Using existing habitat datasets and natural-history traits, we created a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) model in ArcGIS to determine the distribution of suitable habitat for harvested clams in Tillamook Bay. Existing habitat datasets were used to interpolate value estimates throughout the bay for the four input habitat variables used in the model (sediment % fines, bathymetry, salinity, and burrowing shrimp presence). Natural history traits (derived from literature) were then used to assign binary suitability values to each habitat variable for each species. The suitability sum of these variable layers then produced an overall HSI value of 0-4 (low-high). To validate this model, we used existing bivalve (presence/absence) data to calculate presence probabilities. Included in this dataset are these bivalve data, along with the habitat estimates and suitability values produced by our model. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Lewis, N., E. Fox, and T. DeWitt. Estimating the distribution of harvested estuarine bivalves with natural-history-based habitat suitability models... ESTUARINE, COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 219: 453-472, (2019).

To quantify any spatial or temporal variability in cockle densities with respect to in situ GMA biomass in Yaquina Bay, OR, we conducted field surveys during consecutive daytime low tides (<0.46 m MLLW) in both June and August 2014, which provided a comparison between early and late summer. This dataset contains all data collected during those field surveys. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Lewis, N., and T. DeWitt. Effect of Green Macroalgal Blooms on the Behavior, Growth, and Survival of Cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) in Pacific NW Estuaries. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES. Inter-Research, Luhe, GERMANY, 582: 105-120, (2017).

To quantify any spatial or temporal variability in cockle densities with respect to in situ GMA biomass in Yaquina Bay, OR, we conducted field surveys during consecutive daytime low tides (<0.46 m MLLW) in both June and August 2014, which provided a comparison between early and late summer. This dataset contains all data collected during those field surveys. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Lewis, N., and T. DeWitt. Effect of Green Macroalgal Blooms on the Behavior, Growth, and Survival of Cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) in Pacific NW Estuaries. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES. Inter-Research, Luhe, GERMANY, 582: 105-120, (2017).

Estimates of the abundance and habitat area for two species of burrowing shrimps in Yaquina Bay estuary, Oregon. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Dumbauld, B., L. McCoy, T. DeWitt , and J. Chapman. Estimating long-term trends in populations of two ecosystem engineering burrowing shrimps in Pacific Northwest (USA) estuaries. HYDROBIOLOGIA. Springer, New York, NY, USA, 848(5): 993-1013, (2021).

Estimates of the abundance and habitat area for two species of burrowing shrimps in Yaquina Bay estuary, Oregon. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Dumbauld, B., L. McCoy, T. DeWitt , and J. Chapman. Estimating long-term trends in populations of two ecosystem engineering burrowing shrimps in Pacific Northwest (USA) estuaries. HYDROBIOLOGIA. Springer, New York, NY, USA, 848(5): 993-1013, (2021).

The Federal Columbia River Power Supply (FCRPS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) calls for studies that estimate ecological and genetic impacts of hatchery fish on wild populations, and evaluate the effectiveness of hatchery supplementation measures to reduce potentially harmful effects of artificial production to aid recovery through hatchery reform. The FCRPS BiOp further explicitly calls for studies that examine the appropriate role of supplementation and the relationship between supplementation and habitat actions in salmon recovery. A basic premise of supplementation is that artificially produced fish will help develop self-sustaining spawning populations both by increasing current natural production and reestablishing populations in underutilized and recovered habitats. One hatchery reform measure that has been incorporated into many supplementation programs throughout the Columbia River Basin is the use of satellite acclimation facilities to repopulate underutilized habitat. However, the efficacy of these facilities in re-establishing naturally spawning populations and minimizing negative interactions between wild spawners and supplemented fish has not been established. Our studies have involved comprehensive carcass and redd mapping surveys and radio telemetry to examine the role of acclimation sites in homing and spawning of spring Chinook salmon released as part of the Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) supplementation program. In addition, we are examining the complex linkages between habitat quality and spawning site selection in supplemented Columbia River populations. These studies involve mapping and assessing habitat distribution and quality relative to supplementation rearing and release facilities, and coupling these findings to ongoing analysis of homing and spawning patterns. Our results have provided unique insights into the process of homing, straying, and spawning site selection, interactions and success of hatchery and wild spawners, and the efficacy of supplementation and acclimation sites in salmon recovery. These studies will help identify appropriate locations for recovery-related supplementation rearing and release facilities (acclimation sites), and ultimately allow us to develop scenario models predicting the spatial distribution of spawning relative to proposed supplementation facilities and available habitat (including future habitat restoration sites). The work is being conducted by Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) scientists collaborating with the University of Washington, Yakima Nation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Products for this project include annual reports, peer-reviewed publications, presentation of results at local and national meetings, and consultation with the Northwest Regional Office (NWR) and supplementation managers. Comprehensive GIS data of Yakima River Spring Chinook spawners.

