A study to estimate salmonid survival through the Columbia River estuary using acoustic tags, 2002

In 2001, the National Marine Fisheries Service and Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory initiated a study to assess survival of juvenile Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. through the lower Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and in the estuary. The study proposed development of a microacoustic transmitter tag small enough for implant into subyearling chinook salmon, with survival estimates based on detections at a stationary acoustic receiver array located near the Columbia River mouth. This report describes results from the first two years of study, which covered feasibility evaluations, tag design, and initial testing of the prototype microacoustic tags and dedicated receiver node. Development of the receiver array and microacoustic tag was conducted simultaneously. Contract no. E86910060