Introduction to Symposium: Salmonid Life-Cycle Models and Survival Estimates: Challenges and Issues

The advances in modeling and computing in the last 20 years have allowed the creation of complex life cycle models to estimate salmon population dynamics, habitat impacts and more. Similarly advances in tagging and tacking technology have improved our ability to estimates survival, density, growth and other key parameters at various life stages and scales. This symposium was organized by NOAA Fisheries and Trout Unlimited to bring the leading scientists together who are working on these issues and to foster collaboration and identify future research needs. Here we provide a brief 1) overview of the challenges and advances in methods for estimating life-stage specific survival or capacity and 2) the challenges of incorporating these empirical estimates into life-cycle models, 3) and an overview of organization, goals and structure of this symposium. The symposium will include sub-sessions focusing on modeling approaches, empirical survival estimates, and integrating survival, movement, and capacity estimates into models.