A case study of mapping archive data on spawning ground’s locations and distribution of pacific salmon in sample rivers of Western Kamchatka

The aim of the work is to develop methodological approaches to GIS mapping of Pacific salmon spawning grounds based on the results of aerial visual surveys of their abundance and distribution in river systems. Methods used: digitization of archive materials, compilation of spatial databases, GIS mapping. Novelty: The mapping of the distribution of spawning grounds, abundance and occurrence of five Pacific salmon species in two model river systems was carried out based on the developed approaches. The results obtained: GIS-database including a set of electronic maps on a single geo-referenced digital basis at a scale of 1:200 000. The input, search and use of cartographic information is carried out according to the generally accepted procedure provided by GIS technologies. All maps have an identical database structure and are grouped into 4 thematic sections: a list of watercourses of the Kol and Kekhta (Kuntovo) river basins; spatial distribution of spawning grounds in the river system – separately for each of the species (pink salmon, chum salmon, chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon) and a map which summarized data for all species; species diversity of Pacific salmon, including a map of the distribution of the anadromous mykiss Parasalmo mykiss ; contribution of watercourses regarding in the reproduction of subject species. A density index of spawning grounds is proposed to be calculated as the ratio of the area of spawning grounds to the length of a watercourse or its section. Practical significance: The research results is of methodological significance for mapping of the spawning stock of Pacific salmon in the Russian Far East.