(POST) Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project
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Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking Project
(POST)
A proposal to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
For funding support for 2009-2010
October 15, 2008
Submitted by
Jim Bolger
Executive Director
Vancouver Aquarium, PO Box 3232
Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 3X8
Tel: 1-604-659-3751; Fax: 1-604-659-3515
Jim.Bolger@vanaqua.org
I. Context
The long-term goal of the Pacific Ocean Shelf Tracking (POST) Project is to
establish a research platform from which large-scale investigations into the movement
and distribution of marine animals can be undertaken. The POST objectives of building
a permanent acoustic telemetry array and data management system provides new tools
for scientists and resource managers to gather and manage information on a
continental scale with which to test hypotheses, monitor behavior and inform
management decisions in a changing ocean environment.
While the majority of applications using the POST array are currently related to
salmon, in part reflecting the focus of funding available to expand and manage the
system, investigators exploring the behavior and distribution of other species are
increasingly taking advantage of the technology. Studies involving the tagging of squid,
sharks, and various species of ground and forage fish are currently underway or in
development.
Additionally, POST is intended to serve as a model for the development and
management of telemetry systems on regional and global scales. As such, POST has
established itself as a key collaborator in the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN), which is
working to expand POST-related projects around the world.
Scientific Questions
Application of the POST array, with its functionality in fresh and salt water, is
contributing to answering questions surrounding the migration and survival of marine
and anadromous animals. Specific to salmon, but applicable to other species as well,
the primary questions under investigation include:
1
• Where do species go and when, and how does this vary between species,
individuals and stocks?
• Do movement and migration patterns reflect changes in ocean conditions or
oceanographic variables?
• Where and when do fish die?
• How do changes in ocean conditions effect behavior, distribution and survival?
• What is the contribution of predators to mortality?
• What are the differences in behavior and survival of hatchery versus wild fish?
The applicability of the POST system to these questions is demonstrated by its
contribution to findings that some salmon smolt survival is as high or higher during
migration down the dammed Columbia River system as smolt migrations in the
undammed Fraser River system. Similarly a POST-derived finding of previously
unknown migration of endangered green sturgeon from California to Alaska in the winter
has implications for international fisheries management. Additional POST studies have
identified differences in migration behavior among steelhead, coho and sockeye salmon
in British Columbia, as well as differences in survival between healthy and endangered
steelhead populations on the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, respectively.
(See Appendix 1 and the CoML online Bibliographic Database at:
http://db.coml.org/comlrefbase/ for the current list of POST affiliated publications.)
As the POST Project has transitioned from demonstration to implementation, it is
poised to further expand the limits of knowledge and increase its functionality, adding
value to its role as a tool for researchers and resource managers. Thus far POST has
proven its value in examining some critical and important questions related to
2
movement and survival of marine and anadromous animals, yet additional questions
remain to be explored. These will be a major emphasis for POST into the future. The
major causes and locations of ocean mortality, including the roles of diseases,
parasites, predation and ocean conditions remain to be explored. Also, implementing
new smaller technology and integrating acoustic telemetry with other tracking
technologies will help answer these new questions and expand our knowledge.
II. The Project
Since its conception in 2000, POST has proven its viability as a tool for answering
important fisheries and ecosystem questions. As POST continues expansion and
development of the acoustic telemetry array and data management services it
increasingly brings together a diverse clientele of users, including scientists, resource
management agencies, and commercial and environmental organizations interested in
the conservation and use of marine species.
POST will continue to collect important baseline information on migration and
survival on a number of salmon stocks. Furthermore, as use of the array and services
expands, and technology improves, POST will undertake new and innovative science
and will develop new services, products and approaches to aid in the understanding of
marine ecosystems up to and beyond the culmination of the Census of Marine Life
(CoML) in 2010.
POST’s synthesis of information gained during the CoML and further development of
technology, partnerships and collaborations will place it on a trajectory of a sustainable
and successful coastal monitoring and tracking program that serves as a nexus for
stakeholders committed to marine resource conservation and restoration.
3
POST is currently funded through December 2008 with support provided by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which primarily supports the secretariat, CoML, education
and outreach activities. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provide POST
funding primarily for implementation of scientific programs including array deployment,
maintenance and data management. The Moore Foundation also provides additional
funds to use as matching funds for investigators conducting projects and experiments
that use the POST array and data services, thereby expanding the scientific applicability
of POST. (See Appendix 9, Funding Report 2008)
III. Project Milestones and Outcomes
Over the period of 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2010, as additional funding is
available, POST intends to achieve the following major objectives.
Deployment
POST will expand the array to include greater coverage along the continental shelf
by deploying additional lines of acoustic receivers to the north and south of the current
configuration and increase resolution of the array in selected regions within its current
extent.
Expansion to the north will enable the POST array to be used in studies of more
pristine northern salmon stocks (after many good years, some important Alaskan stocks
such as Copper River sockeye had very poor returns this year), as well as the
commercially and socioeconomically valuable halibut and sablefish fisheries.
Expansion to the South may be funded in part by the state of California, which is
desperate to understand the causes of the Chinook crash of the past two years.
4Working with the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) and other partners, POST will
establish a permanent line at Graves Harbor in Alaska. This site has hosted a
temporary line of receivers, funded through the Bonneville Power Administration.
Establishment of a permanent installation at this site will allow continuous collection of
data at a site which until now has represented the northern terminus of the array. This
line has already been valuable in detecting Chinook salmon that had been tagged in the
Columbia River as well as green sturgeon tagged far to the south in California.
POST will also establish lines along the SE Alaska continental shelf in the vicinity of
Chatham Strait and Cape Ommaney. This site would serve in testing the fidelity of
sablefish populations within Chatham Strait. POST will thus collect data that will greatly
aid in developing migration models for managing sablefish populations and test current
assumptions used in stock assessment models by the Alaska Department of Fish &
Game. In addition, lines in these areas will enhance resolution for that segment of the
array from Vancouver Island to Graves Harbor and can provide critical information of
halibut movement to assist in the cross-border management of this species.
