This project will produce robust population estimates of spawning adult fall-run chinook salmon for the nehalem, nestucca, siletz, and siuslaw rivers

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $598,368 Project Grant under the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) to the State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The grant will fund a 1-year project to generate reliable, precise population estimates for spawning adult fall-run Chinook salmon in four river basins within the North Oregon Coast (NOC) aggregate: the Nehalem, Nestucca, Siletz, and Siuslaw Rivers. The project will implement basin-specific survey designs and apply appropriate estimation methodologies to derive robust escapement estimates. Additionally, the project will collect scales and biological data to derive representative age estimates for NOC Chinook salmon stocks. This grant supports NOAA's broader initiatives to protect endangered or threatened salmon species, maintain populations for tribal treaty fishing rights, and improve salmon management strategies across the Pacific Northwest.

Objective 1: generate reliable, precise estimates for four basins within the north oregon coast (NOC) aggregate, including three escapement indicator stocks (nehalem, siletz, and siuslaw). Implement basin-specific survey designs for the nehalem, nestucca, siletz, and siuslaw river basin chinook salmon stocks and apply appropriate estimation methodology developed from mark-recapture calibration studies to derive robust estimates of spawning fall-run chinook salmon in the nehalem, nestucca, siletz, and siuslaw river basins. Objective 2: collect scales and other biological data sufficient to derive representative age estimates from sample fractions for NOC chinook salmon stocks.