Science activity #49894,
updated 29 April 2022
Aquatic Habitat Sampling Platform: Standardized Fish Community Sampling Across Habitat Types
Description / purpose
Description
The Aquatic Habitat Sampling Platform (AHSP) is an integrated aquatic species and
habitat sampling system that can effectively monitor aquatic organisms and reveal
habitat associations while having minimal or no “take” of sensitive species. Further
development and deployment of the AHSP will expand data collection to shallow and
off-channel habitat, while offering the capability to transition to deeper and open water
habitats, providing reliable sampling efficiency estimates (e.g., probability fish detection)
and “catch” per unit effort (i.e., number of individual species per volume of water
sampled) and improving our knowledge about populations, habitat associations and
major stressors of key organisms within the San Francisco Estuary (Estuary).
Need
Within the Estuary, numerous monitoring techniques are used. However, monitoring
weaknesses for determining fish status and trends include: 1) restricted locations
available for some techniques;2) limited ability to simultaneously assess zooplankton
and fish larvae;and 3) difficulty in estimating fish population size due to lack of gear
efficiency information (Honey et al. 2004). Furthermore, past attempts at integrated
abundance indices from more than one sampling method have had limited success.
Although there continues to be considerable collaborative monitoring and research
devoted to understanding Central Valley fish species, coordination among activities has
been difficult. Other issues include permitting take of listed species and time-consuming
monitoring with extended periods of down time due to sample post-processing of fish
and invertebrate species. Identification of key microhabitats for each lifestage and
attributes and linking associated physical parameters such as habitat features (e.g.,
depth, structure, channel type) and water quality is needed.
Objectives
• Test AHSP operation within the Estuary while providing information highly
relevant to pressing Delta management issues (IEP 2016);
• Provide detailed information on distribution and approximate abundance of adult
Delta Smelt within identified habitat types (Biological Opinion on the Long-Term
Operational Criteria and Plan for coordination of the Central Valley Project and
State Water Project;https://www.fws.gov/sfbaydelta/documents/SWPCVP_OPs_BO_12-15_final_OCR.pdf);and
• Assess habitat associations and diurnal behavior of Delta Smelt and other fishes
(Durand 2015).
Linked science activities
None specifiedCollaborators
Erwin VanNieuwenhuyse, Principal investigator -
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR]
Joseph Merz, Principal investigator -
Cramer Fish Sciences
Activity status
- 1 Awarded / Initiating (2018)
- 2 In progress / Ongoing (0 - 0)
- 3 Complete
Funding summary
Total allocated funding: $0
Label | Value |
---|---|
Contract # or labor code | PEN#330 |
Implementing organization | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR] |
Funding organization | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR] |
Funding Source | Not provided |
Date of award | 2020 |
Date of fiscal year-end | Not provided |
Total award amount | $0 |
State type of obligation | Not provided |
Federal type of obligation | Not provided |
Reimbursability | Not provided |
Procurement mechanism | Not provided |
Annual expenditures |
2020 - $340000.00 |
Label | Value |
---|---|
Contract # or labor code | PEN#330 |
Implementing organization | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation [USBR] |
Funding organization | California Department of Water Resource [DWR] |
Funding Source | Not provided |
Date of award | 2021 |
Date of fiscal year-end | Not provided |
Total award amount | $0 |
State type of obligation | Not provided |
Federal type of obligation | Not provided |
Reimbursability | Not provided |
Procurement mechanism | Not provided |
Annual expenditures |
2021 - $390000.00 |
Location
Subbasins
Delta regions
Geographic tags
None specified
Products and outputs
None provided
Type and context
Science action area
Management themes
Science themes
Types
Science functions
Management actions
Science Topics
Lead implementing organization
Partner implementing organizations
Funding organizations
Funding programs
Funding sources
None specified
None specified