Again with OTN support and in collaboration with the Prince William Sound Science
Center, the installation of a line of receivers in Prince William Sound (PWS) in 2008 will
be augmented with additional receivers deployed in 2009 to track the movements of
lingcod, rockfishes, salmon, salmon sharks (in collaboration with TOPP tagging in 2008)
and potentially herring (currently undergoing surgical trials for POST). This region of
the POST array will thus provide the basis of the first multispecies ecosystem study
using POST technology. Residency and movement of salmon sharks and the migration
5of herring between the open sea and PWS as well as movements of bottom fish within
the sound will all be able to be investigated.
POST will continue to support deployment of a line of receivers across Unimak Pass
in the Aleutian Islands to aid in tracking species movements between the Gulf of Alaska
and Bering Sea. Northern Fur seals carrying OTN funded business card tags will be
detected on this line.
To the south, POST will work with NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center to
deploy a continental shelf line off California, south of the existing line in the Point Reyes
vicinity. These lines will collect strategic data to help answer pressing questions on
early marine survival of tagged Chinook salmon migrating down the Sacramento River.
These lines will also help to integrate the 100’s of receivers up the Sacramento River
into the larger POST array and database.
Within the existing extent of the array, POST will deploy a permanent line of acoustic
receivers across the mouth of Puget Sound near Admiralty Inlet. This line is a high
priority because of its significance to Puget Sound ecosystem and salmon recovery
efforts. As with California, this line will help to integrate within POST the 100’s of
receivers already deployed in the Sound and it will provide an important ‘toll gate’ in
which to calculate survival and migration rates of salmon migrating out of the sound.
Such data is needed for developing the models needed for fishery management. In
addition, this site has been identified as important by a consortium of Federal, tribal and
state resource agency scientists and managers, currently using acoustic telemetry to
track the movement of a variety of species within Puget Sound.
6Technology Development
POST will continue to be at the leading edge of acoustic tag technology and array
deployment. Array engineering will continue to move forward with the imminent release
of the new dual frequency Vemco VR4 receivers. These receivers will not only detect
the standard 69 KHz POST tags but will also detect the new miniature 180 KHzV6 tags
which will enable the tagging of smaller animals. POST will also utilize new tag
developments and work alongside OTN as these new tags are being developed. During
2009 new “business card” tags will be deployed on selected predators (salmon shark
and sturgeon). This technology is available now and will enable predators to become
roving receiver platforms and record the interaction with prey species and other tagged
organisms. Technology is already well advanced for developing the new fully integrated
tag (FIT). The FIT will combine acoustic technology along with archival tag technology.
Thus POST tagged organisms will ultimately collect a variety of new data throughout
their life histories. This includes oceanographic variables such as temperature and
depth; and geolocation data for continuous records of position. The archival data
collected by FIT’s will be transferred acoustically to next generation receivers when the
organism swims within listening range. The new FIT’s will transfer data to receivers in
much the same way a BlackBerry stores emails messages and then sends those
messages when within range of a cell phone tower. We expect FIT prototypes may be
available as early as 2010.
As a member of the Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems
(NANOOS), POST will test deployment of acoustic receivers married to other ocean
7sensor packages. This effort will initiate the long-term strategy to develop the POST
array into a more robust tracking and ocean observing system.
POST will also work with collaborators, such as Kintama Research Corporation, to
examine alternative receiver configurations to enhance array detection capabilities and
maintain viability and functionality for the next generation of small tags.
In addition to the major project outcomes discussed above, the following tables
identify specific project milestones and the timeframes for completion. (See Appendix 2
for a status report of 2008 milestones and outputs.)
Participation Milestones Timeframe
Expand array and its applications in Alaska and California July, 2010
Permanent line of receivers deployed across northern entrance
Dec. 2009
to Puget Sound
Increase participation in POST by three new PIs Dec. 2009
Maintain active participation in OTN On-going
Partnership Milestones Timeframe
Establish working relationships with agencies and commissions
June 2009
in Alaska
Convene current collaborators and potential new ones for a
Sept. 2009
POST workshop on future directions
Work closely with OTN as example/
On-going
demonstration project for OTN projects in other regions
8Program Management Milestones Timeframe
Develop POST strategic plan with Management Board Dec. 2009
Establish greater administrative support (0.5 FTE) Sept. 2009
Secure long-term core funding Dec. 2010
Observations Milestones Timeframe
Permanent line of receivers deployed across northern entrance
Dec. 2009
to Puget Sound
Deploy 5 additional receivers in Prince William Sound July 2009
Evaluate options to reconfigure receivers to sense species using
Dec. 2009
smaller tags
Initiate technology upgrade and array reconfiguration as needed Dec. 2010 and
to detect smaller tags beyond
Maintenance and necessary replacement of current
On-going
infrastructure
Scientific results, societal outcomes; legacy Milestones Timeframe
Closer integration with OTN supported research projects and
Dec. 2009
telemetry systems
Publication of study on relative survival of barging vs. run-of river
Dec. 2009
smolt in the Columbia River
POST data beginning to contribute information to halibut and
Dec. 2010
sablefish fisheries by 2010
9Integration of POST with regional OOSes (NANOOS, CenCOOS
Dec. 2010
and AOOS)
Full web-based access to POST database, mapping and
Sept. 2010
visualization tools
Tangible Outputs Milestones Timeframe
Synthesis Chapter “Increments of Knowledge” August 2009
Draft of cross-cutting product on developing new tag
August 2009
technologies
Five new users contributing data to the POST database Dec. 2009
Tag two previously untagged species with acoustic transmitters. Dec. 2009
An additional 10 new users contributing data to the POST
Dec. 2010
database
Tag five previously untagged species. Dec. 2010
Outreach and Education Milestones Timeframe
Regular updates to the POST website Quarterly
Continued presence at professional events (meetings,
On-going
conferences, etc.) promoting POST.
