Yakima River Fall Chinook Supplementation 2006-07
Melinda Davis
Yakama Nation, YKFP
Objectives
- To supplement and enhance the two existing stocks of Yakima River fall chinook, while preserving the stock characteristics and fitness of targeted stocks and keeping ecological and genetic impacts to not-target species within specified limits.
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Smolt Monitoring
- The experimental focus has been Rearing Strategy
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- Monitor via PIT tags
Rearing Strategy
- Yakima River stock
- Prosser Hatchery BY 1998-2005
- Accelerated vs Conventional
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- Marion Drain stock
- Marion Drain Hatchery BY 1998-2005
- Coventionally reared, however
- warmer water vs mainstem
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Slide 5
Smolt-Adult
Move to Accelerated
- BY2005 moved majority to
- Smolt survival higher under Accelerated rearing conditions and earlier releases suggest better survival for smolts leaving the system vs Conventional methods.
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- -AND as Adults returning to spawn for the BY99, BY2000 and BY2001 cycles.
Prosser accelerated
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- 2006 survival to McN 31.2%
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- BY2006
- 2007 PRO vs LWH
- Yearling feasibility
Stiles Pond
- 2007 2006 2005
- ~95,000 (9,970) 118,835 (19,902) 38,890 (4,198)
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- released 5/10/07 released 5/10/06 released 4/19/05
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- McN: *6% McN: 15.2% McN: 2.8%
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- *2007 preliminary
Billys Pond
- new in 2007, located on the Yakima River in Union Gap, ~RM 110
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- Released 5,000 PIT on 5/10/07
- 3% detections at McN since 6/12
2005 Adult Fall Chinook
Slide 12
Slide 13
Slide 14
Radio Telemetry
- 25 Fall Chinook at the Denil (RM 47.1)
- tracked 17 of 25
- 5 between PRO and Mabton
- (1 of these in Sulfur drain)
- 8 between GRA and Zillah
- 1 in Marion Drain
- 3 between WAP and U.Gap
Slide 16
2006 Redd Counts below Prosser
- 1,901 Escapement to Yakima R
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- Yakima R. below Prosser- 43 Redds
- 77% (33) Prosser to Chandler
- 23% (10) Chandler to Benton
- (0) Benton to Horn Rapids
- (0) Horn Rapids to Mouth
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- *high turbid flows prevented redd surveys after the first couple of weeks. (WDFW, Hoffarth 2007)
2006 Redd Surveys above Prosser
- 1,528 over Prosser Dam
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- Yakima River- 357 Redds
- 53.2% Emerald Rd to Granger (RM70-83)
- 37.5% Granger to Zillah (RM83-91)
- 9% Zillah to SSD (RM91-104)
- 0.3% Union Gap (RM107-117)
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- Naches River- 0 redds
- Wapatox Dam to Cowiche Dam
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Slide 19
Slide 20
- Marion Drain- 60 redds
- 73% above Hwy 97
- 27% below Hwy 97
Slide 21
BeachSeine
- 1) Observe timing and survival of wild fall chinook smolts emigrating above Prosser Dam (Union Gap and Granger) and below Prosser Dam (PRO, Benton and VanG)
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- 2) Originally hoped to observe how Hatchery releases compare to Wild releases.
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Slide 23
Wild Fall Chinook
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- 2007 2006 2005 2004
- N #PIT N #PIT N #PIT N #PIT
- <PRO 12 --- 211 80 3,182 108 1,517 181
- GRA 126 35 401 19 2,389 293 3,567 125
- GAP --- --- ---- ---- 262 33 160 0
Slide 25
Slide 26
2007-08 Plans
- Acclimate Fall Chinook at the Prosser and Marion Drain Hatcheries
- Acclimate at Stiles and Billys Pond
- In-basin Yearling release
- Beach Seine
- Redd Surveys
- Radio Tag Returning Adults at the Prosser Denil
Plans in progress
- Fall Chinook Master Plan
- Establish an “early-run” Fall Chinook Program
ESA
- In 2005, fishery co-managers in U.S. v Oregon (Columbia River Treaty Tribes, WDFW, ODFW, IDFG, NMFS, and USFWS) received new PIT tag data that revealed CLEAR SEPARATION in migration timing between the ESA-listed Snake River summer chinook and the unlisted mid-Columbia summer chinook
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- It was concluded in the biological “Status Review of mid-Columbia River summer Chinook” that summer chinook are not a species or Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) as defined by the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Rather, they are part of a larger ESU that includes all late-run (summer and fall), ocean-type Chinook from the mainstem Columbia River and its tribuataries (excluding the Snake River) between Chief Joseph and McNary Dams. Also, that this larger ESU is not likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future and does not warrant listing as a threatened or endangered species (Waknitz et al. 1995)
Early-Run Fall Chinook?
- Objective: To determine if it’s feasible to establish an early-run Fall Chinook to the Yakima River with the goals being:
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- 1) Develop a naturally spawning adult population between Sunnyside Dam to Roza Dam in the Yakima River, and the lower Naches from the mouth to the Tieton River and,
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- 2) To increase the number of adults contributing for Harvest Augmentation through the lower Columbia, zone 6 and the lower Yakima River for both the Tribal and Sports Fishery.
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Acknowledgements
- YN: Andrew Lewis, Denny Nagle, Conan Northwind, Quincy Wallahee, Joe Jay Pinkham III who carried out the daily field activities to make it happen.
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- Mel Sampson, Dave Fast, Mark Johnston, Todd Newsome, Bill Bosch, Dave Lind, Doug Neeley, Billy Fiander and Ida Sohappy-Ike
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- Prosser and Marion Drain Hatchery: Joe Blodgett, Sonny Fiander and the Hatchery crews.
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- BIG THANKS TO EACH OF YOU!
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- This project is funded by the Bonneville Power Administration and is administered through Patty Smith.
That’s All Folks!