Emerging Technologies Information Sessions – 2026 Agenda

Emerging Technologies Information Sessions AGENDA

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Day 1 – October 26, 2026

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9:00 AM​ (PDT)​

Training/ Workshop​

Genetics 101 for Fisheries Professionals​

Audrey Harris (PSMFC/ IDFG), Rebekah Horn (CRITFC)​

12:00 PM​

Check-in Registration​

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1:00 PM​

Welcome/Orientation​

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1:10 PM​

Plenary​

Scott Heppell (Oregon State University)​

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Data QA/QC Session

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1:40 PM​ (PDT)​

Transparent management inputs – data workflows incorporating GitHub​

Erik Suring (ODFW)​

2:00 PM​

OXBOW: Wrangling Fish and Environmental Data into a Single SQL Database Using Advanced Claude Models​

Derrek Faber (ODFW)​

2:20 PM​

The Data Mindful PDF: How to Make Table-filled Reports More Useful​

Brian Maschhoff (Salmonetics)​

2:40 PM

Additional Q&A

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2:50 PM

Break

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Data QA/QC Continued

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3:10 PM​ (PDT)​

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Developing a Fish Age Database: Lessons Learned & Future Considerations​​

Matt Weeber (ODFW)​​

3:30 PM​

Structuring Knowledge, Not Just Data: An Ontology Framework for Comparable, Reproducible Conservation Indicators​​

Elizabeth Ng, Erika Rubenson, Sam Haffey (Spheros Environmental)​

3:50 PM​​

Using Manual Text Annotation and Machine-learning-assisted Natural Language Processing (NLP) to Extract, Classify, and Compare Conservation Actions and Strategies Across Management Plans​​

Jacob Usinowicz, Michelle Stantial, Lauren Kemper, Erika Rubenson, Elizabeth Ng (Spheros Environmental)​

4:10 PM​

Modernizing Spawning Ground Surveys with Mobile Technologies: Joint Insights from Oregon and Idaho on Survey123 Design, Deployment, and Field Application​​

Kasey Bliesner, Joseph Feldhaus, Melody Feden, Joe Dittmer, Alex Woolen, Erik Suring, Briana Sounhein, Matt Weeber (ODFW) ​
Evan Brown, Megan Merkley, Bryan Boson, Chris Harrington, Brock Lipple (IDFG)​​

4:30 PM

Break

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5:00 PM (PDT)​

Poster Session and Exhibitor Spotlight​

Reception in Stevenson Ballroom with appetizers and no-host bar 

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7:00 PM​

Adjourn​

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Day 2 – October 27, 2026​

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7:20 AM (PDT)

Breakfast

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8:10 AM

Orientation for Day 2

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Tagging and Trapping Tech Session

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8:20 PM (PDT)

A Self-Powered Acoustic Transmitter for Long-Term Fish Movement Monitoring​

­Daniel Deng, Huidong Li, Jun Lu, Hyunjun Jung, Zhaocheng Lu, Bingbin Wu, Stephanie Larson (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)​

8:40 AM

Yakima Basin Flexible PEX Antennas​​​

Zack Mays, Ceiteag Hennis (Yakama Nation Fisheries)​​​

9:00 AM​

Tracking Ocean Migration Routes of Steelhead Using Pop Up Satellite Archival Tags (PSATs) ​​​

Matthew Thornton, Ryan Solee (The Wilderness Calling Conservation Initiative)​

9:20 AM​​

SMART Dart(TM): Development and Feasibility Testing of a Novel RFID Fish Tagging System for Enhanced Detection and Monitoring​​​

Keith van den Broek, Stine Griep (Hinchinbrook, Inc.)​

9:40 AM​​

Tiny Tags, Big Results: Using FRyID™ RFID Technology to Study Early Life-Stage Salmonids​​​

Stine Griep, Keith van den Broek (Hinchinbrook, Inc.)​​​

10:00 AM

Break

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Predictive Modeling and Best Practices Session

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10:20 AM (PDT)​

Proof of Concept: Stocking YY-males to Eradicate Brook Trout in a Closed Population​

­​Brian Davis, Jen Poirier (US FWS)​

10:40 AM­​

Integrating Ecosystem Models with Long‐Term Monitoring to Support Salmon Recovery​

­​Eric Doyle (Confluence Environmental Company), John Arterburn, Ryan Klett (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation)​

11:00 AM

Evolving Ecosystem Diagnosis & Treatment: Integrating Monitoring Data to Advance Adaptive Salmon Recovery Planning​

­Laura McMullen (ICF)​

11:20 AM

Investigating precision and bias of commonly used salmonid abundance survey methods​

