Provides fisheries and aquatic resources data that are used to assess the status of the ecosystem and document trends

The University of California Santa Cruz received a $1,042,238 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act, Title XXXIV (CFDA 15.512) program, effective September 9, 2025, through September 30, 2028. The award funds a juvenile salmon acoustic telemetry monitoring initiative designed to provide fisheries and aquatic resources data for assessing ecosystem status, documenting population trends, and supporting recovery efforts for Endangered Species Act-listed fish populations in California's Central Valley. Primary deliverables include deployment and maintenance of a real-time array of Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) receivers, implantation of acoustic tags into hatchery-produced Chinook salmon juveniles, and production of real-time monitoring metrics to support operational and management decisions affecting the Central Valley Project and salmonid biological opinions.

The award requires delivery of web-accessible technical documentation and data within 96 hours of fish release, annual technical reports summarizing study results and tag performance assessments, and a final comprehensive report synthesizing findings from the three-year study period. This monitoring infrastructure generates baseline ecosystem data for adaptive management experiments and restoration actions aimed at supporting sustainable salmonid populations while informing implementation of federal biological opinions governing Central Valley Project operations.

Activities

1. Deploy and maintain real-time array of juvenile salmon acoustic telemetry system receivers (jsats)2. Deploy autonomous array of jsats receivers 3. Implant acoustic tags into a portion of hatchery produced chinook salmon JUVENILES4. Produce and deliver real time METRICS5. Project managementexpected outcome(s) deliverable(s):1. Final pre-season tagging plan available via website.2. Web-accessible telemetry study summary no more than 96 hours after the release of fish.3. Annual technical report summarizing results from the previous study year, including tag life tests and tag effect tests, available via website.4. Final report summarizing final results of study years 1 and 2, and preliminary results of study year 3, available via website.beneficiary:the public