The Klamath Basin, spanning southern Oregon and northern California, is home to several native fish species now endangered or at risk of extinction, including Coho and Chinook salmon, Lost River suckers, and shortnose suckers. These species face mounting threats from habitat loss, declining water quality, failing recruitment, and other environmental changes.
Amid these challenges, members of the Klamath Basin Fisheries Collaborative (KBFC) are making strides to modernize how fish data are collected and shared. The KBFC brings together over 30 organizations, including tribal governments, state and federal agencies, academic institutions, and watershed groups, working collectively to improve fish populations and habitat across the basin.
At the heart of this effort is the development of a modernized data flow – streamlining submittal of field data collection to a web-based collaborative data system that enables faster access to standardized fish monitoring data.
Why Modernization Matters
Historically, fish monitoring data in the Klamath Basin has been collected manually and stored in inconsistent formats across projects and partners. This lack of standardization makes it difficult to share data across organizations and slows down efforts to analyze fish movements, assess population health, and evaluate restoration outcomes.
To overcome these challenges, the KBFC prioritized data modernization—a strategic initiative focused on improving data quality, reducing costs, and enabling near-real-time access to standardized information. Central to this effort is the Klamath Basin PIT Tag Database, a shared platform that allows participating organizations to electronically capture and exchange field data in a consistent format. This work aligns with the Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan (IFRMP), which calls for better integration and sharing of fish population indicators and basin-wide standardized data collection and management.
Progress in Electronic Data Capture
Thanks to funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), the KBFC has made significant progress since 2024 in deploying electronic data capture tools.
Field staff now use tablets and iPads equipped with standardized KBFC ESRI Survey123 forms, allowing them to record fish monitoring data digitally. These forms are designed to capture target species biological and PIT tag information. When paired with the application SerialMagic Keys Pro, the electronic form directly captures PIT tag numbers transferred from a Bluetooth PIT Tag reader. This digital workflow improves data quality through built-in validation checks and eliminates the need for manual data entry after fieldwork.
Streamlining Data Flow and Integration
NFWF funding also supports KBFC members in automating their data workflows. This funding has enabled QW Consulting to support member organizations by developing custom scripts to automate data transfer from their ESRI accounts to local databases and ultimately to the KBFC Database via the KBFC API. Some organizations have chosen to submit their data directly to the KBFC Database from ESRI. Data sharing among KBFC members is governed by the KBFC Data Sharing Agreement, which allows organizations to control when and with whom their data are shared.
Resources including the KBFC Database, Data Sharing Agreement, and Data Exchange Standards are available on the KBFC website: https://www.kbfishc.org/about/kbfc-database/.
Benefits of Collaborative Modernization
This modernization effort is a true team endeavor, involving KBFC members, PSMFC staff, and QW Consulting. Together, these partners, using fundings from USGS, USFWS and NFWF are building an interoperable data-sharing system that offers several key benefits:
- Improved Data Quality: Reduces transcription errors and ensures consistent formatting.
- Faster Access to Information: Enables near-real-time syncing for timely decision-making.
- Cost Efficiency: Streamlines workflows and reduces labor-intensive data entry.
- Enhanced Collaboration: Fosters transparency and coordination among stakeholders.
- Support for Restoration: Enables more targeted and effective strategies for endangered fish species.
Participating Organizations
Organizations directly involved in exchanging their monitoring data with the KBFC Database include:
- Federal and state agencies: National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, S. Geological Survey (USGS), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
- Tribal governments: Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, Yurok Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Klamath Tribes, Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People
- Local Councils: Scott River Watershed Council, Salmon River Restoration Council
Each of these entities plays a vital role in contributing to the advancement of standardized data management to facilitate sharing fish monitoring data. By adopting electronic data collection and management tools and aligning with the KBFC database standardized fields, partners help build a more cohesive and responsive fisheries management system.
Integrating Legacy Data & Exploring New Tools
Modernization also includes integrating legacy datasets. PSMFC staff have developed custom scripts to efficiently convert historical data to standardized formats for partners such as the National Park Service, Yurok Tribe, SRWC, and USGS. Support for legacy data integration remains available to all KBFC members.
To further streamline data entry, PSMFC is testing Bluetooth-enabled electronic scales that automatically record fish weights into Survey123 forms. While initial equipment proved incompatible, newer models show promise. PSMFC continues to work with vendors like Biomark to identify viable solutions and plans to share lessons learned with KBFC partners and NFWF.
Looking Ahead
Modernizing fisheries data collection is more than a technical upgrade—it’s providing tools that enable stronger collaboration, faster data access, and more efficient monitoring of restoration efforts. As more partners adopt electronic tools and integrate data with the KBFC database, the system will become even more powerful and comprehensive.
The KBFC’s modernization journey is ongoing—and it’s paving the way for more effective collaborative efforts that can efficiently share standardized data. Future goals include expanding the use of Survey123 across additional organizations, refining data exchange scripts, and continuing to align internal databases with KBFC standards. These efforts will support basin-wide monitoring of both anadromous salmon and resident fish species—many of which are critical to tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries.
More information about the Klamath Basin Fisheries Collaborative and its Leadership Team is available here. Specific questions can be addressed to PSMFC’s Nancy Leonard via email.
Projects in the Field is a series of independently produced articles profiling work supported by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Electronic Monitoring & Reporting Grant Program, and is meant to raise awareness and support for these important initiatives.
