The Chinook Salmon Adult Abundance Monitoring project collects data for long term monitoring of trends in wild chinook salmon adult escapement and productivity.  This information is used for effective resource management and for use in threatened species recovery monitoring.  Wild salmon escapement monitoring occurs in the Secesh River and the information provides for supplementation program reference stream comparison.  Accurate and precise measurement of adult salmon escapement will be accomplished using dual frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) acoustic imaging techniques.  

This project utilizes DIDSON technology to provide adult salmon escapement information on an annual basis.  As adult salmon migrate upstream through the monitoring site, escapement information is collected via a DIDSON acoustic imaging camera on the Secesh River.  The DIDSON monitoring site allows unimpeded upstream and downstream movement, and fish are not trapped or handled in any manner.  Information collected from this project will allow comparison to redd count survey data to assess if redd count information provides reliable indices of adult salmon escapement.  Accurate abundance data is necessary to calculate derived performance measures such as smolt-to-adult returns, spawner-to spawner ratios, recruits per spawner, population growth rates (lambda) and population trends.  Accurate and precise escapement information has been recognized as necessary component for status monitoring and assessment of progress toward recovery goal metrics for threatened Snake River basin chinook salmon.

Coordination will occur with Idaho Supplementation Studies (ISS), the Johnson Creek supplementation program, and the northeast Oregon hatchery program as the Secesh River represents a control/reference stream for those investigations.  ISS studies will further complement this investigation as they routinely estimate juvenile emigrant abundance which can be used to develop recruit per spawner relationships.  The Pilot study in the South Fork Salmon River explicitly states a need for adult salmon escapement information in the Secesh River at the population level.  Salmon abundance and productivity monitoring on wild populations is also a clearly identified need in the Salmon Subbasin Management Plan (Ecovista 2004).  Federal and state fisheries agencies from Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Alaska have consulted with this project concerning the application of DIDSON technology to monitor fish abundance.  Discussion of standardized data collection, methods, linkages to other research projects has and will continue to occur.  Undoubtedly, this will become an component of a larger comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan for quantifying abundance, life stage specific survival and population growth for salmon index populations.

The Chinook Salmon Adult Abundance Monitoring project is located in the Secesh River drainage of west central Idaho.  The Secesh River is a tributary to the South Fork Salmon River.  The DIDSON acoustic camera site is located on the Secesh River (rkm 30) at the U. S. Forest Service's Chinook Campground.