In response to the Council's request, this is the ISRP and ISAB's comprehensive review of Columbia River Basin fish tagging technologies and programs. The Council requested that the ISAB and ISRP address six questions:
- Can the coordination of fish tagging projects and programs, both within and outside of the program, be improved?
- Can the compatibility between the results of different tagging studies be increased?
- Can the Council, through its Fish and Wildlife Program, best encourage the development and use of innovative tagging technologies relevant to program RM&E needs?
- Do gaps exist in the Basin’s capacity to collect life history information at the project or program scale because of lack of relevant technology?
- Can criteria be developed for determining the most cost-effective tagging technology during the project review process?
- How can this element of the program be made more cost-effective?
The ISRP and ISAB's report begins with recommendations and responses to the Council’s questions. This is followed by summaries of fish tagging programs for three management domains: hydrosystem passage; hatchery and harvest management; and estuary and ocean conditions. The report concludes with a brief summary of statistical considerations in tag programs. The appendices provide descriptions of the primary tagging technologies used in the Basin and tables identifying ongoing projects recently funded through the Council’s Fish and Wildlife Program, the Corps' Anadromous Fishery Evaluation Program (AFEP), and the Pacific Salmon Commission’s (PSC) Northern and Southern Funds.
