Evaluation of the South Fork Salmon River Steelhead Trout Fishery

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Evaluation of the South Fork Salmon River Steelhead Trout Fishery U.S. FISH&WILDLIFE SERVICE Completion Report Evaluation of the South Fork Salmon River Steelhead Trout Fishery Restoration Program Performed for US Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Fish and Wildlife Compensation Plan Contract No. 14-16-0001-86505 Period Covered: March 1, 1984 to February 28, 1986 Russ Thurow Senior Fishery Research Biologist May 1987 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.....................................................1 INTRODUCTION ................................................2 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA ...................................3 OBJECTIVES .................................................. 3 RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................6 METHODS .....................................................7 Adult Steelhead Movements ...............................7 Spawning Area Surveys ..................................7 Fry Emergence Studies .................................. 7 Rearing Densities of Fish ..............................8 South Fork and East Fork South Fork Salmon River..... 8 Tributaries ......................................... 9 Age and Growth .........................................9 Creel Census .......................................... 10 Genetic Analysis .................................... 11 RESULTS .................................................... 12 Fisheries Resources ................................... 12 Steelhead Life History and Movements ................... 12 Steelhead Spawning Characteristics ..................... 16 South Fork Salmon River ............................ 16 Tributaries ........................................ 21 Steelhead Fry Emergence ............................... 28 Fish Distribution and Abundance ....................... 31 South Fork Salmon River ............................ 31 Tributaries ........................................ 37 Detailed Tributary Descriptions .................... 41 Bear Creek I.................................... 44 Bear Creek II .................................. 44 Blackmare Creek ................................ 44 Buck horn Creek ................................ 44 Cabin Creek .................................... 44 Camp Creek ..................................... 44 Cougar Creek ................................... 44 Dollar Creek ................................... 44 East Fork of the South Fork .................... 44 Caton Creek ................................ 44 Deadman Creek .............................. 44 Johnson Creek .............................. 44 Bear Creek III .......................... 46 Burntlog Creek ......................... 46 Riordan Creek .......................... 46 Trapper Creek .......................... 46 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Parks Creek ................................ 46 Profile Creek .............................. 46 Quartz Creek ............................... 46 Reeg a n Creek ............................. 46 Sugar Creek ................................ 46 Tamarack Creek ............................. 46 Elk Creek ...................................... 46 Fitsum Creek ................................... 47 Fourmile Creek ................................. 47 Lodgepole Creek ................................ 47 Phoebe Creek ................................... 47 Porphyry Creek ................................. 47 Raines Creek ................................... 47 Roaring Creek .................................. 47 Secesh River ................................... 47 Lake Creek ................................. 47 Lick Creek ................................. 47 Loon Creek ................................. 47 Summit Creek ............................... 47 Sheep Creek .................................... 47 Six-Bit Creek .................................. 47 Tallholt Creek ................................. 47 Trail Creek .................................... 47 Tyndall Creek .................................. 47 Age and Growth ......................................... 48 Cutthroat Trout .................................... 48 Bull Trout ......................................... 50 Angler Use and Harvest ................................. 53 Angler Effort ...................................... 53 Harvest ............................................ 53 Angler Attributes .................................. 57 Genetic Characteristics of Steelhead ................... 57 DISCUSSION ................................................. 61 Status of Indigenous Steelhead .......................... 61 Status of Resident Fish Species ........................ 70 Westslope Cutthroat Trout .......................... 70 Angler Harvest ................................. 