Climate Change on Columbia Basin Tribal Lands: Past-Present-Future Kyle Dittmer, Hydrologist - Meteorologist ABSTRACT: Over the last 100 years, linear trends of tributary streamflow have changed on Columbia River Basin tribal reservations and historical lands ceded by tribes in treaties with the United States. Analysis of independent flow measures (Seasonal Flow Fraction, Center Timing, Spring Flow Onset, High Flow, Low Flow) using the Student t test and Mann-Kendall trend test suggests evidence for climate change trends for many of the 32 study basins. The trends exist despite inter-annual climate variability driven by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The average April—July flow volume has declined by 16%. The median runoff volume date has moved earlier by 5.8 days. The average Spring Flow Onset date has shifted earlier by 5.7 days. The trend of the flow standard deviation (i.e., weather variability) has increased by 3% to 11%. The average 100-year November flood has increased by 49%. The mid-Columbia 7Q10 low flows have decreased by 5% to 38%. Continuation of these climatic and hydrological trends may seriously challenge the future of salmon, their critical habitats, and the tribal peoples who depend upon these resources for their traditional livelihood, subsistence, and ceremonial purposes. Paper: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-013-0745-0
Hazardous Waste Sites along the Rose Longoria, Yakama Nation Fisheries, PO BOX 151, Toppenish, WA 98948
Issue: Project: The Yakama Nation has implemented a project to identify, evaluate and rank contaminated sites impacting aquatic resources in the Columbia River. Yakama Nation’s master database of sites includes 114,000 hazardous wastes sites within the Columbia River Basin drainage for the states of Washington and Oregon. Within a ½ mile of the Columbia River banks are 766 hazardous waste sites. All sites are screened using Yakama Nation-derived criteria for such things as contaminants of concern, habitat evaluation, proximity to environmentally sensitive areas, former and current site uses, and other agency ranking or scores. Using these criteria, a subset of sites on the Oregon State- and Washington State-sides of the Columbia River were extracted for further prioritization and in-depth research. These priority sites are targeted to ensure cleanup decisions afford adequate protection to the environment and tribal health. This is accomplished by working with federal and state agencies to conduct site investigations that fully consider tribal specific risks posed by site contamination.
Protecting Public Health in Oregon via Fish Consumption Advisories Dave Farrer, Rebecca Hillwig,
Background: Fish consumption advisories encourage fish consumption as part of a healthy diet while protecting vulnerable populations, such as children, pregnant women, and tribal and subsistence fishers from the effects of chemical contaminants. Case Study: The Oregon Public Health Division (OPHD) and the Washington Department of Health (WDOH) received fish tissue sampling results covering a 151-mile stretch of the Columbia River forming the Oregon-Washington border. Analysis found the risk-driving contaminants to be methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To protect the public, OPHD and WDOH jointly developed fish consumption advisories within the studied area. The advisory recommends that people not eat non-migratory fish within 1 mile of Bonneville Dam, and that they limit their consumption of non-migratory fish species to one meal per week for the rest of the 150-mile stretch of river up to McNary Dam. The advisory is especially important for women of childbearing age because methylmercury and PCBs are developmental neurotoxicants. Objective 1 Objective 2 Vision
Life cycle monitoring of Wind River, WA steelhead to detect population responses to Co-Authors: Ian Jezorek and Patrick Connolly
Life history diversity of steelhead parr in the Wind River, WA, as revealed by PIT tagging, instream PIT-tag detection, and trapping 1 Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, WA
We are using Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags to evaluate life history diversity of parr steelhead in the Wind River, WA. Smolt trapping has indicated that many steelhead parr were moving from headwaters areas to downstream reaches for additional rearing before smolting. Specific origin of these fish and factors influencing their movement were unknown. We PIT-tagged steelhead parr in Wind River tributaries and headwater areas in 2011 through 2013 and have deployed a network of instream PIT-tag detection systems to track movement of these fish. During 2013, we PIT-tagged age-0 steelhead with smaller PIT tags (9-mm vs. 12-mm), which will allow life-cycle monitoring from a known age. To date, we have detected downstream movement of tagged steelhead parr from headwater areas in spring, as we had with smolt-trapping efforts, but we have also detected substantial movement during summer and fall. Research or monitoring programs that rely strictly on trapping during spring may be underestimating production if a large proportion of steelhead migrate outside of the trapping period. With multiple years of PIT-tagging combined with instream-detection, smolt-trap, and adult-return data, we hope to evaluate differential survival to smolt and adult stages by parr life history expression, and to identify factors that influence parr movement.