POST Exhibit at Vancouver Aquarium Dec. 2009
10-year summary video of POST Achievements July 2010
Data Management Milestones Timeframe
Complete data access policies Jan. 2009
10Establish data transfer protocols Sept. 2009
Open source scripts for data analysis being shared by the
Dec. 2009
research community
Develop greater analytical capacity in service to POST clients
June. 2010
and to conduct broader database analysis.
Live data transfer June 2010
Synthesis Milestones Timeframe
Complete visualization tools that will allow for graphic
representation of the POST array and allow for the visualization Dec. 2009
of scientific results.
Synthesis Chapter “Increments of Knowledge” Aug. 2009
Draft of cross-cutting product on developing new tag
Aug. 2009
technologies
IV. Project Management
Hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium, overall governance of the POST Project is
provided by a 12-member volunteer Management Board representing a broad range of
expertise, experiences and geographic extent. (See Appendix 3 for a roster of
Management Board Members.)
The Board is responsible for establishing the strategic goals of the project and
providing direction for project implementation. The Board actively fulfills this
responsibility by reviewing and approving budgets, science and outreach plans at its tri-
annual meetings. An Executive Committee, comprised of the Board Chair, Vice-Chair
11and four other Board members is responsible for executive decisions necessary
between regular Board meetings.
The Management Board is further assisted in its role by a Scientific Advisory
Committee (SAC), chaired by a Board member and including five prominent scientists
from research institutions in Canada and the US and the POST Senior Scientist. The
Committee advises the Management Board on scientific issues related to project
implementation. (See Appendix 4 for a list of current SAC Members.)
Operationally, the POST Project is currently managed by a team which includes an
Executive Director appointed by the Management Board, a Senior Scientist, a Staff
Scientist - U.S. Coordinator, a Research Program Coordinator and a Database
Manager.
The Executive Director reports directly to the Chair of the Board and is responsible
for program administration. The Executive Director develops and promotes the
operational and business plans to the Vancouver Aquarium management, funders,
stakeholders and other interested parties.
The Senior Scientist is responsible for identifying the scientific priorities for the
project and providing leadership to the science program (See Appendix 5, POST
Science Plan). Accomplishments include:
- Setting the scientific milestones for the project
- Preparing the array deployment plan.
- Reporting results to the Management Board
12- Promoting the use of the POST array in the scientific community (including
contributing to scientific conferences and workshops, and assisting with
preparation of grant proposals)
- Publishing papers in peer reviewed journals & presenting at scientific meetings
- Developing collaborations with CoML sister projects
- Promoting expansion of acoustic telemetry projects around the world
In the coming biennium POST will be delegating some of the Senior Scientist
responsibilities to members of the SAC and other POST secretariat staff. The purpose
of this reconfiguration of responsibilities is due, in part, to the current Senior Scientist
moving to assume other institutional responsibilities in California. POST will continue its
affiliation with him and his new institution once he is settled in his new duties in the
spring of 2009.
The primary responsibilities of the U.S. Coordinator are to provide support for POST
users in the West Coast States of the Continental U.S. and to promote the use of the
POST array and data management services with new users. Additionally the U.S.
Coordinator, working with the Senior Scientist, contributes to defining the project’s
scientific priorities and implements elements of the POST Science Plan. As the staff
member most actively engaged with developing relationships with POST affiliated
researchers, this position is the content lead for development of new policies,
applications and services which POST will provide to users. For example, the U.S.
Coordinator, in collaboration with POST’s Database Manager and investigators using
the array, is developing new visualization and mapping capabilities available to
researchers and the public for data display, mapping and analyses.
13The Research Program Coordinator develops and implements outreach and
education programs for the project and coordinates these activities with the broader
outreach activities of the CoML. Specific responsibilities include website development,
managing relationships with local, national and international media sources and
developing public outreach and education materials. As importantly, this position
provides the primary administrative and logistical support for the entire program,
ensuring regular and consistent communication among staff, the Management Board,
POST users and the CoML Secretariat.
The POST Database Manager is responsible for the design and launch of the POST
database and data management systems. Hired in 2008, the current Database
Manager designed and constructed a database which became operational in
September 2008. This position is accountable for system architecture, database
programming, data management, quality control, data architecture, archiving data, and
server/hardware set-up and maintenance. The Database Manager collaborates closely
with other programmers and system developers for the purpose of developing
interoperability among multiple systems (OBIS included). In 2008, POST’s Database
Manager became a participating member of the Advisory Committee for U.S. OBIS.
V. Data Management
Data Management Services
With completion of the database architecture in 2008, POST will assume full data
management functions for the program in 2009, including data submittal, data quality
control, secure access and data provision to investigators. POST will continue to work
with its data users to identify and develop more enhanced data services such as
14standard processing, analysis, mapping and visualization applications. POST will
examine development of a fee schedule for enhanced data management services that
may include service in lieu of fees options (i.e. collaborators could collect detection data
from receivers or deploy additional receivers in exchange for data management
services).
POST will improve its existing end-to-end data quality control system that extends
from field data recording to archive computers on which the data will be archived for
long-term storage. POST will continue automating parts of the data input process with
web-based forms and data upload tools in 2009, to reduce the cost and increase the
efficiency of quality control. All data will be integrated into a GIS-enabled, controlled-
access PostgreSQL relational database.
Data visualization and mapping is a major focus of POST’s current work, because
POST is expanding its user base to serve as a data clearinghouse for many acoustic
telemetry projects on the West Coast, and potentially around the world, which use
compatible receivers and tags. POST will develop the capacity to deliver tracking data
to Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) nodes, and continues working on new
data-sharing agreements and protocols with institutions including IOOS, TOPP, OBIS,
and OTN to ensure the widest possible dissemination of POST data. POST data will
reside on a server equipped with a data transport layers to enable machine-based
access to the POST data by other data systems. OTN and POST are researching the
use of Ecological Metadata Language (EML) to create highly detailed metadata for data
sets provided to the Census of Marine Life’s OBIS database. It is anticipated that this
standard will meet or exceed CoML’s metadata standards.
