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About - Pt. Adams Biological Research Station - Research Facilities
About Pt. Adams Biological Research Station
Location
Photo by Jolanta Glabeck
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Located at the mouth of the largest (and arguably the most significant) river on the west coast (U.S.A.), at the site of an historical Lifeboat Station dating back to 1889, NOAA Fisheries Pt. Adams Biological Research Station affords scientists a "bird's eye view" of an extremely dynamic and biologically rich ecosystem. Driven by seasonal snow melt and heavy winter precipitation, and boasting tributaries that extend into 7 states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, & Utah), the main stem Columbia River drains approximately 259,000 square miles as it courses (~1200 miles) from the base of the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia to the Pacific Ocean near Hammond, Oregon. The Columbia River Estuary alone drains approximately 18,000 square miles and extends upriver approximately 146 miles to the "head of tidal influence". Although the river itself has been altered drastically (for e.g. through damming, diking, industrialization, and irrigation practices) since Capt. Robert Gray first navigated its waters in May 1792, the estuary and lower river remain an "important feeding and breeding habitat for shellfish (oysters, clams, mussels & Dungeness crab)" and support 175 species of birds on either a permanent or migratory bases (LCREP4). Furthermore, the Lower Columbia River and Estuary are home to sturgeon, serve as a transition zone for salmon smolts as they ready themselves for life at sea, are utilized as a migratory route for adult salmon as they move upriver to spawn, and evidence suggests serve as a feeding ground for some types of juvenile salmon.
Background NOAA Fisheries
Photo by Luther Way
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Under the Endangered Species Act (1973), NOAA Fisheries maintains jurisdiction over the diverse marine and anadromous species that inhabit and migrate the Columbia River and its tributaries (Species whose life history is carried out exclusively in freshwater are managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service). Specifically, NOAA Fisheries is responsible for determining whether or not a particular species of interest is endanger of extinction through a significant portion of its range or "threatens" extinction within the foreseeable future. Once a marine or anadromous species is "listed" under ESA, NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Officers are charged with protecting the species from illegal "take", while NOAA fisheries scientists and managers are assigned the task of preparing and implementing a comprehensive plan for recovering the species in question. To date, twelve of the twenty-six West Coast salmon/steelhead ESU's that are listed by NOAA Fisheries as threatened or endangered under the ESA (link to ESA) are endemic to the Columbia River. In a system as diverse and altered as the Columbia, NOAA Fisheries scientists 'have their work cut out for them'.
Additional marine resource laws that guide NOAA stewardship responsibilities can be found at the NOAA Fisheries Legislation web page.
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