1994 Annual Report
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“. This report was funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), U.S. Department of Energy, as patl of BPA’s p$ogram to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and Wildlife affected’ by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The views in this report are the author’s and do not ne~essarily represent the views of BPA. : For additional copies of this report, write to: Bonneville Power Administration Public Information Center - CKPS-1” P.O. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97208 Please include tltlc, author, and 00HBIJ number from t}lc back cover in ttlc request .. DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEMWIDE PREDATOR CONTROL PROGRAM: STEPWISE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PREDATION INDEX, PREDATOR CONTROL FISHERIES, AND EVALUATION PLAN IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN SECTION I: IMPLEMENTATION 1994 ANNUAL REPORT Prepared by: Charles F. WiUis S. P. Cramer and Associates, Inc. Franklin R. Young Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority In Cooperation With Washington Department of Wildlife P~cific States Marine Fisheries Commission Columbia River inter-Tribal Fish Commission Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Confeder~ted Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation Nez Perce Tribe Yakama Indian Tribe Oregon Department of Fish and Wddlife Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Environment, Fish and Wildlife P. O. BOX 3621 Portland, OR 97208-3621 Project Number 90-077 Contract Number 94B124514 September 1995 DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEMWIDE PREDATOR CONTROL PROGRAM: STEPWISE IMPLEMENTATION OF A PREDATION INDEX, PREDATOR CONTROL FISHERIES, AND EVALUATION PLAN IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN SECTION II: EVALUATION ANNUAL REPORT 1994 Prepared by: Charles F. Willis S. P. Cramer and Associates, Inc. Miiwaukie, OR 97267 Franklin R. Young Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Portland, OR 97201 In Cooperation With Washington Department of Wildlife Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Confederated Tribes of the Uinatilla Indian Reservation Nez Perce Tribe Yakama Indian Nation Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Environment, Fish and Wildlife P. 0. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97208-3621 Project Number 90-077 Contract Number 94BI245 14 August 1995 EXECUTIVE SUMMARYby Charles F. Willis . 1 SECTION I. IMPLEMENTATION . ...9 REPORTA. ImplementationoftheNorthernSquawfish Sport-Reward Fishe~ in the Columbia and Snake Rivers by Scott S. Smith, Dennis R GiIlii2m@ Eric C. ??lnther, A.&c R Petersen, Eric N. Mattson, Stacie LKelsey, Jmice Suarez-Pena, andJohnHisata . II REPORTB. Northern Squawfish Sport-Reward FlsheryPayments byRusselIG.Porter . ...97 REPORT(2. ControlledAnglingforNorthemSquawfish at Selected Dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers by Columbia River Inter- TribalFishCommiw”on . 103 REPORTD. Site-SpecificRemoval ofNorthemSquawfish AggregatedtoFeed onJuvenile Salmonids intheSpringinthe LowerColumbiaand SnakeRiversusing GillNetsandTrap Nets by Ken Collis, Roy E. Beaty, Jack A4cCorrnack, and Kathy A4cRae . 153 REPORTE. Handling and Transportation of Northern Squawfish Hamested under the Columbia River Northern Squawfish Management Program in 1994 and Evaluation of the Cost Effectiveness of a Food-Grade Fish Handling Network by Jon Pampush and Charles F. WUis.. 187 SECTION II. EVALUATION . 201 REPORT F. Development of a Systemwide Predator Control Program Indexing and Fisheries Evaluation by Chris J Khutsen, DavidL. Ww~ l’homas A. Friesen andA4ark P. Zimmerman . 203 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . 1. ., . 206 ABSTRACT ........................................................... ...20 6 INTRODUCTION ........................................................ 207 METHODS.. ............................ ........................208 Fishery Evaluation ................... ........................ 208 Field Procedures ............... ........................ 208 Data Analysis ................. ........................ 208 Biological Evaluation ................. ........................ 209 Field Procedures ............... ........................ 209 Laboratory Procedures .......... ........................ 210 Data Analysis ................. ......................... 210 RESULTS...............................................................211 Fishery Evaluation ................................................... 2 11 Biological Evaluation ................................................. 2 19 DISCUSSION.............................................................22 7 REFERENCES ......................................................... ..22 9 APPENDIX A. Exploitation of Northern Squawfish by Reservoir and Fishery: 1991 through 1994 . , . 