Project history

This project, BPA # 9602100, was initiated in 1996.  Previous work, consisting of the hands-on monitoring in the regional Biological Monitoring Program, was conducted under project BPA # 8740100: Assessment of smolt condition for travel time analysis.  Additional work was also conducted under BPA # 8200300, Significance of predation and development of prey protection measures for juvenile salmonids in the Columbia and Snake river reservoirs.  The scope of the project was greatly reduced in1999 when the primary role of the project shifted to training people to detect signs of gas bubble disease in juvenile salmonids emigrating in the Snake and Columbia rivers.  Since 1999 the costs for work conducted under project 9602100 have been $136,239.

Annual reports for 1995 through 1999 have been submitted to BPA. Reporting since 1999 has been at the request of the NOAA-Fisheries (i.e., National Marine Fisheries Service) for inclusion in their annual report of gas super saturation.  Beginning in 2004, annual reports of activities were submitted to BPA. Six publications in peer-reviewed journals have been produced: five under BPA project #9602100  (Beeman et al. 1998; Weiland et al. 1999; Hans et al. 1999; Mesa et al. 2000; Beeman and Maule 2001) and one under BPA project #8200300 (Mesa and Warren 1997).  It is also important to note that this BPA-funded research led to a four-year (1999-2002) research project funded by the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) titled Gas bubble disease in resident fish below Grand Coulee Dam. The final report of this project has been submitted to BOR and is available upon request.  We have completed most of the tasks associated with this project, but continue to provide training and QA/QC for the ongoing monitoring by the Smolt Monitoring Program (SMP) of juvenile salmonids during their seaward migration.

Objective:  Provide training to detect signs of GBD in juvenile salmonids in Snake & Columbia rivers.

This objective will be met by maintaining all equipment when it is not being used, providing professional servicing and repair of dissecting microscopes at the beginning of the field season, and by providing one or more training workshops for people in the region who will be inspecting juvenile salmonids for signs of GBD.

Publications

Beeman, J.W., P.V. Haner, and A.G. Maule. 1998. A new miniature pressure-sensitive radio transmitter.  North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 18:458-464.

Beeman, J.W., and A.G. Maule. 2001. Residence times and diel passage distribution of radio tagged juvenile spring Chinook salmon in a gatewell and fish collection system of a Columbia River dam. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 21:455-463.

Hans, K.M., M.G. Mesa, and A.G. Maule.  1999.  Rate of disappearance of gas bubble trauma signs in juvenile salmonids.  Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 11: 383-390.

Mesa, M.G., L.K. Weiland, and A.G. Maule.  2000.  Progression and severity of gas bubble trauma in juvenile salmonids.  Transactions American Fisheries Society 129: 174-185.

Mesa, M.G. and J.J. Warren.  1997.  Predator avoidance ability of   juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) subjected to sub lethal exposures of gas supersaturated water.  Canadian Journal of  Fisheries & Aquatic Science  54:757 764.

Weiland, L.K., M.G. Mesa, and A.G. Maule. 1999.  Influence of infection with Renibacterium salmoninarum on susceptibility of juvenile spring Chinook salmon to gas bubble trauma.  Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 11:123 129.