A barrier island seagrass habitat suitability index (HSI) model was developed for the Alabama barrier island restoration assessment at Dauphin Island. Shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) was selected as the representative species for seagrass community near Dauphin Island waters since H. wrightii is the dominant species (>62%) of seagrass communities in this area due to its rapid growth and tolerance to a wide range of salinity. Five water quality and morphological variables were selected and their relationships with habitat suitability were developed and incorporated into the seagrass HSI model for Dauphin Island restoration assessment: 1) mean salinity during the summer growing season, 2) mean temperature during the growing season, 3) annual mean water depth, 4) mean total suspended solid/turbidity during the growing season, and 5) relative wave exposure index (REI). The final HSI score was calculated using the weighted geometric mean of the suitability scores of these individual variables. The seagrass HSI model was calibrated and validated using field data from National Park Service (NPS) Gulf Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network (GULN). Then, the seagrass HSI model was used to assess seagrass habitat suitability changes with and without restoration under future storminess and sea level (SL) conditions. The barrier island restoration actions being assessed include beach and dune restoration, marsh restoration, and placement of sand in the littoral zone. The storminess bins included realizations with a “medium” storminess, which included 1 to 3 storms over a 10-year period (that is, ST2) and a “high” storminess, which included 4 to 5 storms over an equal period (that is, ST3). The two future sea levels included a SL of 0.3 m (that is, SL1) and a SL of 1.0 m(that is, SL3) above the contemporary SL. Specifically, the medium storminess was paired with the 0.3 m above the contemporary SL (that is, ST2SL1) and the “high” storminess bin was paired with the 1.0 m above the contemporary SL (that is, ST3SL3). To account for intertidal marsh vertical accretion as a component of marsh morphology evolution, two scenarios were included in modeling: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) high and intermediate SLR curves in which marsh kept pace with SLR through accretion (1 cm/yr) through 2022 under high SLR curve whereas marsh kept pace with SLR by accretion for the entirety of the USACE intermediate curve. Inputs of water quality conditions under future storminess and sea level conditions were provided by the CE-QUAL-ICM model that was coupled with a geomorphology model and a hydrodynamic model. The relative wave exposure index (REI) for each scenario was estimated from wind climatology data and fetch and USGS Coastal National Elevation Database (CoNED) topography and bathymetry digital elevation model (TBDEM) that was updated by the landscape-position habitat model. This data release includes simulation results and metadata of seagrass habitat suitability scores at each spatial unit (grid cell) across the study domain: estuarine waters near Dauphin Island.

The Federal Columbia River Power Supply (FCRPS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) calls for studies that estimate ecological and genetic impacts of hatchery fish on wild populations, and evaluate the effectiveness of hatchery supplementation measures to reduce potentially harmful effects of artificial production to aid recovery through hatchery reform. The FCRPS BiOp further explicitly calls for studies that examine the appropriate role of supplementation and the relationship between supplementation and habitat actions in salmon recovery. A basic premise of supplementation is that artificially produced fish will help develop self-sustaining spawning populations both by increasing current natural production and reestablishing populations in underutilized and recovered habitats. One hatchery reform measure that has been incorporated into many supplementation programs throughout the Columbia River Basin is the use of satellite acclimation facilities to repopulate underutilized habitat. However, the efficacy of these facilities in re-establishing naturally spawning populations and minimizing negative interactions between wild spawners and supplemented fish has not been established. Our studies have involved comprehensive carcass and redd mapping surveys and radio telemetry to examine the role of acclimation sites in homing and spawning of spring Chinook salmon released as part of the Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) supplementation program. In addition, we are examining the complex linkages between habitat quality and spawning site selection in supplemented Columbia River populations. These studies involve mapping and assessing habitat distribution and quality relative to supplementation rearing and release facilities, and coupling these findings to ongoing analysis of homing and spawning patterns. Our results have provided unique insights into the process of homing, straying, and spawning site selection, interactions and success of hatchery and wild spawners, and the efficacy of supplementation and acclimation sites in salmon recovery. These studies will help identify appropriate locations for recovery-related supplementation rearing and release facilities (acclimation sites), and ultimately allow us to develop scenario models predicting the spatial distribution of spawning relative to proposed supplementation facilities and available habitat (including future habitat restoration sites). The work is being conducted by Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) scientists collaborating with the University of Washington, Yakima Nation, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Products for this project include annual reports, peer-reviewed publications, presentation of results at local and national meetings, and consultation with the Northwest Regional Office (NWR) and supplementation managers. Comprehensive GIS data of Yakima River Spring Chinook redds.

This USGS data release represents tabular and geospatial data for the Gulf Sturgeon Bayesian Network Model. The Gulf Sturgeon is a federally listed, anadromous species, inhabiting Gulf Coast rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters from Louisiana to Florida. The data release was produced in compliance with 'open data' requirements as way to make the scientific products associated with USGS research efforts and publications available to the public. The dataset consists of 2 separate items: 1. Bayesian network model that predicts the probability of habitat availability (days) per winter month for age-0 Gulf Sturgeon at a 30-m pixel scale in Apalachicola Bay, FL (Tabular datasets) 2. Bayesian network model outputs of the probability of habitat availability (days) per winter month for age-0 Gulf Sturgeon at a 30-m pixel scale in Apalachicola Bay, FL for 35 physiological and habitat scenarios (Raster datasets)

This USGS data release represents 35 geospatial datasets that were the Gulf Sturgeon Bayesian network model's outputs. The Gulf Sturgeon is a federally listed, anadromous species, inhabiting Gulf Coast rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters from Louisiana to Florida. The U.S. Geological Survey partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Georgia, and their conservation partners to support adaptive management of Gulf Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) by developing a quantitative, spatial model. The model is a Bayesian network that predicts the probability of habitat availability (days) per winter month for age-0 Gulf Sturgeon at a 30-m pixel scale in estuarine critical habitat. The model predicts habitat availability (days) for 75 alternative physiological and habitat scenarios, which were the unique combination of river discharge, winter month, and month of arrival to the estuary. The probability of habitat availability (days) is predicted from habitat characteristics that could be influenced by management actions. The model's structure was defined by empirical data, expert elicitation, and simplifying assumptions.