ABSTRACT: A high resolution curvilinear 3-dimensional hydrodynamic model (CH3D) for Sinclair and Dyes Inlets, Puget Sound, WA was set up to simulate the hydrological and tidal conditions present during the release of hatchery-reared, juvenile Chinook salmon from the Gorst Creek Hatchery (May 19 - Jun 30, 2002). The model was used to simulate the salinity distribution and currents that occurred during a mark and recapture out-migration study conducted by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) in Sinclair Inlet. The model simulated the release of a conservative “tracer” that corresponded to when the majority of the marked fish were released into Gorst Creek. The model simulated dispersal of the “tracer” plume as a function of tide and wind-driven currents and fresh water inflow without any biological interactions. The model produced a time series of tracer concentrations in areas of the Inlet that were sampled during WDFW’s out migration study. The model results were compared to fish recapture rates to evaluate differences between fish density and the tracer concentrations predicted by the model.
Animations:
Simulation of fish release in Sinclair and Dyes Inlets
Simulated release of fish from Gorst Creek Hatchery
Reference:
Johnston, Robert K., P.F. Wang, Doris Small, and Kurt Fresh, 2007. A Hydrodynamic Simulation of a Conservative Tracer to Evaluate Dispersion of Out-Migrating Salmon in Sinclair Inlet, WA. Presented at the Georgia Basin - Puget Sound Research Conference, March 26 - 30, 2007 in Vancouver, Canada.