15Visualization Tools
In 2008, POST contracted with the Environment and Resources Division (ERD) of
NOAA’s Southwest Fisheries Science Center to implement a 2-year upgrade of POST’s
visualization and mapping capabilities. The project builds on work ERD did for TOPP to
develop sophisticated software to enable import and overlay of oceanographic data with
tracking data through Web Features Service, Web Mapping Services, and similar
protocols, and to assist users with complicated queries and analysis. ERD was also the
first recipient of IOOS funds specifically earmarked for data management, and is
therefore ideally positioned to set up the POST system so that it can contribute data to
IOOS. ERD personnel have worked with TOPP and other Census projects including
OBIS-SEAMAP, and much of their approach to data visualization and mapping is
shared with the CoML’s vision. POST and TOPP are also preparing to share data to
become the West Coast node for OTN. POST maintains close contact with OTN, and
software developed for POST and TOPP will become the first-round software adapted
by OTN.
VI. Project Synthesis (See Appendix 6, POST Synthesis Plan)
The complete POST Synthesis Plan is available in Appendix 6 and identifies the
approach and products that POST will contribute to the CoML by 2010. A prominent
contribution of POST will be a series of scientific papers published in the peer-reviewed
scientific literature (e.g., Science, PLOS Biology, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and
Aquatic Sciences, Oceanography, Hydrobiologia, Deep Sea Research, plus a variety of
other marine and scientific journals). POST will also submit cross-project synthesis
contributions (integration of marine animal tracking technologies) in December 2009,
16along with the chapter contributing to the ‘Increments of Knowledge’ publication. POST
will contribute to the Synthesis Workshop in February 2009. This chapter will be drafted
in a collaborative manner among POST’s Scientists, Executive Director, SAC members
and selected POST affiliated researchers.
As discussed above, POST will have developed a number of mapping and
visualizations tools available to investigators, the CoML and the public which are
intended to remain accessible into the foreseeable future as POST continues beyond
the current CoML. POST’s work with NOAA’s ERD and their experience in working with
OBIS-SEAMAP ensures that visualization tools are consistent with the CoML vision.
POST staff will be attending an OBIS-SEAMAP workshop on data visualization in late
October.
POST will send a delegation of representatives (~8) to the CoML Finale Events in
London, scheduled for October, 2010. Representatives will include the Chairs of the
Management Board and Scientific Advisory Committee, members of the Secretariat and
significant project partners.
VII. Education & Outreach
POST’s Education & Outreach activities were limited in 2008 by a lack of dedicated
human resources. With the recent arrival of a new Executive Director the appropriate
time and attention can now be allocated to E&O efforts. It is expected that POST’s E&O
contributions will be significantly augmented over the upcoming biennium.
POST’s new website went online on July 4, 2008. From October 1, 2007 to August
31, 2008 postcoml.org saw 4,722 visits and 22,483 pageviews, averaging nearly 5
pageviews per visit. The new website offers an appealing presentation of key
17background information pertinent to both the public and scientific users of the POST
array. Content will be updated quarterly to keep the community abreast of the latest
developments with the Project. Features of the new website will be “marketed” in early
editions of the newsletter, initiated in 2008, to build interest and effective use of tools
intended to benefit the community.
POST will continue to take advantage of their close relationship with the Vancouver
Aquarium through involvement in a public exhibit reaching nearly 1,000,000 visitors a
year. The Census and its affiliated projects remain a source of content for the
Aquarium’s Content team and are regularly featured in the busy galleries.
Members of the POST team have participated in and presented at myriad
conferences, meetings and symposia in the current funding period, including: the USNC
Biological Ocean Observing Workshop, Moore Foundation Wild Salmon Ecosystems
Initiative Conservation Science Workshop, AFS Advances in Tagging and Marking
Technology for Fisheries Management and Research Symposium, Ocean Sciences
2008, Salmon Ocean Ecology Meeting, OTN Management Meeting and First Annual
Conference, and the Third International Biologging Symposium. Through the remainder
of 2008, POST will also have a presence at the 5th World Fisheries Congress and the
Census’ Mapping and Visualization Workshop. POST will maintain its presence at
technical and public events in the coming biennium.
In the interests of community building, POST has hosted two functions to reach out
to the political and research communities in 2008. In March, POST hosted an
educational reception in Washington, DC for key members of various “ocean agencies”
and the political community. A group of 18 guests ranging from a Congressman,
18congressional staff, and members of NOAA’s Science Advisory Board, Ocean
Leadership, NSF, NMFS, ONR and NOS joined POST’s Management Board and staff
to learn about POST and how the Project might benefit their respective areas of
interest. In July, POST hosted 28 guests from the Alaskan research community at a
workshop in Juneau, AK, to build awareness and interest in how POST might be a
useful tool for research in Alaskan waters. Participants at the Juneau workshop
represented a broad range of interests coming from NMFS, ADF&G, the University of
Alaska, AOOS, IPHC, the Prince William Sound Science Center and the Exxon Valdez
Oil Spill Recovery Trustee Council. Also, POST’s sponsorship of the Prince William
Sound Science Center’s lingcod movement study included a two day technical
workshop for nearly 25 participants on scientific applications of acoustic telemetry
arrays and their design principles. POST will continue to engage regional groups of
researchers to encourage increased scientific use of the POST array through 2010.
VIII. Legacies & Partnerships
POST has provided the working model for how a continental-scale array can
function and collect valuable data for conservation and management. POST has
become the flagship of the global move to establish similar technologies in many
countries around the world through the Ocean Tracking Network. This technology
provides a means to collect scientifically defensible data to answer important questions.