71 Habitat Losses ................................. 72 Toxic Spills ................................... 74 Bull Trout ......................................... 74 Implications of Land Management Activities .............. 76 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................... 79 LITERATURE CITED ........................................... 80 APPENDICES ................................................. 88 2ii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Indigenous fish present in the South Fork Salmon River drainage .................................... 13 Table 2. Results of spring surveys for adult steelhead in the South Fork Salmon River below its confluence with the East Fork of the South Fork, 1984........................................ 15 Table 3. Observations of steelhead trout spawners and redds on the South Fork Salmon River, April-May 1984 and 1985..................................... 17 Table 4. Observations of steelhead trout spawners and redds on South Fork Salmon River tributaries, April-May 1984 and 1985........................... 18 Table 5. Numbers and densities of steelhead parr observed In South Fork Salmon River transects, July-August 1984 and 1985......................... 32 Table 6. Numbers of game fish sampled by hook-and-line in The South Fork Salmon River, August 1984 and 1985 34 Table 7. Numbers and densities of Chinook salmon, Cutthroat and bull trout observed in South Fork Salmon River transects, July-August 1984 and 1985 36 Table 8. Existing data on fish species distribution in South Fork Salmon River (source: current study Unless otherwise noted)........................... 42 Table 9. Mean calculated total lengths and increments of Growth for wild cutthroat trout collected in the South Fork Salmon River and tributaries, 1985 and Comparison of back-calculated lengths to Cutthroat trout from selected waters ............. 49 Table 10. Mean calculated total lengths and increments of Growth for wild bull trout collected in the South Fork Salmon River and tributaries, 1985 and Comparison of back-calculated lengths to bull trout from selected waters........................ 51 Table 11. Estimated harvest of game fish (by species) by Bank anglers from the South Fork Salmon River, 1984 and 1985..................................... 56 iii LIST OF TABLES (continued) Page Table 12. Angler residence and methods used on the South Fork Salmon River, 1984 and 1985 .........................60 Table 13. Steelhead parr densities observed in underseeded and fully seeded Idaho streams ...........................65 Table 14. Required escapement to produce 200,000 smolts in the South Fork Salmon River drainage with varying egg-to-smolt survival rates .....................68 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. South Fork Salmon River drainage, Idaho. 4 Figure 2. Discharge (cfs) of South Fork Salmon River near Krassel Ranger Station (gauge no. 13310700), 1974, 1977, 1983, 1984 ................................5 Figure 3. Length frequency of wild steelhead trout caught in the South Fork Salmon River, 1983-1984. 14 Figure 4. Spawning ground index area map of Stolle Meadows and Knox Bridge to Penny Spring, South Fork Sa l mon River, .........................................19 Figure 5. Spawning ground index area map of Poverty Flat, Darling Cabins, the Oxbow, and 22 Hole to Glory Hole, South Fork Salmon River, Idaho . 20 Figure 6. Suitable spawning areas observed on the South Fork Salmon River, Idaho below its confluence with the East Fork South Fork, 1984 .....................22 Figure 7. Steelhead trout redds and spawners observed on the Poverty Flat spawning area, South Fork Salmon River, 1984 ................................23 Figure 8. Steelhead trout redds observed over time on four South Fork Salmon River index areas, 1985 24 Figure 9. Spawning ground index area map of Johnson and Burntlog creeks, South Fork Salmon River, Idaho 25 Figure 10. Spawning ground index area map of Lick Creek and the Secesh River, South Fork Salmon River, Idaho ...................................................26 iv LIST OF FIGURES (continued) Paqe Figure 11. Spawning ground index area map of the East Fork South Fork, South Fork Salmon River, Idaho 27 . Figure 12. Numbers of steelhead trout fry emerging over time in five trapped redds on the Poverty Flat spawning area, July-August 1984 .............................29 Figure 13. Numbers of steelhead trout fry emerging over time in five trapped redds on the Poverty Flat spawning area, July-August 1985 .............................30 Figure 14. Length frequency of steelhead parr and rainbow trout (> 250 mm) caught in the South Fork Salmon 35 River, August 1984 and 1985 ................................ Figure 15. Length frequency of steelhead parr, rainbow trout (> 250 mm) and bull trout caught in South 39 Fork Salmon River tributaries, 1984 and Figure 16. Length
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