Response of Fish Distributions and Benthic Habitats to Nisqually Delta Restoration

The Nisqually River delta is the site of the largest estuary restoration project in Puget Sound to date.  The culminating event was the return of tidal inundation to 750 acres of the delta following dike removal in fall, 2009.  Coordinated, multidisciplinary monitoring of fish populations; benthic habitats including bathymetry, sediment characteristics, macroinvertebrate communities, and eelgrass extent and character; and physical processes including hydrodynamics and sediment transport/deposition are being conducted to evaluate ecosystem response to restoration.  We will highlight our methods/approaches and results to date with emphasis on salmonid spatial and temporal distributions, and the habitat characteristics and physical processes that are influencing those distributions.  Questions addressed will include:  What patterns of fish spatial and temporal distributions are apparent?  How are benthic habitats and physical processes influencing fish distributions?  How are fish distributions, habitat characteristics, and physical processes changing in response to restoration?