Forecasting the Future: How NASA Satellite Data Helps Trout Populations

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From land to sea,

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climate change affects everyone,

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including fish and their habitats.

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Cold water species like trout

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and salmon are particularly vulnerable

to the effects of a warming climate.

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Hi, I'm Seth Wenger

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Associate Professor of Ecology

at University of Georgia.

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I led the team that developed an approach

called Multiple Population Viability Analysis,

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which combines fish population estimates, crowdsource

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spatial distribution information, and NASA's satellite datasets to project

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cold water fish populations into the future.

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The analysis uses high resolution

stream data and satellite imagery

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to estimate abundance and other population characteristics

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of species like cutthroat trout and bull trout.

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The remote sensing data from satellites

like Landsat and MODIS,

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along with other NASA products like

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like NLDAS-2, were essential

for allowing us to forecast the extinction

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risk of trout populations under future

climate conditions across large regions.

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Trout Unlimited and partners use the tool

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to model information about Lahontan cutthroat trout and their habitat.

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This tool relies on satellite data

characterizing habitat quality,

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other models of flow and temperature, and field collections

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of fish to estimate the dynamics of populations over time.

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When combined with other information,

including genetic status,

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model outputs are showing

where cutthroat trout could be resilient

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under climate change

or with certain restoration activities.

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Five years after the project was completed,

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they are guiding where federal agencies

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are investing resources into actions

like removing non-native trout,

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managing populations to improve

genetic health, or reconnecting streams.

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We at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service use this tool

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to help direct investments in regional

and local trout conservation efforts.

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In addition, we often use this tool

during the consultation process

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to better determine impacts

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of new federal activities

on existing trout populations.

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The USGS and the U.S.

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Fish and Wildlife Service, in

collaboration with many of our partners,

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are currently incorporating this tool

under the Conservation Efforts Database

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Module for cutthroat trout.

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Since that conservation efforts

database captures

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any and all conservation actions

related to cutthroat trout

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and the habitats it depends on,

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It can then be used to inform

and support management decisions.

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Soon we intend to incorporate

all this information into USGS’ resist,

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accept, direct triad to prioritize future

trout conservation

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actions with climate change

taken into account.

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MPVA has proven to be a valuable tool

for supporting conservation

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of cutthroat trout and other vulnerable

fish species.

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With active collaboration with its end

users, including government agencies

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and nonprofits.

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It demonstrates how science can be effectively translated

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into on the ground applications.