Juvenile Distribution and Abundance Survey
The MSG monitors juvenile salmon and steelhead in two ways. The first is through the Downstream Migrant Trapping Program, and the second is through underwater observation surveys. These surveys involve staff divers using masks and snorkels to look underwater and observe fish. Dive surveys are conducted as part of the Temperature Monitoring Program, Headwaters Monitoring Program, and the Estuary Water Quality Program.
These surveys are used to record where fish are located, their numbers (abundance), and how long they remain. Surveys are conducted from spring through fall, when fish survival is most difficult, and most crucial. Information from dive surveys is combined with water quality measurements and habitat data to show how fish react to their environment as it changes. This helps guide habitat restoration planning.