The existing POST array now provides a tool for testing hypotheses. As an example, it
is now possible to directly measure salmon smolt survival along their early migration
routes and therefore to conduct experiments to directly determine if certain factors are
affecting salmon survival (e.g., UV exposure, sea lice, diseases, or genetic or
19behavioral differences between hatchery and. wild fish). POST data have also
highlighted how international cooperation will be needed for conservation of some
species. Trans-border migrations have been noted for both white and green sturgeon
between the US and Canada. Green sturgeon tagged in California congregate off the
northwest coast of Vancouver Island where they are subject to Canadian trawl fisheries.
Conversely while white sturgeon is listed as endangered in Canada, it is subject to
fishing pressure in the Columbia River. Thus endangered Canadian white sturgeon
may be facing population declines from US fisheries and vice versa with green
sturgeon.
Indeed POST will become one of the lasting legacies of the Census of Marine Life
beyond 2010. The work to date and planned for the next two years provide a
compelling argument for continuing to move forward technology development and
subsequent scientific research.
POST wishes to take further steps to continue expansion of the research program
beyond salmon species. Work with sturgeon has already demonstrated how this
technology can be applied to management issues of other species. Collaboration with
TOPP scientists is already moving forward with acoustically tagged white and salmon
sharks. We feel that many of the advances with tagging other species will take place
beyond the end of the first Census although we expect some work on tagging other
species will commence before the end of the Census.
For a complete list of POST partners and collaborators please see Appendix 7 and
the CoML Online Community Database at: http://db.coml.org/community/ . Letters of
support for continued funding of POST can be found in Appendix 8
20Budget
All Amounts in US$
Annual Expenditures 2009 2010 Total Justification
Administration
Salaries - regular FT Proposed salaries and benefits are for 3.0 FTE’s for the entire term
of the grant and represent a 4% increase above 2008 for the
Executive Director 100,000 100,000 200,000
Research Coordinator and Database Manager positions. The
Research Program Coordinator 52,000 52,000 104,000 Executive Director’s salary and benefits are contractually set through
Database Manager 52,000 52,000 104,000 the CoML Finale Events in October 2010.
Total Salaries 204,000 204,000 408,000
Benefits at 15% for all regular FT salaries 30,600 30,600 61,200
Meetings Meeting expenditures include three (3) Management Board
meetings per year. Support for the SAC allows an annual meeting
Management Board meetings 30,000 30,000 60,000
to review proposals and CoML synthesis products. Staff meetings
Scientific Advisory Committee meetings 2,000 2,000 4,000 occur every other month. Funding for all these meetings provides
Staff meetings 1,500 1,500 3,000 supplies, training materials and refreshments and space rental.
Secretariat Costs Secretariat expenditures support the day-to-day office operations. In
2009 a color printer will be purchased to support development of
Sundry supplies and office equipment 3,000 3,000 6,000
outreach and education materials and to improve office efficiency.
Publications and printing costs 2,000 2,000 4,000
Sub-total: Administration 273,100 273,100 546,200
Budget - 1.Annual Expenditures 2009 2010 Total Justification
Science Program
Salaries - contract, benefits included Salary expenditures in the Science program are to contract for
scientific expertise. Funding identified for the Senior Scientist
Senior Scientist 25,000 25,000 50,000
contracting for a portion of time rather than providing full-time
Staff Scientist - U.S. Coordinator 82,000 82,000 164,000 support through 2008. The expenditure proposed for the US
Coordinator reflects a 4% increase from 2008.
Outreach expenditures include POST participation in the 2010 CoML
Outreach Finale Events in London. In addition, these funds will support POST
participation in technical conferences and meetings such as the
Conferences & Scientific Outreach 15,000 15,000 30,000 2009 Puget Sound Georgia Basin Ecosystem Conference. As noted
above, POST will host current and potential users for a workshop in
POST Workshops and Science Forums 14,000 14,000 28,000 Sept. 2009 to Chart future directions for the program. Funding for
public outreach will be spent on development of a POST exhibit at
Public Outreach 25,000 25,000 50,000 the Vancouver Aquarium and production of a video summarizing
POST accomplishments over 10 years..
Database Expenditures proposed to support the POST database include the
purchase of two servers in 2009. One server is to be located at the
Hardware 3,000 3,000 Vancouver Aquarium, in parallel with the existing server to
supplement onsite capacity. The second server is to be located off-
Server support and maintenace 2,000 5,000 7,000 site and is intended as further back-up of the database, and also
Meetings with partners 3,000 3,000 6,000 provide additional server capacity in the event one or both onsite
servers are not operational. The expansion of servers will require
Senior Database Advisor contracted support and maintenance services for the off-site server.
Funds have also been proposed for convening and attending
Research Support meetings with project partners to promote greater interoperability
among data systems and enhancement of capabilities (i.e. including
Funding assistance for projects additional sensor data in database, etc.)
Sub-total: Science Program 169,000 169,000 338,000
Total: All Categories 442,100 442,100 884,200
Vancouver Aquarium Overhead at 13% 57,473 57,473 114,946
Grand Total: 499,573 499,573 999,146
Budget - 2.Appendices 1. POST Publications 2. 2008 Milestones and Outputs 3. POST Management Board Members 4. Science Advisory Committee Members 5. POST Science Plan 6. POST Synthesis Plan 7. POST Partners 8. Letters of Support 9. Funding Report 2008
APPENDIX 1
POST Publications
(See CoML Online Bibliographic Database at: http://db.coml.org/comlrefbase/ )
Chittenden CM, Butterworth KG, Cubitt KF, Jacobs MC, Ladouceur A, et al. (2008)
Maximum tag to body size ratios for an endangered coho salmon (O. kisutch) stock
based on physiology and performance. Environmental Biology of Fishes. In press.
