lab exp 4

lab exp 3

To address key data gaps identified in recovery planning for Puntledge summer Chinook, a freshwater survival study was initiated as part of the larger Bottlenecks Project in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Salmon Enhancement Program (DFO-SEP). The study focuses on assessing juvenile Chinook mortality during downstream migration in relation to hydroelectric infrastructure and habitat conditions. Paired groups of PIT-tagged fall-run Chinook juveniles (as a proxy for summer Chinook) were released upstream and downstream of the BC Hydro diversion dam to estimate survival and migration rates through this critical reach. This approach is informed by prior PIT-based research in other systems (e.g., Cowichan River) that has shown the effectiveness of this method in identifying areas of loss during emigration.