NOAA Fisheries Involvement in Caspian Tern Management
NOAA Fisheries Service had growing concern over the increasing impacts of birds feeding on salmonid smolts. The agency required the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study avian predation in the Columbia River estuary and, if necessary, develop potential measures for managing the predator populations. These requirements were part of the 1995 Formal Consultation on the Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System and Juvenile Transport Program. Oregon State University and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission began the research in 1996.
Avian predation on salmon and steelhead is a multi-jurisdictional issue. NOAA Fisheries Service, the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bonneville Power Administration, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, and resource agencies of the states of Washington, Idaho and Oregon formed the Caspian Tern Working Group to develop a long-term management plan for reducing tern predation in the estuary. This involved identifying a number of tern management alternatives across a five-state area with a critical focus on the Columbia River estuary.