Occupancy and habitat use by larval lamprey in Bonneville and The Dalles pools and overview of standard sampling methods Jeffrey C. Jolley, PhD, Supervisory Fish Biologist, USFWS, Columbia River Fisheries Program Office, 1211 SE Cardinal Ct., Vancouver, WA 98671 Joseph J. Skalicky, Fish Biologist, USFWS, Columbia River Fisheries Program Office, 1211 SE Cardinal Court, Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98683 Timothy A. Whitesel, Supervisory Biometrician, USFWS, Columbia River Fisheries Program Office, 1211 SE Cardinal Court, Suite 100, Vancouver, WA 98683 Occupancy and habitat use by larval lamprey in Bonneville and The Dalles pools and overview of standard sampling methods Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus are declining, specifically in the Columbia River Basin. They are an anadromous species and it is generally believed that spawning is focused in headwater tributaries and the larval stage is confined to fresh water. Although larvae may exist in freshwater for up to seven years, their use of relatively large, mainstem river habitats has largely been unexplored. We investigated whether larval lampreys occupy mainstem river habitats, whether they occupy specific areas of this habitat, and whether multiple age-classes and species occupy this habitat. We surveyed the Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to John Day Dam. We applied a generalized random tessellation stratified (GRTS) approach to select sampling quadrats in a random, spatially-balanced order and used a deepwater electrofisher to collect larval lamprey. Larval lampreys were detected in Bonneville and The Dalles Pool. Detection rates were also higher in tributary mouth depositional areas. Larval lampreys were detected in a variety of areas, including shallow, nearshore and midchannel areas. A variety of sizes was collected (18–160 mm total length), indicating the likely occurrence of multiple ages of larvae. Morphometric and genetic analysis confirmed that both E. tridentatus and Lampetra spp. were detected. Thus, we were able to document, in a statistically rigorous manner, that multiple species and multiple (presumably) age classes of larval lamprey occupy relatively large, mainstem river habitats. The information suggests that some larval lamprey may inhabit and rear in these areas for a number of years. As such, these areas may be critical to consider for the conservation of Pacific lamprey. The sample framework outlined in our mainstem surveys is being adapted and standardized for evaluations of wadeable streams. The USFWS will conduct workshops to share this approach with our partners in an effort to increase efficiency and collaboration.
Use of genotyping-by-sequencing data to develop a high-throughput and multi-functional set of genetic markers for conservation applications in Pacific lamprey Jon E. Hess, Presenter, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Hagerman Genetics Lab, 208-837-9096 x1107, hesj@critfc.org Next generation sequencing data can be mined for highly informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to develop high throughput genomic assays for non-model organisms. However, choosing a set of SNPs to address a variety of objectives can be difficult because SNPs are often not equally informative. We developed an optimal combination of 96 high throughput SNP assays from a total of 4,439 SNPs identified in a previous study of Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), and used them to address four disparate objectives: parentage analysis, species identification, and characterization of neutral and adaptive variation. Nine of these SNPs are FST outliers, and five of these outliers are localized within genes and significantly associated with geography, run-timing, and dwarf life history. Two of these SNPs were diagnostic for two other lamprey species which are morphologically indistinguishable at early larval stages and are sympatric in the Pacific Northwest. The majority (85) of SNPs in the panel were highly informative for parentage analysis- i.e. putatively neutral with high minor allele frequency across the species range. Results from three case studies are presented to demonstrate the broad utility of this panel of SNP markers in this species. Specifically, we applied them to the following conservation directives: 1) validate reproductive success of a set of translocated adults, 2) identify species of early life stages of lamprey, and 3) link genotypes with phenotypes (i.e. adult migratory traits). As Pacific lamprey populations are undergoing rapid decline, these SNPs provide an important resource to address critical uncertainties associated with conservation and recovery of this imperiled species.
Salmon habitat assessment for conservation planning on the White Salmon River Presenters Jill Hardiman, USGS and Margaret Neuman, Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement GroupIn 2011, Condit Dam was removed from the White Salmon River, WA. Since removal there has been interest in assessing Pacific salmon habitat in the lower six miles of the White Salmon River for conservation planning. The study area for planning purposes is the area which was once inundated by Northwestern Lake prior to the removal of Condit Dam to the confluence with the Columbia River. As part of efforts by the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group to conduct conservation planning, we used current and historical habitat information to assist in the planning process. We compiled existing georeferenced habitat data into a Geographic Information System to identify areas of high quality habitat for salmon, potential areas for restoration/improvement, and areas that could be threatened. The primary sources of georeferenced data for this project include a Lidar flight contracted by PacifiCorp, bathymetry from USGS, and redd surveys from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Redd observations provide support that the study area is a migratory corridor for salmon and that the lowest two to three miles have the highest concentration of documented redds. The study area has potential for restoration/conservation areas to improve/conserve salmon habitat.
