This project addresses how to expand the current fish-tracking technologies to enable the fisheries community to successfully carry out the actions, research, and monitoring activities outlined in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 BiOps, 2004 UPA, Fish and Wildlife Program, and 2003 systemwide passage summary.  The goal of the project is to satisfy these needs by developing interrogation systems that will collect data on migrating juvenile and adult salmonids through mainstem Columbia River Basin (CRB) dams including juvenile salmon transiting surface-bypass systems and all life-stages transiting small streams.  These fish-tracking technologies are then used to assess the effectiveness of management actions and strategies for recovery of ESA-listed fish populations.  For example, development of PIT-tag systems that will work in large streams or even rivers are essential for determining the effectiveness of all types of restoration programs on stock recovery supported by BPA.  In addition, these systems would help delineate the different types of interactions between hatchery and wild stocks in the field.  

Over the past few years, this project has been working on developing a PIT-tag system for spillways.  This development has had to overcome both technical and political barriers or setbacks which have delayed installation of a system.  A PIT-tag system was developed for Ice Harbor Dam, but the Corps was unable to obtain funding for this installation.  The lack of funding halted this development until late 2011, when NOAA and the action agencies agreed to install a system at Lower Granite Dam.  Progress on finishing the design of the specialized spillway or ogee transceiver was slowed when Destron was bought out by Allflex in 2011.   Tests at Pasco in 2011 of the first prototype transceiver showed that more work needed to be done for the PIT-tag system to work for the spillbay application.  Allflex appointed Biomark to lead the Destron engineering staff; this transition resulted in little work being done with the ogee transceiver until September 2012.  Testing of the prototype ogee transceiver in 2013 in Minnesota revealed lower read ranges than desired.  The transceiver also failed during a fish  test at the corner-collector.  Biomark has continued to work on improving the transceiver, and tests in 2014 showed better performance in the corner-collector system at Bonneville Dam. Until the transceiver demonstrates consistency and solid performance, we cannot recommend installing a system at Lower Granite Dam.  Furthermore, the limitation set by the Corps to only install two trenches for antennas instead of the four in the original Ice Harbor Dam design makes it harder to overcome the lower read ranges.  During this contract, NOAA Fisheries will continue to work with both Biomark and PSMFC to make the necessary modifications to the ogee transceiver.  Tests will be conducted at both Pasco and the corner collector to demonstrate that the transceiver is acceptable.  We will continue to work with the Corps to finalize the design for the Lower Granite Dam installation.

With the finishing of the new multiplexing transceiver (IS3001, in-stream applications are entering a more mature phase of development. The past few years have resulted in the development of power systems and data-collection methods being finalized.  The new transceiver will yield new antenna designs; however there have been problems with the first round of installations as antennas that yielded high performance in the laboratory tanked once they were installed in the rivers.  NOAA Fisheries has been investigating along with Biomark and other agencies how to solve this.  This work will continue with this contract.  Once this is solved, NOAA Fisheries will evaluate other aspects of the new transceiver and explore how to utilize it to designs systems for large rivers.  We are also working with another group of NOAA researchers to explore designing a series of multiple antennas to use in the estuary instead of the current system of a large net being pulled with a set of PIT-tag antennas installed at the cod end of the net.

Within this project, we propose to develop technologies that help monitor the stocks at critical (if possible, all) life stages and critical locations.   For example, many juvenile salmonids now use unmodified spillbays, spillbays outfitted with temporary spillway weirs (TSWs) or removable spillway weirs (RSWs), and turbines during their migration, but we are unable to monitor them in these locations because they lack PIT-tag interrogation systems.  Consequently, we are collecting fewer data points for the different survival models.  Therefore, we are proposing to start or continue development programs for interrogation systems (tags, antennas, receivers, etc) that will enable us to monitor these migrating fish through these pathways.  

During this performance period (February 2015- January 2016), we will concentrate our efforts on two main research areas or work elements besides project administration:

1. Finish development of the spillway PIT-tag system
                         a)   Evaluate the ogee transceiver at Pasco and Lower Granite Dam
                         b)   Oversee the manufacturing and delivery of ogee transceivers for the Lower Granite installation  
                         c)   Investigate alternative antenna designs with new transceiver
                         d)   Work with the Corps, PSMFC, and Biomark in finalizing the Corps' installation drawings

2.             Continue the development of in-stream interrogation systems
                         a)   Evaluate the new multiplexing transceiver
                         b)   Evaluate alternative interrogation technologies - HDX systems and ISO transceivers