Chittenden CM, Sura S, Butterworth, KG, Cubitt KF, Plantalech N, et al. (2008)
Riverine, estuarine and marine migratory behaviour and physiology of wild and hatchery
reared coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) smolts descending the Campbell River,
BC. Journal of Fish Biology 72: 614-628.
Cooke SJ, Hinch SG, Farrell AP, Patterson DA, Miller-Saunders, K, et al. (2008)
Developing a mechanistic understanding of fish migrations by linking telemetry with
physiology, behavior, genomics and experimental biology: an interdisciplinary case
study on adult Fraser River sockeye salmon. Fisheries Research 33: 321-338.
Crossin GT, Hinch SG, Cooke SJ, Welch DW, Patterson DA, et al. (2008) Exposure to
high temperature influences in the behaviour, physiology, and survival of sockeye
salmon during spawning migration. Canadian Journal of Zoology 86: 127-140.
Farrell AP, Hinch SG, Cooke SJ, Patterson DA, Crossin GT, et al. (2008) Pacific
salmon in hot water: applying metabolic scope models and biotemetry to predict the
success of spawning migrations. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. In press.
Haggan N, Jackson GD, Lacroix P (2008) Salmon and Eulachon in Ecosystem Space
and Time: A Plea for Wider Collaboration and Data Integration. Challenges for
Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment. In press.
Lindley ST, Moser ML, Erickson DL, Belchik M, Welch, DW, et al. (2008) Marine
Migration of North American Green Sturgeon. Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society 137: 182-194.
Muthukumarana S, Schwarz CJ, Swartz TB (2008) Bayesian analysis of mark-
recapture data with travel time-dependent survival probabilities. Canadian Journal of
Statistics 36: 5-28.
Stokesbury MJW, Dadswell MJ, Holland KN, Jackson GD, Bowen WD, et al. (2008)
Tracking of Diadromous Fishes at Sea using Hybrid Acoustic and Archival Electronic
Tags. Challenges for Diadromous Fishes in a Dynamic Global Environment. In press.
Welch DW, Rechisky EL, Melnychuk MC, Porter AD, Walters CJ, et al. (2008) Survival
of Migrating Salmon Smolts in Large Rivers With and Without Dams. PLoS Biology. In
press.
Appendix 1 - 1APPENDIX 1 – POST Publications
Crossin GT, Hinch SG, Cooke SJ, Welch DW, Batten SD, et al. (2007) Behaviour and
physiology of sockeye salmon homing through coastal waters to a natal river. Marine
Biology 152: 905-918.
Melnychuk MC, Welch DW, Walters CJ, Christensen V (2007) Riverine and early ocean
migration and mortality patterns of juvenile steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from
the Cheakamus River, British Columbia. Hydrobiologia 582: 55-65.
Muthukumarana, S (2007) Bayesian modeling and software development for the POST
Project. Simon Fraser University M.Sc. thesis. 53p.
Payne J, O’Dor R (2007) Comparing squid optimal cost of transport speeds to actual
field migrations: new data from 40-g Loligo opalescens. Report no. 24: Report of a
GLOBEC CLIOTOP/PFRP workshop. 16-18.
Welch DW, Batten SD, Ward BR (2007) Growth, Survival, and Rates of Tag Retention
for Surgically Implanted Acoustic Tags in Steelhead Trout (O. mykiss). Hydrobiologia
582: 289-299.
Heupel MR, Semmens J, Hobday JA (2006) Automated acoustic tracking of aquatic
animals: scales, design and deployment of listening station arrays. Marine and
Freshwater Research 57: 1-13.
Welch DW, Turo S, Batten SD (2006) Large-scale Marine and Freshwater Movements
of White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus). Transactions of the American Fisheries
Society 135: 140-143.
Stark K, Jackson GD, Lyle J (2005) Tracking arrow squid movements with an
automated acoustic telemetry system. Marine Ecology Progress Series 299: 167-177.
Welch DW, Ward B, Batten S (2004) Early ocean survival and marine movements of
hatchery and wild steelhead trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) determined by an acoustic
array: Queen Charlotte Strait, British Columbia. Deep-Sea Research Part II 51: 897-
909.
Welch DW, Kristianson G, Tsang P (2004) Report on the 2004 Pacific Ocean Shelf
Tracking (POST) Project – Objectives, Goals & Initial Results. North Pacific
Anadromous Fish Commission, Document No. 81. 8p.
Welch DW, Boehlert GW, Ward BR (2003) POST–the Pacific Ocean salmon tracking
project. Oceanologica Acta 25: 243-253.
Musyl MK, Brill RW, Curran DS, Gunn JS, Hartog JR, et al. (2001) Ability of archival
tags, submerged at varying depths on a stationary mooring line in the Pacific Ocean, to
provide estimates of geographical position based on light intensity. Methods and
Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries 1: 343-367.
Appendix 1 - 2APPENDIX 1 – POST Publications
Welch DW, Eveson JP (2001) Recent Progress in Estimating Geoposition using
Daylight. Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries 1: 369-384.
Eveson JP, Welch DW (2000) Evaluation of techniques for attaching archival tags to
Salmon: Influence on growth and survival. Fish Telemetry: Proceedings of the 3rd
Conference on Fish Telemetry in Europe: 29-35.
Appendix 1 - 3APPENDIX 2
2008 PROJECT MILESTONES
Key:
Milestone Status: Achieved indicated by ●
In progress and on track indicated by ●
Slow or hindered progress indicated by ●
Stalled or unsatisfactory results indicated by ●
PARTICIPATION
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Expand array and its application to Progress has been made to
address scientific questions related to two establish relationships with
additional species. potential investigators
On-going ● interested in sablefish,
herring and halibut. Surgical
trials undertaken with
herring.
