The Salmonid Population Model (SALMOD) was developed by the USGS in Fort Collins and is a computer model that simulates the dynamics of freshwater salmonids populations. As stated in the USGS software documentation (available on the link provided below), “The model's premise is that egg and fish mortality are directly related to spatially and temporally variable micro- and macrohabitat limitations, which themselves are related to the timing and amount of streamflow and other meteorological variables. Habitat quality and capacity are characterized by the hydraulic and thermal properties of individual mesohabitats, which we use as spatial "computation units" in the model. The model tracks a population of spatially distinct cohorts that originate as eggs and grow from one life stage to another as a function of local water temperature. Individual cohorts either remain in the computational unit in which they emerged or move, in whole or in part, to nearby units (see McCormick et al. 1998). Model processes include spawning (with redd superimposition and incubation losses), growth (including egg maturation), mortality, and movement (freshet-induced, habitat-induced, and seasonal).”
A user’s manual and free software download are available online >>
Bartholow, J., J. Heasley, j. Laake, J. Sandelin, B. A. K. Coughlan, and A. Moos. 2002. SALMOD. A population model for salmonids: user's manual. Version W3. U. S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, Colorado.
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