Lampreys in the Puget Sound Watersheds

WRIA 7 January 5th 2021 Monica Blanchard - USFWS and WDFW Christina Wang, Joe Skalicky, and Miranda Plumb – USFWS Laura Heironimus - WDFW Today’s Discussion

• Biology • Ecological Importance • Conservation Actions and Restoration • Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative Rapidly Declining and Lack of Information Trees evolve 360 million years ago!! Tribal Cultural Significance

Tom Banse

CRITFC

Jim Wilson/New York Times Trimet.org Unique Characteristics

• No scales, bones, or paired fins • Sucker-like mouth, eel-like body Damon Goodman, USFWS • Some climb vertical surfaces • About 40 species • Parasitic and Non- parasitic • Anadromous and Resident Anadromous / Parasitic

State Priority Species State Priority Federal Species of Concern Species

Pacific Lamprey (> 13”) Western River Lamprey (≤12”)

Resident / Non-feeding

Western Brook Lamprey (≤ 7”) Pacific Lamprey Life Cycle

Adults migrate to freshwater and overwinter

Juveniles are parasitic in the Adults in gravel redds ocean for 1-3+ years

Eggs hatch into larvae and drift downstream to slow velocity area

CRITFC Larvae live in fine substrates Transform to juveniles and and filter feed for 3 – 8+ migrate to the ocean years Lamprey Habitat Types

Photo Credit: R Lampman Range and Distribution of Pacific Lamprey Snohomish Basin Lamprey Distribution Ecosystem Connections Ecosystem Engineers: Burrowing, Filter Feeding, and Redd Building

Hogg et al. 2014

Applegate 1950 ODFW OSAIS Shirakawa et al., 2013 Marine Derived Nutrients

https://www.washingtonruralheritage.org

Emma Garner Alternative Prey – Buffer Salmonid Predation 46 Predators

16 Ben Clemens 32 Prey Species

Ben Clemens Threats - Puget Sound

• Lack of awareness! • Stream and floodplain degradation • Dewatering and flow management • Climate change • Passage barriers PR Problem! Conservation Actions Conservation Recommendations 2011 Assessment –Puget Sound • Restoration stream and floodplain habitat • Improved water quality • Improved flow management • Improve tributary passage • Targeted lamprey distribution surveys What’s Good for , is Good for Lamprey?

Jamestown S’Klallam Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan

• Channel Complexity • Increased edge and off channel habitat • Restored watershed processes • Removal of barriers Pilchuck Diversion Dam Removal

Tulalip Tribes Lamprey Passage Improvements Screening

Woven Wire Perforated Plate Vertical Bar Interlocking Bar Rose and Mesa, 2012 NMFS criteria – 2.38mm or 1.75 mm maximum opening Good for large larvae (~70-90+ mm) Avoid woven wire screens for smaller larvae Orientation and angle matters! WDFW Screening Team and PLCI Subgroup Restoration • Before and during the design process • Unique life history of lampreys • Habitat use and requirements • Presence and abundance of lampreys in project area • Implementation – In-water work window is for Salmon! Site Dewatering

▪ Slower the better

▪ Increases self-rescue rates

▪ 1-2” per hour

▪ Time to conduct active hands on salvage of stranded lamprey

▪ Most lamprey that are going to emerge do so in the first 15 min (Liedtke et al. 2015)

▪ Only about 50% emerge

Photo Credit: Ralph Lampman Alternate Dewatering Steps

1. Conduct pre-drawdown lamprey presence/absence surveys • Mussels? 2. Perform pre-drawdown lamprey salvage • Mussels? 3. Perform pre-drawdown salvage boney fishes 4. Perform hands on lamprey salvage during drawdown • Mussels? • Boney fishes? 5. Perform “dry” shocking on dewatered substrates with high density of lamprey. Continue until site is completely dewatered. “Dry” Electrofishing Electrofishers

LR-24 Apex LR-20 ABP-2

https://www.smith-root.com/support/kb/setting-up-a-backpack-electrofisher-to-capture- larval-lamprey Lamprey Specific Tools

Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative • 2003 Petition to List 4 Species: • Pacific, River, Western Brook and Kern Brook lampreys • 2004 “Not warranted” decision for all species • Insufficient information • Pacific Lamprey • Agreed there were declines • No defined listable entity (distinct population segment) • 2011-2012 Assessment, Conservation Agreement, and Regional Management Units (RMUs) Conservation Agreement 2012

Oregon Zoo City of Portland Environmental Services Yakama Nation Portland General Electric Umatilla Tribes Bonneville Power Administration Warm Springs Tribes U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cow Creek Band of Umpquas U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Grand Ronde Tribes U.S. Bureau of Land Management – CA, ID & OR Siletz Tribes U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe US Fish and Wildlife Service – Regions 1, 7 & 8 Mechoopda Tribe U.S. Forest Service – Regions 1, 4, 5 & 6 Wiyot Tribe National Marine Fisheries Service Yurok Tribe Pacific States Marine Fish Commission Coos, Lower Umpqua Siuslaw Tribes Lower Estuary Partnership California Dept of Fish and Wildlife Columbia Land Trust Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife Salmon Creek Watershed Council Idaho Dept of Fish and Game California Dept of Water Resources Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Region 10 Alaska Dept of Fish and Game Grant County PUD Portland Metro Chelan County PUD RMU Groups • Ongoing collaboration across organizations • Local biologists and managers • Share information & resources • Update Regional Implementation Plans annually Regional Implementation Plans (RIPs)

• Begun in 2013 – updated annually • Adaptive management based on local insights • Update status, distributions, threats, accomplishments • Propose conservation actions • Propose projects to address threats • RIPs available online! Lamprey Technical Workgroup

• Subgroups • Juvenile entrainment & dredging investigations • Tagging • Genetics & eDNA • Adult passage • Restoration • Contaminants • Ocean Phase • Other Lampreys • Outreach • Aquaculture Data Clearinghouse Partnership Opportunities

• National Fish Habitat Partnership • Project funding potentially starting 2022 • Raising awareness with funding partners • Evaluate lamprey focused improvements eDNA

eDNA Collection in the Skykomish River Basin Ostberg et al., 2018 Identification and Surveys January 12th: Cultural Significance of Lamprey and the Importance of Outreach Lamprey Resources • PLCI Website • https://www.fws.gov/pacificlamprey/mainpage.cfm - New website coming soon: www.pacificlamprey.org • Lamprey Data Clearinghouse • https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/53ad8d9de4b0729c15418232 • https://databasin.org • Lamprey Technical Workgroup • https://www.fws.gov/pacificlamprey/LTWGMainpage.cfm • BMP for in water work and passage guideline - revision in 2020 • https://www.fws.gov/pacificlamprey/Documents • Recommendations to improve passage at fishways • https://www.cafishpassageforum.org/lamprey • Oregon Zoo exhibit! Lampreys in the Puget Sound • Our scientific understanding is evolving • Partnership and engagement opportunities through PLCI • Actions that benefit salmonids often benefit lamprey – but not always • Consider lamprey specific passage and screening requirements • Consider various life stages at site • Consider salvage and construction impacts • Lampreys are ancient and an integral component of a health stream ecosystem! Contact Information

• Christina Wang: [email protected] • Miranda Plumb: [email protected] • Joe Skalicky: [email protected] • Laura Heironimus: [email protected] • Monica Blanchard: [email protected] How would you like to be involved?

• Please add into the chat where you currently interact with lampreys or where you may interact with lampreys in the future: • Restoration • Monitoring • Passage infrastructure/screening?

• Do you or your organization want to be involved in any components of PLCI? • Regional Management Unit meetings • Technical Workgroup • Data sharing • Trainings • Webinars/Information Exchange Potential Lamprey Interactions

• Restoration dewatering • Irrigation/drainage infrastructure • Salmonid monitoring • Juvenile fish surveys • Steelhead spawning surveys • Screw trap – larvae and juveniles • Weirs and ladders – adults