CalFishTrack

Central Valley Enhanced

Acoustic Tagging Project

New Updates

1. New webpage created for RBDD natural-origin steelhead tagging study on 5/17/2025
2. New webpage created for Georgiana Slough Fall-run May study on 5/6/2025
3. New webpage created for American River Fall-run Chinook salmon study on 5/3/2025
4. New webpage created for Sacramento River Spring Pulse Flow study on 4/19/2025
5. New webpage created for Sacramento River Chinook salmon Net Pen Imprinting study on 4/19/2025
6. New webpage created for Georgiana Slough Fall-run April study on 4/16/2025
7. New webpage created for Feather River hatchery spring-run Chinook salmon study on 4/9/2025
8. New webpage created for Mill and Deer Creek wild O. mykiss tagging study on 3/20/2025

Background

There is a well documented need for improved detection and associated modeling of salmon migration and survival in the Central Valley. We propose to address this need through an expanded acoustic receiver network and associated real-time and retrospective modeling of the data. The proposed work includes (1) the deployment of real-time receivers that will provide timely information on migrating salmon smolt location and timing, (2) expansion of the existing autonomous acoustic array to increase the coverage and detection efficiency; (3) development of new metrics for the real-time data for key management relevant questions such as entrainment estimates at critical junctions (Georgiana Slough and Delta Cross Channel); and (4) a retrospective analysis directly geared toward improving the quality and robustness of an existing forecasting model – the NMFS enhanced particle tracking model.

Statement of Research

The San Francisco Bay-Delta is both the hub for the infrastructure for California’s water supply and critical migratory and rearing habitat for four native runs of Chinook salmon. Understanding salmon survival and migration dynamics in the Delta and its tributaries is critical to the operation of state and federal water projects, recovery of ESA-listed species, and sport and commercial fisheries management. Tracking the fate of individual tagged fish can be accomplished with acoustic tagging (AT), tracking groups of AT fish can be used to develop estimates of survival and movement for other non-AT fish also part of that group, and population level sampling programs can use survival estimates generated by AT and applied to other mass marked (coded wire tagging; CWT) groups to develop improved capture efficiency for these sampling programs. These capture efficiency estimates can then be used to estimate abundance of non-tagged populations.

Research Objectives

This work will have significant implications for understanding movement, distribution, and survival of all four runs of Central Valley Chinook salmon. For more information on specific runs and the real-time tracking of these fish, click on a link in the drop-down “Study Population Detections” menu.

How to have your data hosted here

Every year, telemetry researchers from multiple organizations and agencies utilize the receivers deployed and data tools developed as part of this project. We request that if there is interest is utilizing these resources, please do the following things:

• Prior to purchasing your tags, coordinate tag codes with the tag code coordinator (Arnold Ammann arnold.ammann@noaa.gov).

• Prior to your study’s releases, fill out this summary form and send to the website administrator (Cyril Michel cyril.michel@noaa.gov).

• Once fish are released, send the website administrator (Cyril Michel cyril.michel@noaa.gov) your tagging data in a text or csv format, following this template. Please observe the same formatting as in the template.

Receiver deployments

For more information on where and when receivers are deployed, visit our receiver deployment page:

Receiver Deployments

Detection Data

For downloading real-time detection data and archived detection data from the entire receiver array, visit our Data download page:

Download Data

STARS Shiny app

For viewing fish survival and movement predictions based on current river conditions, visit our SHINY app:

STARS Shiny app

Related Reports and Publications

Ammann, A.J. Factors affecting detection probability and range of transmitters and receivers designed for the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System. Environ Biol Fish 103, 625–634 (2020).

Notch, J.J., McHuron, A.S., Michel, C.J. et al. Outmigration survival of wild Chinook salmon smolts through the Sacramento River during historic drought and high water conditions. Environ Biol Fish 103, 561–576 (2020).

Notch, J., R. Robinson, T. Pham, R. Logston, A. McHuron, A. Ammann, C. Michel. 2020. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – 2019 annual report. Report prepared by University of California – Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under contract USDI/BOR# R18AC00039.

Michel, C.J., Notch, J.J., Cordoleani, F., Ammann, A.J., and Danner, E.M. Nonlinear survival of imperiled fish informs managed flows in a highly modified river. Ecosphere 12(5):e03498 (2021).

Robinson, R., J. Notch, A. McHuron, R. Logston, T. Pham, A. Ammann. The effects of water temperature, acoustic tag type, size at tagging, and surgeon experience on juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) tag retention and growth. Anim Biotelemetry 9, 22 (2021).

Cordoleani F., Vallee C., Ammann A., Kelly J., Vick P. 2021. Summary of Interagency Telemetry Advisory Group Activities - Water Year 2020. ITAG annual report. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.15577.85602

Notch, J., R. Robinson, T. Pham, R. Logston, A. McHuron, A. Ammann, C. Michel. 2021. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – 2018 - 2020 Final Report. Report prepared by University of California – Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under contract USDI/BOR# R18AC00039.

Cordoleani F., Ammann A., Vallee C., Kelly J., Notch J., O’Donnell D. 2021. Summary of Interagency Telemetry Advisory Group Activities - Water Year 2021. ITAG annual report. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24345.90720

Notch, J., R. Robinson, J. Frey, C. Michel. 2022. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – 2021 final report. Report prepared by University of California – Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under contract USDI/BOR# R21AC10455.

Cordoleani F., Ammann A., Vallee C., Kelly J., Notch J., Tracy E. 2022. Summary of Interagency Telemetry Advisory Group Activities - Water Year 2022. ITAG annual report. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.36362.95688

Ammann A., Danner E. 2022. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – Annual Technical Report for WY2022. Report prepared by NMFS-SWFSC–Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under interagency agreement USDI/BOR# R21PG00043

Notch J., McHuron A., Robinson R., Pham T., Lehman B., Logston R., Frey J., Michel C. 2023. From Spawning Grounds to the Sea: Development of a California Central Valley Fish Tracking System. IEP Newsletter. Summer/Fall Volume 41, Issue 3.

Notch, J., R. Robinson, J. Frey, C. Michel. 2023. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – 2022 final report. Report prepared by University of California – Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under contract USDI/BOR# R21AC10455.

Cordoleani, F., A. Ammann, R. Johnson, J. Kelly, J. Notch, C. Michel, and E. Tracy. 2023. Summary of Interagency Telemetry Advisory Group Activities - Water Year 2023. ITAG annual report. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.11441.76642

Notch, J., R. Robinson, J. Frey, C. Michel. 2024. Enhanced Acoustic Tagging, Analysis, and Real-Time Monitoring of Wild and Hatchery Salmonids in the Sacramento River Valley – 2023 final report. Report prepared by University of California – Santa Cruz for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under contract USDI/BOR# R21AC10455.

Cordoleani, F., A. Ammann, R. Johnson, J. Kelly, J. Notch, C. Michel, E. Tracy, and J. Walter. 2025. Summary of Interagency Telemetry Advisory Group Activities - Water Year 2024. ITAG annual report.

For questions or comments, please contact cyril.michel@noaa.gov