Initial results from monitoring experiments completed by Cramer Fish Sciences fisheries biologists are available! Key findings:

Installed fyke net and trap box at the Hallwood Restoration Site

• Non-native predatory fish (largemouth bass and sunfish) have been observed within the large backwater pool at the lower end of the Project reach.
• Rearing habitat quality dramatically alters residence time and survival of juvenile Chinook salmon.
• Individual predators may be having a disproportionately large effect.

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Year 1 of post-project monitoring is currently being conducted by Cramer Fish Sciences and SYRCL fisheries biologists! This includes:

Juvenile rainbow trout/steelhead enjoying the restored channels within the Hallwood Floodplain and Side Channel Project footprint.

• Snorkel surveys and invertebrate sampling in the new side channel, alcoves, and main channel control locations.
• Mark-recapture study using PIT tagged hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon to assess changes in growth, survival, and residence time in restored Hallwood side channel.
• Seining to assess predation and competition in the restored project site compared to an unrestored backwater control site.
• In addition to recapturing many wild juvenile Chinook Salmon and Rainbow Trout/steelhead, the crew has captured some other interesting fish in the trap including several lamprey!
• This summer, the project team will also be tracking natural riparian tree recruitment and survival throughout the newly restored floodplain.