Using PIT Tag Antennas to Improve Juvenile Salmonid Survival Estimates in Small Coastal Streams

Caspar Creek is a small coastal stream in Northern California which supports populations of both steelhead trout and coho salmon. It has been intensively studied as a life cycle monitoring station for the past 9 years as part of the California Coastal Salmonid Monitoring Plan. In 2014 PIT tag antenna arrays were installed at 3 locations in the stream. Seasonal survival estimates for juvenile salmonids have historically been derived from population estimates generated through a combination of backpack electro-fishing and downstream trapping using a fyke net. This poster examines the data from the first year of operation of multiple PIT tag arrays and explores how data from PIT tag arrays can be incorporated into a life cycle monitoring framework to improve modeling of survival and other population parameters of anadromous salmonids in small coastal streams.