Join the Siletz Watershed Council’s summer quarterly meeting, on Tuesday, June 18th, as Mike Lance and Erik Suring from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring Project discuss where and how they study coho populations, general trends in coho populations, results of monitoring efforts in the Mill Creek watershed near Logsden, and how this information is used by managers and collaborators to help protect these important fisheries while providing opportunities for responsible use. The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in Siletz at the Public Library on 225 SE Gaither Street
Salmon play a critical role in the ecology and communities of western Oregon by transporting nutrients and energy between marine and freshwater environments, and providing the basis for commercial, sport, and tribal fisheries. ODFW began monitoring the abundance and survival rates of coho salmon across western Oregon in response to declines in the 1980s and 1990s. The goal of the Salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring Project (https://nrimp.dfw.state.or.us/crl/default.aspx?pn=SLCMP) is to create reliable estimates of the production of juvenile coho smolts, rates of marine survival, and counts of returning adult coho. Fisheries managers use this information to evaluate population trends, set harvest regulations, and monitor the effectiveness of restoration activities. This management is informed by 20 years of data in select basins.
Mike Lance is a research fisheries biologist with ODFW in Newport, Oregon where he is an assistant project leader on the Salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring Project. He oversees research and monitoring of Coho Salmon at sites in the Siletz, Yaquina, Alsea, and Tenmile Watersheds. Erik Suring is a research fisheries biologist with ODFW in Corvallis, Oregon, and he is the project leader of the Salmonid Life Cycle Monitoring Project. Erik oversees monitoring and research projects along the entire Oregon coast and up the lower Columbia River.
A Siletz Watershed Council meeting will follow the presentation to review the Siletz River Clean Up, give updates on the North Creek culvert replacement, and allow time for any questions and announcements from the community.