Can nutrient enhancement techniques improve growth and survival of threatened and endangered salmon?
Sanderson, Beth*,1, Kiffney, Peter1, Tran, Chau1, Coe, Holly1, Macneale, Kate1, 1 Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, 98115 ABSTRACT- It is increasingly clear that marine-derived nitrogen and phosphorous once delivered to the rivers of the Columbia Basin by spawning salmonids are a critical part of ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Because many of the systems in which salmon spawn and rear are inherently nutrient poor, the delivery of marine-derived nutrients by returning salmon carcasses may be crucial to survival of juvenile salmon and recovery of depleted salmon. The Salmon River basin in Idaho is home to several threatened or endangered salmonids. Their recovery is contingent on the existence of fully functioning ecosystems with adequate productivity to support viable populations of salmonids. We have monitored 17 streams in this basin to examine whether reductions in marine-derived nutrients are limiting stream productivity and subsequently the survival of wild juv
Sanderson, Beth*,1, Kiffney, Peter1, Tran, Chau1, Coe, Holly1, Macneale, Kate1, 1 Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, 98115 ABSTRACT- It is increasingly clear that marine-derived nitrogen and phosphorous once delivered to the rivers of the Columbia Basin by spawning salmonids are a critical part of ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. Because many of the systems in which salmon spawn and rear are inherently nutrient poor, the delivery of marine-derived nutrients by returning salmon carcasses may be crucial to survival of juvenile salmon and recovery of depleted salmon. The Salmon River basin in Idaho is home to several threatened or endangered salmonids. Their recovery is contingent on the existence of fully functioning ecosystems with adequate productivity to support viable populations of salmonids. We have monitored 17 streams in this basin to examine whether reductions in marine-derived nutrients are limiting stream productivity and subsequently the survival of wild juv