Hire Database Manager Complete ●
Hire Executive Director Complete ●
PARTNERSHIPS
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Convene Scientific Advisory Committee The Scientific Advisory
to review POST funding proposals, work Committee is currently
plans and provide recommendations to minimally active. Members
the Management Board on proposals to of the committee provide
POST for matching funds. comments on various
On-going ● scientific questions
confronting the program.
Achieving this milestone
represents an establishment
of a formal role for the
committee.
Regular participation with OBIS POST Database Manager is
activities Complete ● participating on the OBIS
advisory committee.
Appendix 2 - 1APPENDIX 2 – 2008 Project Milestones
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Hire database manager Complete ●
Hire executive director Complete ●
Develop job descriptions for professional Establish clear roles and
staff. responsibilities for staff,
Dec. 31 ● consistent with current duties
and program needs.
Adopt annual work plan Establish clear performance
standards for the program
and staff. This plan will be
Dec. 31 ● submitted to the
Management Board for
approval/adoption.
Establish/affirm Management Board Review existing policies and
policies & procedures
Dec. 31 ● procedures
OBSERVATIONS
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Deployment of California line Line of 15 receivers off Pt.
Complete ● Reyes deployed by NOAA
SWFSC.
Temporary line deployed and retrieved in Deployment of VR2
Puget Sound receivers across northern
Complete ● entrance to Puget Sound with
successful data retrieval
Deploy line of receivers in Prince Port Gravina line to support
William Sound (PWS). lingcod studies by PWS Sci.
Oct. 15 ● Ctr. and salmon shark
tagging (TOPP). Delay in
receiving OTN receivers.
SCIENTIFIC RESULTS; SOCIETAL OUTCOMES; LEGACIES
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Sturgeon movement along west coast of Data from POST array being
North America Complete ● used in critical habitat
designation by NMFS
Chinook and smolt survival higher on Welch, et al., PLoS
Columbia R. compared to Fraser R.
Complete ● publication in Oct.
Appendix 2 - 2APPENDIX 2 – 2008 Project Milestones
Operational database launch Oct. ●
TANGIBLE OUTPUTS
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Revised Synthesis Plan Complete ● See Appendix A
Publication in PLoS and various other See Appendix A
journals
On-going ●
New POST website www.postcoml.org
Complete ●
New POST brochure Dec. ●
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Conduct workshops to promote the Conducted workshops in
application of POST infrastructure and conjunction with Board
data management services for agencies, meetings in Washington
academics and organizations whose
On-going ● D.C. and Juneau, AK
research or management programs may
benefits through participation in POST,.
Promote POST as a tool allowing never This effort will coincide with
before possible experiments on an publication of Welch, et al.
unprecedented geographic scale in Oct. /Nov. ● paper published in PLoS
conjunction with publications of research
that used to POST array.
New POST website www.postcoml.org
Complete ●
New POST brochure Dec. ●
DATA MANAGEMENT
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Hire database manager Complete ●
Launch operational database Oct. ●
SYNTHESIS
2008
Milestone Timeframe Status Comments
Appendix 2 - 3APPENDIX 2 – 2008 Project Milestones
Revised Synthesis Plan Complete ● See Appendix A
Publication in PLoS and various other See Appendix A
journals
On-going ●
Participate in initial meeting on Cross-
cutting products
Complete ●
Appendix 2 - 4APPENDIX 3
POST Management Board Members
Larry Cassidy (Chair): Former Washington Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon
Commission and Chair (former)Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Paul Kariya (Vice Chair): Executive Director, Pacific Salmon Foundation;
Canadian Commissioner to the Pacific Salmon Commission.
Jesse Ausubel: Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Director, Program
for the Human Environment, The Rockefeller University
Churchill Grimes: Director, Fisheries Ecology Division, Southwest Fisheries
Science Centre, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
Aileen Lee: Program Director, The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Scott McKinley: Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee; Professor and Canada
Research Chair, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, The University of British Columbia
Buck Meloy: Commercial Fisherman and Book Editor
John Nightingale: President and CEO, Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science
Center
Doug Pincock: Founder and Chairman, Amirix Systems Inc.
Don Radford: South Coast Area Director, Pacific Region, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada
John Stein: Deputy Science Director, Northwest Fisheries Science Centre, National
Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
Jev Shelton: United Southeast Alaska Gillnetters
Appendix 3 - 1APPENDIX 4
POST Science Advisory Committee Members
Dr. Scott McKinley: Chair, Scientific Advisory Committee; POST Management
Board; Professor and Canada Research Chair, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences, The
University of British Columbia
Dr. George Jackson: POST Senior Scientist; Senior Lecturer, University of
Tasmania, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies
Dr. Richard Beamish: Senior Research Scientist, Pacific Biological Station,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dr. Tom Quinn: Professor, Fisheries Research Institute, University of Washington
Dr. Brian Riddell: Science Advisor on Pacific Salmonids, Pacific Biological Station,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Dr. Carl Walters: Professor, Institute of Animal Resource Ecology, The University
of British Columbia
Appendix 4 - 1APPENDIX 5
POST Science Plan – What are the limits to knowledge for a
census of salmon and other species – The Known, Unknown
and Unknowable, 2010 and Beyond
Prepared by George D. Jackson
POST Senior Scientist
September 2007
Version 2.0
Appendix 5 - 1APPENDIX 5 – POST Science Plan
1.0 INTRODUCTION – POST PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
1.1 The genesis
Advances in acoustic telemetry in the past decade have permitted the large scale tracking of
highly valued species such as Pacific salmon. In December 2000, a CoML sponsored workshop
was held in Vancouver British Columbia to assess how acoustic technology could assist with
answering salmon questions in the Pacific Northwest region. This meeting laid down the
strategy and vision of what we know today as the POST project. This initial vision was based on
the pressing questions of:
o Where do salmon go?
o What do they do when they get there?
o How do they return to spawn in their home rivers?
o How do changes in the ocean environment affect their survival?