231 APPENDIX B. Calculations of Northern Squawfish Year-Class Strengths, Size Selectivity, and Adjustment of PSD Estimates . _ . _ . _ . ‘. 243 APPENDIX C. Density, Abundance, Consumption, and Predation Indices from 1990 through 1994 for Sampling Locations in the Lower Columbia and Snake Rivers . , . _ . _ . 248 APPENDIX D. Timing of Consumption Index Sampling with Passage Indices at Lower Columbia and Snake River Dams . _ . _ . 255 - APPENDIX E. Results of ODFW Lure Trolling in Bonneville Dam Tailrace Boat Restricted Zone in 1994 . 260 APPENDIX F. Comparison of Digestive Tract Contents of Northern Squawfish and Smallmouth Bass Caught in the Lower Columbia andSnakeRiversin1993and1994 . ...262 - by Charles F. Willis We report our results horn the forth year of a basinwide program to harvest northern squawfish (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) in an effort to reduce mortality due to northern squawfish predation on juvenile salmonids during their emigration from natal streams to the ocean. Earlier work in the Columbla River Basin suggested predation by northern squawfish on juvenile salmonids may account for most of the 10-20% mortality juvenile salmonids experience in each of eight Columbia and Snake River reservoirs. Modeling simulations based on work in John Day Reservoir from 1982 through 1988 indicated it is not necessay to eradicate northern squawfish to substantially reduce predation-caused mortality of juvenile salmonids. Instead, ifnorthem squawfish were exploited at a 10-20°/0 rate, reductions in numbers of larger, older fish resulting in restructuring of their population could reduce their predation on juvenile salmonids by 50°/0 or more. Consequently, we designed and tested a sport-reward angling fishery and a commercial longline fishery in the John Day pool in 1990. We also conducted an anglhg fishery in areas inaccessible to the public at four dams on the mainstem Columbia River and at Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. Based on the success of these limited efforts, we implemented three test fisheries on a multi-pool, or systemwide, scale in 1991 -- a tribal longline fishq above Bonneville Da~ a sport-reward fishery, and a dam-angling fishery. Low catch of target fish and high cost of implementation resulted in discontinuation of the tribal Iongline fishery. However, the sport- reward and dam-angling fisheries were continued in 1992 and 1993. In 1992, we investigated the feasibility of implementing a commercial longline fishery in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and found that implementation of this fishery was also infeasible. Although we were unable to implement an effective longline fishery, it was important to attainment of program objectives to attempt to substantially increase total annual exploitation. Estimates of combined annual exploitation rates resulting from the sport-reward and dam-angling fisheries remained at the low end of our target range of 10-20%. This suggested the need for additional, effective harvest techniques. During 1991 and 1992, we developed and tested a modified (small-sized) Memvin trap net. We found this floating trap net to be very effective at catching northern squawfish at specific sites. Consequently, in 1993 we examined a systemwide fishery using floating trap nets, but found this fishe~ to be ineffective at harvesting large numbers of northern squawflsh on a systemwide scale. In 1994, we investigated the use of trap nets and gill nets at site-specific locations where concentrations of northern squawfish were known or suspeeted to occur during the spring season (i.e., March through early June). In addition, we initiated a concerted effort to increase public participation in the sport-reward fishery through a series of promotional and incentive activities. Results of these efforts are subjects of this annual report under Section I, Implementation. In this sectio~ we also report on the system we used to colleet and dispose of harvested northern 1 squawfish. An evaluation of the cost effixtiveness of a food-grade fish handling network is included. Evaluation of the success of test fisheries in achieving our target goal of a 10-20% annual exploitation rate on northern squawfish is presented in Section II of this report. Overall program success in terms of altering the size and age composition of the northern squawfish population and in terms of potential reductions in loss of juvenile sahnonids to northern squawflsh predation is also discussed under Section II. The fishery implementation and evaluation team includes the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (Authority), Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC), S.P. Cramer and Associates, Inc. (SPCA), Oregon Department of Fish and WildMe (ODFW), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish