Columbia River Food Web Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Columbia River Food Webs: Developing a Broader Scientific Foundation for Fish and Wildlife Restoration Independent Scientific Advisory Board Document ISAB 2011-1 January 7, 2011 Cover image: The Big Fish Eat the Small Ones, Peter Brueghel the Elder, 1556 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bigfishlittlefish.JPG Independent Scientific Advisory Board for the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, Columbia River Basin Indian Tribes, and NOAA Fisheries 851 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 1100 Portland, Oregon 97204 [email protected] Contributors ISAB and Ad Hoc Members J. Richard Alldredge, Ph.D., Professor of Statistics at Washington State University David Beauchamp, Ph.D., Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at University of Washington, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish Research Unit (ad hoc member) Peter A. Bisson, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at the Olympia (Washington) Forestry Sciences Laboratory of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station (ad hoc member) James Congleton, Ph.D., Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Professor, University of Idaho (retired) Charles Henny, Ph.D., Emeritus Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (ad hoc member) Nancy Huntly, Ph.D., Affiliate Professor of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University and Adjunct Professor of Biology at Utah State University Roland Lamberson, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Mathematics and Director of Environmental Systems Graduate Program at Humboldt State University Colin Levings, Ph.D., Scientist Emeritus at Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Robert J. Naiman, Ph.D., Professor of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at University of Washington William Pearcy, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University Bruce Rieman, Ph.D., Research Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Greg Ruggerone, Ph.D., Fisheries Scientist for Natural Resources Consultants, Affiliated Research Scientist Alaska Salmon Program, University of Washington Dennis Scarnecchia, Ph. D., Professor of Fish and Wildlife Resources at University of Idaho Peter Smouse, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers University Chris C. Wood, Ph.D., Conservation Biology Section, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada Support ISAB Ex Officios and Coordinators Michael Ford, Ph.D., Director of the Conservation Biology Program at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center Erik Merrill, J.D., Independent Science Program Manager, Northwest Power and Conservation Council William Muir, M.S., Research Fishery Biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center Phil Roger, Ph.D., Fisheries Science Manager at the Columbia River Inter‐Tribal Fish Commission James Ruff, M.S., P.H., Manager, Mainstem Passage and River Operations, Northwest Power and Conservation Council Staff Laura Robinson, ISAB and Northwest Power and Conservation Council Intern Eric Schrepel, Technical and Web Data Specialist, Northwest Power and Conservation Council Columbia River Food Webs: Developing a Broader Scientific Foundation for Fish and Wildlife Restoration List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................................................... iv Unit Conversion Tables .......................................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 1 A. Food Webs: Concepts and Applications ............................................................................................................................. 8 A.1. Food Webs and Restoration of Columbia River Fish and Wildlife .......................................................................... 8 A.2. Why Understanding Food Webs is Important ...................................................................................................... 16 B. The Physical Setting .......................................................................................................................................................... 23 B.1. The Columbia River Ecosystem: Characterization of Pre‐Development Food Webs ............................................ 23 B.2. Contemporary Flow Characteristics – the Hydrosystem ...................................................................................... 31 C. Environmental Processes Affecting Food Web Characteristics ........................................................................................ 39 C.1. Importance of Marine‐Derived Nutrients ............................................................................................................. 39 C.2. Effects of Seabird and Marine Mammal Predation on Food Webs and Salmonids .............................................. 47 C.3. Food Web Consequences of Fish Predation ......................................................................................................... 55 C.4. Hatchery Releases and Food Webs ....................................................................................................................... 76 C.5. Non‐Native Species ............................................................................................................................................... 92 C.6. Food Web Processes – Bioenergetics and Fish Growth ...................................................................................... 107 C.7. Toxics and Biomagnification ............................................................................................................................... 115 D. Food Webs in Typical Habitats ....................................................................................................................................... 129 D.1. Small Tributaries ................................................................................................................................................. 129 D.2. Large Tributaries ................................................................................................................................................. 136 D.3. Free‐flowing Reaches of the Columbia River ...................................................................................................... 149 D.4. Lakes .................................................................................................................................................................... 157 D.5. Water Storage Impoundments ........................................................................................................................... 170 D.6. Run‐of‐River Reservoirs ...................................................................................................................................... 176 D.7. The Estuary and Plume ....................................................................................................................................... 183 D.8. Riparian Habitats ................................................................................................................................................. 192 E. A Systems Perspective .................................................................................................................................................... 199 E.1. Future Vulnerabilities: Climate, Land Use and Population Growth .................................................................... 199 E.2. Comparisons with the Fraser River, British Columbia ........................................................................................ 204 E.3. Restoration Strategies ......................................................................................................................................... 210 E.4. A Total System Perspective: Phenology .............................................................................................................. 218 E.5. Threats, Knowledge Gaps, and a Strategy for Columbia River Food Webs ........................................................ 226 F. APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................................................... 239 F.1. Appendix A. Tools for Investigating Food Webs ................................................................................................ 239 F.2. Appendix B. The Legal and Policy Foundations for Fish and Wildlife Program Projects and Management Actions that Specifically Address Food Webs ..................................................................................................... 246 F.3. Appendix C. Pesticides Used in the Columbia River Basin .................................................................................. 253 F.4. Appendix