Fiscal Year 2008 (FY-08) represents a transitional year for the StreamNet project. While the project continued to acquire/update, standardize, georeference and disseminate fish-related data for the state, some tribal and one federal fisheries agencies, it also took on several new initiatives and is anticipating new regional guidance on data needs. Passage of the Columbia Basin Accords caused an administrative change within the project, separating the work done by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) out to a separate contract with BPA. This will change the structure of the StreamNet contract but not change the relationship with the StreamNet Library or data developed by CRITFC, and will likely increase the availability of tribal data to StreamNet due to increased funding for tribal data efforts. This change will take effect in FY-09. We also expect that data work will be adjusted in the future in response to executive level policy direction in the Columbia Basin based on efforts to establish priorities under a regional data management framework. Data development emphasis was shifted this year to place highest priority on data that support indicators of fish abundance for the focal species covered in the Status of the Resource (SOTR) report, as requested by the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA) Data Management Framework Subcommittee. We instituted an XML based web service allowing direct access to data from the project database for CBFWA to update the SOTR report. The project also increased efforts to work with tribal fisheries managers to provide data related assistance and to include tribal data in the StreamNet database. A primary theme this year was exploring means to speed the flow of data. We had ongoing success in our strategic emphasis on increasing automation of data conversion through development of comprehensive database systems within our partner agencies, as outlined in our Vision and Strategic Plan. By assisting development of internal database systems, we will be able to automate conversion of agency data to the regionally consistent format as well as help the agency better meet their own data needs. The Idaho StreamNet project contributed to development of IDFG's Idaho Fish and Wildlife Information System (IFWIS), and this year they successfully tested automatic conversion of data to the regional exchange format. We worked with WDFW and developed draft field data input templates for collection of smolt trap and spawning ground survey data. And, we began collaborating in a project with ODFW and EcoTrust to develop an online data dissemination tool. As these and additional data systems are brought online, we expect to be able to shorten the time needed to annually update data, and hope to use the increased efficiency to free existing staff time to develop additional types of data from our partners. Another long-term theme related to expanding data coverage to estimates of productivity and/or data needed to calculate productivity. Initial investigations within our partner agencies indicated that these data are scattered, with some components like age composition of returning fish already being addressed by StreamNet, but others not yet covered. We will continue to determine how available these data are and investigate the feasibility of capturing the estimates and supporting data in the future. Routine ongoing data development of the standard data sets in StreamNet continued this year. An update and new web page for disseminating Protected Areas data was completed. Initial work was done with the CRITFC to get ready to house and disseminate data developed by the Hatchery Scientific Review Group. All database, GIS and web server systems were maintained successfully, with repairs completed as needed. Software applications were developed or maintained, as needed. All required reports, budgets and equipment inventories were submitted. The StreamNet website (www.streamnet.org), the project's primary means of disseminating fish data, was completely redesigned this year to improve the user experience and make locating and acquiring data simpler. A primary goal was to significantly reduce the sequence of steps needed. The new site was in final testing at the end of the fiscal year, and will go live in the first quarter of FY-09. Use of the website remained strong, with 941,687 total page views representing 345,855 visits from 123,684 unique visitors. There were 18,797 actual views of tabular datasets from the online query system, plus many interactive map views, not counting downloads of the entire database direct data and information requests.