Bringing the project to fruition required (i) a developmental phase to make the technology work
(ii) a demonstration phase where initial tracking work was conducted in the field and (iii) an
implementation phase to create a large scale array and to undertake research within the timelines
of the decade long Census of Marine Life (CoML).
It is important to keep in mind the overall goal of CoML: to “assess and explain the changing
diversity, distribution and abundance of marine species, from the past to the present, and project
future marine life” Yarincik & O’Dor (2005, authors’ italics). The goal of the Moore
Foundation’s Wild Salmon Ecosystems Initiative is to maintain a healthy salmon ecosystem
within the North Pacific and adjoining watersheds. The development of POST will be an
important and enduring (with institutional and governmental buy-in) research platform for
undertaking credible research. The goals and scientific mandate of POST are aligned with the
scientific philosophy of both CoML and Moore. POST is one of 14 field projects of CoML and
also sits within Moore’s Environmental Conservation program.
The current situation of accelerating climate change is now well documented (e.g., Parmesan
2006). Salmon are known to have thermal limits that affect their distribution (Welch et al.
1998). Although there are many unknowns, rising temperatures could severely restrict salmon
distributions in the Pacific. The POST data collected to date provides a unique baseline sample
of salmon movement and distribution. It is important that we continue the time series of data
collection in order to monitor how salmon populations might change with changing climate and
other anthropogenic influences.
1.2 POST – current status
POST is governed by a Management Board, while the operation and management is carried out
by core staff and a Secretariat. The Management Board members are from a cross section of
industry, scientific and management organizations in both the USA and Canada. The current
core staff consists of a Research Program Coordinator, a Regional Coordinator (CA, OR, WA)
and a Senior Scientist. POST is hosted by the Vancouver Aquarium which serves as the
Secretariat and has the overall legal and financial responsibility for the project. A Scientific
Management Committee made up of expert scientists also serves as a body to make scientific
and strategic recommendations to the POST Management Board.
Appendix 5 - 2APPENDIX 5 – POST Science Plan
POST has to date demonstrated the reliable and accurate performance of the technology and is
now beginning to provide valuable information on coastal salmon migration and survival. New
generation receivers with either acoustic modem or satellite capabilities are now an off-the-shelf
commodity. Such advances in technology open up new possibilities for assessing the ecology
and migration of marine organisms. The first several years of POST were an important
developmental phase. Tagging protocols were validated and background array engineering
ensured that the technology was suited to the application needed for a census of salmon. By the
2004 and 2005 field seasons, POST entered its demonstration phase with concerted efforts on
tracking smolt migrations from natal rivers to the sea.
The array lines currently deployed and those proposed will provide a scientifically credible tool
for undertaking a census of the distribution and survival of salmonids and other marine species in
this region of the North Pacific. It is anticipated that the utility of the POST array will eventually
encompass the length of the continental shelf, from Baja to the Bering Sea.
POST has generated a large amount of data on salmon movement, migration and survival. An
important focus now is not only moving the science forward but publishing data that has already
been collected. A concerted effort has begun in 2007 to accelerate publication of results.
The development and maintenance of a database to retain the amount of information generated
from POST has been underestimated. As a result, POST has installed an action plan which
includes staff recruitment and is designed to position the database as a system where
investigators will be able to conduct analyses of their data sets, integrate with GIS platforms and
other oceanographic information and produce paper ready figures and tables.
1.3 Where we want to be by 2010
In 2007, a strategy has been adopted to accelerate publications as POST moves forward to 2010.
This has been facilitated by the appointment of a Senior Scientist and modest investment in
support staff. POST’s goal is to fulfill the vision at its inception as articulated by O’Dor &
Gallardo (2005): “2010 POST will have tested and demonstrated continental-scale acoustic
tracking by a consortium of salmon researchers, as well as applying the array to other species
during their coastal migrations. It will establish the time and locations of ocean salmon mortality
and clues to its cause. It will enter the accumulated migratory tracks in OBIS and contribute to
the CoML dynamic atlas. POST’s legacy will be an international network of listening devices
stretching from the shore to the edge of the shelf and stretching along a continent, and will have
stimulated similar systems on many of the other shelves. The POST arrays will be a coastal
component of GOOS” [Global Ocean Observing System].
POST-based research continues to provide critical data which can assist in our understanding of
salmon movement and migration. It also provides a direct means to measure survival in both
freshwater and marine environments. The purpose of this plan is to provide science direction for
POST especially in the context of what needs to be achieved by 2010 for the CoML and the
Moore Foundation. This plan presents a balance between (a) strategic expansion of POST in
order to answer significant large scale questions, and (b) more localized southern British
Columbia salmon interests (which lie geographically at the heart of the POST array). POST is
Appendix 5 - 3APPENDIX 5 – POST Science Plan
working hard towards the 2010 culmination of the first Census of Marine Life. However, POST
will continue to be an expanding scientific tool extending beyond 2010.
2.0 SALMON/TECHNOLOGY ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
The engineering required to deploy the lines and construct the array geometry has ensured high
detection levels of fish passing the array. POST lines are now detecting fish at greater than 95%
detection efficiency. Furthermore, standardized surgical techniques have been refined so fish
down to 12.5 cm in length can be routinely tagged with close to 100% survival. POST is in a
strategic position to continue to expand the array to add lines in areas where there are pressing
management needs.
The POST array is intended as a permanent continental-scale telemetry research platform for the
entire west coast of North America, including major rivers. The system can work seamlessly
between freshwater and marine waters because of the acoustic frequencies selected and the
strategy employed in designing the array. Although centered in southern B.C. shelf waters, the
array currently extends almost 900 km up the Columbia-Snake River in the United States, and
the whole array spans over 2,500 km in geographic extent from Cascade Head in the south to Icy
Strait in southeast Alaska (Fig. 1).
Figure 1: The POST array configuration in 2006
Appendix 5 - 4You can also read
