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Individual based modeling of fish migration in a 2-D river system: model description and case study

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A Correction to this article was published on 01 May 2019

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Abstract

Context

Diadromous fish populations in the Pacific Northwest face challenges along their migratory routes from declining habitat quality, harvest, and barriers to longitudinal connectivity. These stressors complicate the prioritization of proposed management actions intended to improve conditions for migratory fishes including anadromous salmon and trout.

Objectives

We describe a multi-scale hybrid mechanistic–probabilistic simulation model linking migration corridor conditions to fish fitness outcomes. We demonstrate the model’s utility using a case study of salmon and steelhead adults in the Columbia River migration corridor exposed to spatially- and temporally-varying stressors.

Methods

The migration corridor simulation model is based on a behavioral decision tree that governs individual interactions with the environment, and an energetic submodel that estimates the hourly costs of migration. Emergent properties of the migration corridor simulation model include passage time, energy use, and survival.

Results

We observed that the simulated fish’s initial energy density, the migration corridor temperatures they experienced, and their history of behavioral thermoregulation were the primary determinants of their fitness outcomes. Insights gained from use of the model might be exploited to identify management interventions that increase successful migration outcomes.

Conclusions

This paper describes new methods that extend the suite of tools available to aquatic biologists and conservation practitioners. We have developed a 2-dimensional spatially-explicit behavioral and physiological model and illustrated how it can be used to simulate fish migration within a river system. Our model can be used to evaluate trade-offs between behavioral thermoregulation and fish fitness at population scales.

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Change history

  • 02 May 2019

    In the original publication of the article, the third author name has been misspelt. The correct name is given in this Correction. The original version of this article was revised.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments. The information in this document has been funded in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It has been subjected to review by the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory’s Western Ecology Division and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. The information in this document has been approved by, and does represent the views of the USGS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. US Environmental Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th St, Corvallis, OR, 97333, USA

    Marcía N. Snyder, Nathan H. Schumaker, Joseph L. Ebersole, Randy L. Comeleo & Allen Brookes

  2. Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, US Geological Survey, 3200 SW Jefferson Way, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Jason B. Dunham

  3. Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr., MS 1136, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Matthew L. Keefer

  4. US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 6th Ave., Seattle, WA, 98101, USA

    Peter Leinenbach, Ben Cope, Jennifer Wu, John Palmer & Druscilla Keenan

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  1. Marcía N. Snyder
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  2. Nathan H. Schumaker
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  3. Joseph L. Ebersole
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  12. Druscilla Keenan
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Correspondence to Marcía N. Snyder.

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Snyder, M.N., Schumaker, N.H., Ebersole, J.L. et al. Individual based modeling of fish migration in a 2-D river system: model description and case study. Landscape Ecol 34, 737–754 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00804-z

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