2013 Adult Chinook VSP Monitoring in the White Salmon River – A Comparison of Abundance Estimation Methodologies Jeremy Wilson In 2010, WDFW implemented a comprehensive Viable Salmonid Population (VSP) parameter monitoring program for Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) populations downstream of Bonneville Dam focused on estimating adult abundance, spatial distribution, diversity and productivity (McElhany et al.2000; Crawford and Rumsey 2011). In 2013, this monitoring program was expanded to include the White Salmon population. Surveys were conducted weekly prior to start of spawning (early August) until completion of spawning (mid- December) and over the entire spawning distribution as outlined in Rawding et al. (2010). Counts of lives, carcasses, and redds were recorded by pre-determined reach and individual redd locations were recorded using Garmin Oregon 550 handheld GPS units. All intact carcasses were sampled for external tags and biologically sampled for fork length, sex, adipose fin presence, and condition. The study design was setup to estimate adult abundance using three independent methods: carcass tagging using the Jolly-Seber (JS) model, Area under the Curve (AUC) using live counts of Chinook classified as spawners, and redd expansion. The three abundance estimates varied substantially suggesting not all of the assumptions were met for each method. We hypothesize that the redd expansion estimate was biased low due to redd superimposition, turbid conditions at times throughout the season, and a skewed sex ratio of carcass recoveries while the carcass tagging estimate was biased low due to not meeting the equal mixing assumption of the JS model. AUC appeared to be the best estimator of Chinook abundance in the White Salmon River of the three methods used in 2013 and produced an estimate of 88 (95% CI 77-100) spring Chinook, 1232 (95% CI 1088-1409) tule stock fall Chinook, and 4251 (95% CI 3755-4861) bright stock fall Chinook using an apparent residence time (ART) of 5.0 days. Approximately 42.7% of spring Chinook, 1.0% of tule fall Chinook, and 1.5% of bright fall Chinook spawning occurred above the old Condit Dam site, respectively. The proportion of hatchery-origin spawners (pHOS) based on the presence of a coded-wire tag (CWT) and/or an adipose fin clip was 22.8% (95% CI 3.7 - 58.4%) for spring Chinook, 32.7% (95% CI 27.3-38.5%) tule fall Chinook, and 64.1% (95% CI 60.4 – 67.6%) for bright fall Chinook. Further work should be done to validate ART used in AUC calculations for 2013. Crawford, B. A., and S.M. Rumsey. 2011. Guidance for monitoring recovery of Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead listed under the federal endangered species act. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Region, Portland, Oregon. McElhany, P., M. H. Ruckelshaus, M. J. Ford, T. C.Wainright, and E. P. Bjorkstedt. 2000. Viable salmonid populations and the recovery of evolutionarily significant units. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-WFSC-42. Rawding, D., S. VanderPloeg, A. Weiss, and D. Miller. 2010. Preliminary Spawning Distribution of Tule Fall Chinook Salmon in Washington’s portion of the Lower Columbia River Evolutionary Significant Unit Based on Field Observation, GIS Attributes, and Logistic Regression. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Olympia, WA. 17pp.
Native Plant Restoration on the Former Condit Reservoir, White Salmon River Jeanette Burkhardt Abstract:
Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project: Plant Colonization and Establishment of the Dewatered Reservoirs after 2-3 Growing Seasons
Abstract
Proactive Contract Management Through the Development of a Customized Software Application David Lindley Habitat Restoration Specialist, Yakama Nation Fisheries Program - KWEP, PO Box 215, Klickitat, WA 98628, 509-369-3565, dlindley@ykfp.org
Abstract: Construction management involves planning, coordinating, and directing multiple activities simultaneously, often within compressed timeframes due to site sensitivities and/or regulatory constraints. Documentation of restoration implementation actions is critical for monitoring and accounting purposes. Traditional paper-based methods of documentation are tried-and-true, but can be inefficient, particularly for information transfer between individuals and for final settlement of contracts. The presentation will demonstrate a standardized, but flexible data management structure from point-of-collection through summary reporting. The Klickitat Watershed Enhancement Project (KWEP) is a broad-based in-stream, floodplain, and watershed restoration initiative of the Yakama Nation Fisheries Program. In any given year, KWEP implements multiple projects to enhance and restore watershed health in the Klickitat River subbasin, often concurrently. Given limited personnel and increasing workloads, staff identified cutting overhead demands as an opportunity to streamline process. Staff subcontracted a computer programmer to assist in the development of a mobile software application (FileMaker Pro/Go) on a user friendly data entry platform linked to a relational database. The application was designed, created, field tested, and refined during two restoration projects in 2013. It was found to be particularly effective in three areas: Work processes are often developed on an ad hoc basis and become the model for workflow through repetition. An evaluation of the status quo workflow employed by KWEP revealed an opportunity to use technology to restructure work processes.
Habitat Assessment and Prioritization of Actions on the Columbia Mainstem Presenter: Gardner Johnston, Hydrologist, Inter-Fluve Abstract:
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