1) The purpose of this project is to document juvenile salmon habitat occurrence in the Lower Columbia River and estuary, and examine how habitat conditions influence their distribution, health, and abundance. We also want to monitor habitat conditions and indicators of salmon health in these environments. Parameters measured include habitat conditions such as vegetation, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen; salmon diet and prey availability; weight, length, growth rate, lipid content, genetic stock, and chemical contaminant exposure.

2) Lyndal Johnson (NFWSC FTE) is the project lead, and other primary staff involved are Sean Sol and Paul Olson (NWFSC FTEs) and Kate Macneale (NWFSC term employee), but the project also involves other NWFSC FTEs, other term employees, contractors, and staff from other programs (Environmental Chemistry) and Divisions (FE, CB), as well as staff from collaborating agencies (i.e, the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, USGS, PNNL, OHSU).

3) The project involves field surveys in which parameters measured include habitat conditions such as vegetation, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen; salmon diet and prey availability; weight, length, growth rate, lipid content, genetic stock, and chemical contaminant exposure.

4) Specific products include annual reports for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, and manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.

5) Specific audiences include (but are not limited to) the Bonneville Power Administration and other federal, state, and local agencies involved with salmon recovery and environmental management in the Columbia Basin (e.g., EPA, Washington Department of Ecology, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the City of Portland); the NMFS regional office, and other agency and academic scientists.

6) This is a stand-alone project, but it is also a component of a larger monitoring program overseen by the Estuary Partnership in which other tasks are conducted by collaborators in USGS, PNNL, and OHSU.

7) This is an ongoing project with a soft completion deadline; however, there are no final deadlines with specific tasks to be completed on a yearly basis.

Concentrations of chemical contaminants in bodies and stomach contents of Chinook salmon from Lower Columbia sampling sites.