­Brian McGreal, William Jaeger, Mark Scheuerell (University of Washington)​

11:40 AM­

Using GIS to calculate geomorphological change in a river system over time​

­Katie Messick (WEST Consultants, Inc.)​

12:00 PM

Additonal Q&A

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12:10 PM

Lunch​​​

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Remote Sensing Session​

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1:40 PM (PDT)​​

Advancing Habitat Monitoring with Bathymetric LiDAR in the Methow Basin​​​​

Ryan Klett (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation)​

2:00 PM​​

Wetland Vegetation Modeling with UAV Lidar & Multispectral Data for Habitat Monitoring​​​​

Katarina Lunde (Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership)​​​​

2:20 PM

Leveraging UAV Lidar Data in Wetland Habitat Monitoring​

Derek Marquis (Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership)​

2:40 PM­​

3D Characterization of Streambank Complexity from UAS Surveys​

­Jen O’Neal, Shawn Higgins (Natural Systems Design)​

3:00 PM​

Integrating UAV and Ground Surveys to Monitor Redd Superimposition of Tule Fall Chinook in the White Salmon River, WA​

Justin Baker, Rikeem Sholes, David Hand (US FWS)​

3:20 PM

Break

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Genetics (eDNA, PBT, etc.) Session

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3:40 PM (PDT)

Implementation of a mobile DNA sequencing laboratory for real-time assessment of Columbia River basin fisheries​​

Lanie Galland, Shawn Narum (Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission)​

4:00 PM

Can Metabarcoding of Aquatic eDNA Replace Traditional Biological Assessments in Streams and Rivers?​

Daren Carlisle, Karen Beaulieu, Yer Lor, David Pilliod, Stephen Spear, Paul Frandsen, Chuck Hawkins (USGS)​

4:20 PM

Environmental DNA as a Tool for Aquatic Pathogen Surveillance: From Detection to Population Health Inference​

­Corbin J. Schuster, Bailey Morgan, Tamsen Polley, Michael Kent (Oregon State University)​

4:40 PM

Mapping Washington’s Aquatic Biodiversity Using Environmental DNA​​​​

­Allison Ying (WDFW)​

­​5:00 PM

Incorporating angler perspectives and ecological evidence to inform management of non-native fish interactions with native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout in the Teton River Basin, Idaho​​

Lucas Ellingson-Cosenza, Colden Baxter, Morey Burnham (Idaho State University)​

5:20 PM​​

Adjourn​​​​

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Day 3 – October 28, 2026​​​​

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7:30 AM (PDT)

Breakfast

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8:30 AM

Orientation Day 3

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AI, Machine Learning, and More​ Session

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8:40 PM (PDT)

Incremental improvements in RFID technology leads to major gains​

Nicholas J. Porter (Biomark)​

9:00 AM​­

Finding the Bottlenecks: Stage-Specific Survival of Juvenile Chinook Across Eastern Vancouver Island​

­Sam James, Jamieson Atkinson, Will Duguid, Nicole Hill, Joe Thorley, Katie Innes, Thomas Negrin, Cypress Hunder-Rookes, Isobel Pearsall (Pacific Salmon Foundation)​

9:20 AM​

Replacing the Clipboard: Computer Vision for Scalable, Continuous Recreational Salmon Catch Monitoring in the Strait of Georgia ​

Jamieson Atkinson, Sami Ma, Philip Lemp, Sam James, Riya Shaju, Matthew Clarke, Jiangchuan Liu (Pacific Salmon Foundation)​

9:40 AM

Applying Machine Learning to Learn from Fish Returning to the Klamath River After Dam Removal​

Michael Hobley, Damon Goodman (CalTech and CalTrout)​

10:00 AM

Additional Q&A

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10:10 AM

Break​​

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AI, Machine Learning, and More Continued​

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10:30 AM (PDT)​​

Advancing AI-Assisted Fish Counting in the Columbia River Basin Using BlueFish​​​​

­Elliot Koontz (Spheros Environmental)​

10:50 AM­​​

Automating salmon counting and identification with computer-vision deep learning​​​​

Dr. William I. Atlas; Sami Ma, Charles Xu, Henry Fang, Thor Veen (Wild Salmon Center; Salmon Vision Collaborative)​­​​​​

11:10 AM

AI-Enabled, Uncertainty-Aware 3D Tracking for Acoustic Telemetry in Ecological Monitoring

­Daniel Deng, Wenqian Chen, Tao Fu, Jayson Martinez, Adam Hall (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)​

11:30 AM

Lunch/Adjourn

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1:30 PM­​ (PDT)

Field Trip​

Mobile Genetics Lab – Oxbow Fish Hatchery in Cascade Locks, Oregon​

Lanie Galland, Shawn Narum (Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission)​­