Biological objectives Document efficacy of carcass analogs |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: Uncertainties Research |
Section 8. Budgets
Itemized estimated budget
Item | Note | FY07 | FY08 | FY09 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Personnel | 4.1 - 4.5 FTE's | $161,699 | $183,143 | $195,319 |
Fringe Benefits | @30% (perm/term); 8% (temps) | $69,299 | $78,490 | $83,708 |
Supplies | Incl. analogs, water chem., PIT tags | $53,900 | $53,900 | $53,900 |
Travel | (2) Trucks + mileage | $11,237 | $11,372 | $11,372 |
Capital Equipment | Electrofisher | $7,500 | $0 | $0 |
Overhead | @ ~41% | $139,072 | $149,730 | $157,697 |
Totals | $442,707 | $476,635 | $501,996 |
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
Total itemized budget: | $1,421,338 |
Total work element budget: | $1,421,338 |
Cost sharing
Funding source/org | Item or service provided | FY 07 est value ($) | FY 08 est value ($) | FY 09 est value ($) | Cash or in-kind? | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USGS | Electrofisher | $7,000 | $6,500 | $6,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
USGS | Water quality sondes | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
Totals | $12,000 | $11,500 | $11,000 |
Section 9. Project future
FY 2010 estimated budget: $143,000 FY 2011 estimated budget: $143,000 |
Comments: Final analysis and write up |
Future O&M costs:
Termination date: February 2010
Comments:
Final deliverables: Final report and peer-reviewed publications
Section 10. Narrative and other documents
Reviews and recommendations
FY07 budget | FY08 budget | FY09 budget | Total budget | Type | Category | Recommendation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Expense | ProvinceExpense | Do Not Fund |
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ProvinceExpense | ||
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
$0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | Basinwide |
ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable
NPCC comments: There are not many studies that have evaluated this issue, so this is a valuable proposal. The background for the proposal was adequate. This study has the potential to evaluate carcass analogs, provided a suitable experimental design can be implemented. The development of carcass analogs represents a new technology that deserves investigation in controlled field studies before the region commits to wholesale acceptance. In general, the proposal does a good job of relating the study to the general issue of deliberate nutrient enrichment to boost stream productivity, although the early work of C. E. Warren and colleagues at Oregon State University on nutrient enrichment of streams is often overlooked and should be reviewed by project sponsors. The practice of releasing salmon carcasses from hatcheries is widespread, but there are considerable logistical problems with deploying large numbers of carcasses throughout a stream network. The recent development of carcass "analogs" has been suggested as a much more tractable method, with the additional advantage of being able to deploy the material at the desired time and place -- not just when fish are available from a hatchery. Relatively few studies have monitored the biological effects of deliberate carcass releases, and with this new technology the effects remain largely unknown. The proposal does not explain what carcass analogs are (pelletized, pasteurized fishmeal derived from spawned-out hatchery salmon), and of the five assumptions about their advantages given, only assumption 3 (easy to transport) and assumption 5 (stable supply) should be taken at face value. The others (pathogen-free, closely mimic nutrients from natural carcasses, and similar breakdown rate) should be tested. The proposal describes how carcass analogs have been deployed in the Wind River watershed in 2005, but does not mention any results. The claim is made that the Pearsons et al. (2003) study of carcass analog enrichment of a Yakima River tributary "restored food pathways by direct consumption and food chain enhancement"; however, in a recent presentation these authors have further stated "Except for an initial increase in growth approximately 6 weeks after analogs were stocked, we detected no effect of analogs on either growth or abundance of trout." Two other important references are omitted: Sanderson and Kiffney's (2003) progress report on carcass analog additions to streams in the Salmon River basin, and S. Claeson's M.S. thesis at OSU on experimental whole carcass effects on food webs in the upper Wind River. The objectives are worthwhile and the proposal does a good job of covering the bases with regard to biological response -- water chemistry, periphyton, benthic invertebrates (although it is odd that only grazers will be analyzed for stable isotopes), resident fishes, and contaminants. Using a predetermined range of carcass analog densities is a good idea, since the Yakima study of Pearsons et al. did not appear to have detected sustained trophic enrichment. One of the most important questions the proposal does not address is how the amount of natural spawning by Chinook and steelhead will be factored into the analyses. Although the proposal does not contain a map of the study streams, they appear to be located in the vicinity of the Carson hatchery. Thus, it seems possible that there will be some natural spawning in the study streams (the proposal does not specify if sites will be located above barriers to anadromous species). If natural spawning is distributed unequally among the study sites it could confound the objectives of the research. If there is no salmon spawning at any of the study sites, the objective of the work is slightly compromised because the study will have taken place in streams where aquatic communities have not adapted to historical salmon spawning over time. The proposal does not justify why a 500m upstream control and 500m downstream treatment approach was selected, as opposed to treating an entire stream with carcass analogs and pairing sites with untreated control streams to the extent possible. The methods for sampling the periphyton, aquatic invertebrates, and fishes are standard techniques and should work well. Surprisingly, fish species were not specified. How does fish community composition vary among streams?
ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable
NPCC comments: There are not many studies that have evaluated this issue, so this is a valuable proposal. The background for the proposal was adequate. This study has the potential to evaluate carcass analogs, provided a suitable experimental design can be implemented. The development of carcass analogs represents a new technology that deserves investigation in controlled field studies before the region commits to wholesale acceptance. In general, the proposal does a good job of relating the study to the general issue of deliberate nutrient enrichment to boost stream productivity, although the early work of C. E. Warren and colleagues at Oregon State University on nutrient enrichment of streams is often overlooked and should be reviewed by project sponsors. The practice of releasing salmon carcasses from hatcheries is widespread, but there are considerable logistical problems with deploying large numbers of carcasses throughout a stream network. The recent development of carcass "analogs" has been suggested as a much more tractable method, with the additional advantage of being able to deploy the material at the desired time and place -- not just when fish are available from a hatchery. Relatively few studies have monitored the biological effects of deliberate carcass releases, and with this new technology the effects remain largely unknown. The proposal does not explain what carcass analogs are (pelletized, pasteurized fishmeal derived from spawned-out hatchery salmon), and of the five assumptions about their advantages given, only assumption 3 (easy to transport) and assumption 5 (stable supply) should be taken at face value. The others (pathogen-free, closely mimic nutrients from natural carcasses, and similar breakdown rate) should be tested. The proposal describes how carcass analogs have been deployed in the Wind River watershed in 2005, but does not mention any results. The claim is made that the Pearsons et al. (2003) study of carcass analog enrichment of a Yakima River tributary "restored food pathways by direct consumption and food chain enhancement"; however, in a recent presentation these authors have further stated "Except for an initial increase in growth approximately 6 weeks after analogs were stocked, we detected no effect of analogs on either growth or abundance of trout." Two other important references are omitted: Sanderson and Kiffney's (2003) progress report on carcass analog additions to streams in the Salmon River basin, and S. Claeson's M.S. thesis at OSU on experimental whole carcass effects on food webs in the upper Wind River. The objectives are worthwhile and the proposal does a good job of covering the bases with regard to biological response -- water chemistry, periphyton, benthic invertebrates (although it is odd that only grazers will be analyzed for stable isotopes), resident fishes, and contaminants. Using a predetermined range of carcass analog densities is a good idea, since the Yakima study of Pearsons et al. did not appear to have detected sustained trophic enrichment. One of the most important questions the proposal does not address is how the amount of natural spawning by Chinook and steelhead will be factored into the analyses. Although the proposal does not contain a map of the study streams, they appear to be located in the vicinity of the Carson hatchery. Thus, it seems possible that there will be some natural spawning in the study streams (the proposal does not specify if sites will be located above barriers to anadromous species). If natural spawning is distributed unequally among the study sites it could confound the objectives of the research. If there is no salmon spawning at any of the study sites, the objective of the work is slightly compromised because the study will have taken place in streams where aquatic communities have not adapted to historical salmon spawning over time. The proposal does not justify why a 500m upstream control and 500m downstream treatment approach was selected, as opposed to treating an entire stream with carcass analogs and pairing sites with untreated control streams to the extent possible. The methods for sampling the periphyton, aquatic invertebrates, and fishes are standard techniques and should work well. Surprisingly, fish species were not specified. How does fish community composition vary among streams?