R1/R4 (northern/intermountain regions) fish and fish habitat standard inventory procedures handbook

Abstract

Fishery biologists working for the Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture, are required to assess the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of National Forest managment activities on fish and fish habitat. This requires an understanding of the conditions, processes, and interactions between the human, aquatic, riparian, and terrestrial features at multiple landscape scales. Data characterizing fish and fish habitat are required to complete these evaluations. Such data must be standard to compare and contrast across the landscape from fine to broad scale. This handbook describes the standard inventory procedures for collecting fish habitat and salmonid fish species data for streams managed by the Northern Region (R1) and Intermountain Region (R4) of the Forest Service. The inventory defines the structure (pool/riffle, forming features), pattern (sequence and spacing) and dimensions (length, width, depth, area, volume, and so forth) of fish habitat; describes species composition, distribution, and relative abundance of salmonid species; and facilitates the calculation of summary statistics for habitat descriptors. A standard core-set of fish habitat variables and their measurement protocols helps the user observe and contrast fish population and habitat status and condition across multiple landscape scales. The successful implementation of site-specific projects, watershed analyses, and PACFISH standards and guidelines reuire standard data elements for extrapolation and monitoring and must fall within the constraints of personnel and budgets. Moreover, a standardized data collection system is the only affordable (time and funds) approach for applying research and decision support tools and transferring information across broad geographical areas and to a diverse group of resource specialists and managers.