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Identifying Suitable Habitat for Chinook Salmon across a Large, Glaciated Watershed
Author(s) -
Bidlack Allison L.,
Benda Lee E.,
Miewald Tom,
Reeves Gordon H.,
McMahan Gabriel
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1080/00028487.2014.880739
Subject(s) - chinook wind , habitat , watershed , oncorhynchus , resource (disambiguation) , environmental science , streamflow , fish migration , critical habitat , geography , ecology , fishery , environmental resource management , fish <actinopterygii> , drainage basin , endangered species , biology , computer science , computer network , cartography , machine learning
Ecosystem management requires information on habitat suitability across broad scales; however, comprehensive environmental surveys in remote areas are often impractical and expensive to carry out. Intrinsic Potential (IP) models provide a means to identify on a broad scale those portions of the landscape that can provide essential habitat for various freshwater fish species. These models are derived from watershed patterns and processes that are persistent and not readily affected by human activities. We developed an IP model for rearing habitat of Chinook Salmon throughout the Copper River watershed (63,000km 2 ) in southcentral Alaska, utilizing digital elevation models, expert opinion, and field surveys. Our model uses three variables—mean annual flow, gradient, and glacial influence—and adequately predicts where probable habitat for juvenile Chinook Salmon occurs across this large landscape. This model can help resource managers map critical habitat for salmon throughout the Copper River watershed, direct field research to appropriate stream reaches, and assist managers in prioritizing restoration actions, such as culvert replacement. Intrinsic Potential modeling is broadly applicable to other salmonid species and geographies and may inform future work on the ecological impacts of climate change in polar and subpolar river systems.