Coordinated Assessments for Columbia River Salmon

Through the Columbia River Basin Anadromous Salmonid Monitoring Strategy, the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Action Agencies and fishery co-managers have agreed to the necessary monitoring to provide data to answer key management questions related to Viable Salmon Population (VSP) parameters and began discussions for key habitat and hatchery effectiveness assessments. Performing these assessments and reporting answers to these management questions on an ongoing basis is needed to assure 1) effective evaluation of the FCRPS Biological Opinion, 2) progress toward the recovery of anadromous salmonids listed under the Endangered Species Act, and 3) effective implementation of the anadromous salmonid elements of the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. This ongoing collaborative effort gathered co-managers and other key agencies within the sub-regions of the Columbia River Basin (CRB) to develop assessment and data sharing strategies for meeting regional reporting requirements.  The co-managers agreed to three specific fish population indicators and a common Data Exchange Template (DET) which describes the specific data elements to be shared with each indicator.  Data Analysis Flow Diagrams were developed that illustrate the steps used to calculate the indicator for each population (or representative populations) of anadromous fish.  A Gaps, Needs, and Priorities assessment was used to identify the capacity needs of agencies and Tribes to manage and share their data and develop individual data sharing strategies addressing partner capacity, shared technical infrastructure, common DETs, and management and governance.   The goals are to develop individual and regional data sharing strategies that identify the capacities and business practices necessary for integrated data sharing of these three specific VSP indicators, refine and promote the use of DETs among the CRB fisheries co-managers as a business practice for sharing the three indicators for salmon and steelhead, and prepare for extending data sharing to additional indicators in the future.