Abundance and Distribution of Fish Species in City of Portland Streams
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ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF FISH SPECIES IN CITY OF PORTLAND STREAMS COMPLETION REPORT 2009 Project Period: 1 March 2008 to 30 June 2009 Prepared by: Erick S. Van Dyke Adam J. Storch Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program Clackamas, OR Prepared for: City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Portland, OR 97204-1912 IGA Number 020-8038 December 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................................ i INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................1 STUDY AREA ...................................................................................................................................2 METHODS .........................................................................................................................................5 Seasonal Fish Assemblage and Abundance...............................................................................6 Fish Presence in Summer Habitat Units ....................................................................................8 Index of Biotic Integrity.............................................................................................................9 RESULTS .........................................................................................................................................10 Seasonal Fish Assemblage and Abundance.............................................................................10 Fanno Creek Drainage ....................................................................................................12 Johnson Creek Watershed...............................................................................................14 Miller Creek Drainage ....................................................................................................17 Stephens Creek Drainage................................................................................................18 Fish Presence in Summer Hydrologic Units............................................................................20 Fanno Creek Drainage ....................................................................................................20 Johnson Creek Watershed...............................................................................................20 Miller Creek Drainage ....................................................................................................22 Stephens Creek Drainage................................................................................................23 Index of Biotic Integrity...........................................................................................................23 DISCUSSION...................................................................................................................................23 RECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................30 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................31 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................32 APPENDIX TABLES.......................................................................................................................37 APPENDIX FIGURES A .................................................................................................................92 APPENDIX FIGURES B ...............................................................................................................105 ABSTRACT This investigation represented a continued partnership between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the City of Portland identifying fish distribution and abundance, and monitoring stream condition using an index of biotic integrity. From April 2008 through February 2009, we used backpack electrofishing techniques in the four City of Portland drainages Fanno Creek, Johnson Creek Watershed, Miller and Stephens creeks. Over 95% of the total aquatic animals identified in our catch were from three families, sculpin (family Cottidae; 55.2%), minnows (family Cyprinidae; 35.0%), and Pacific salmon and trout (family Salmonidae; 4.8%). Catch was predominated by sculpin during spring (64.8%) and summer (68.4%) while minnows predominated in fall (58.1%) and winter (47.1%). Salmon and trout were present every season with 3.5% to 5.1% spring through fall, and 9.7% during winter. Numbers of animals captured decreased spring to winter in three of the four drainages. Most of the fish captured were small (<100 mm; <3.9 inches fork length) in length. Sculpin appeared to use pooled and fast water hydrologic unit types (49% and 47%, respectively). Minnows preferred pools (82%) over the other two hydrologic unit types. Salmonids had a higher overall percentage capture in pools than fast water and glide habitats (66, 27, and 7%, respectively). Calculations of fish per estimated hydrologic units available in the entire reach contradicted the percentage findings for both sculpin and Pacific salmon and trout thus suggesting different pattern in distribution among hydrologic unit types, especially glides. On average, stream conditions in City of Portland were marginally impaired, and no reach achieved the highest ranking of acceptable impairment. Future monitoring in the region could be enhanced by focusing on assessing at a watershed level. Improving the power to detect slow recovery could require increasing the number of sites sampled, and by decreasing the duration between sampling events. A continued commitment to evaluate aquatic assemblages should inform our understanding of aquatic ecosystem condition in urban streams while assuring effective management of fish and wildlife in the region. i INTRODUCTION Understanding seasonal use and distribution of single species or a community of animals is of interest in managing aquatic resources. In order for ecological descriptors to be relevant they should include comprehensive seasonal coverage across the entire ecosystem of interest (Kwak and Peterson 2007). However, seasonal variation can profoundly influence an assemblage in open water bodies (e.g., streams, sloughs, estuaries) where animals move freely among habitats. With this in mind, variation may be more pronounced when collecting a mix of animals that exhibit different life history characteristics, growth, and survival. Characterizing an assemblage both seasonally and spatially may lead to a better understanding of the dynamics of the measured group of animals, and guide managers in implementing effective policy in a region. Many efforts to restore aquatic ecosystems in the Columbia River ecoregion revolve around recovering distinct populations of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. and steelhead O. mykiss that are managed by Endangered Species Act (ESA) legislation. Of the six anadromous species of Pacific salmon and steelhead known to use streams in the Columbia River ecoregion (NOAA Fisheries 2009), four have been regularly observed in sampling activities in the Portland Metropolitan area (Farr and Ward 1993; Friesen et al. 2007). Characterizing the distribution and habitat associations of each species involves accurate measurement of their presence in localized habitats. Although there is little doubt that all six ESA listed species utilize the lower Columbia River as a migratory corridor, both as adults returning to spawn (FPC 2009a) and as juveniles moving seaward (FPC 2009b), rigorous sampling is needed to fully understand the ecological importance of this system for Pacific salmon and steelhead. The Federal Water Pollution Act of 1972 (Clean Water Act; 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.) identified a need to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biologic integrity of the Nation’s water. In response to this legislation, Karr (1981) developed a method for indicating stream condition using fish metrics. Continued testing found that this approach could be applied broadly, and worked best when seasonal variation was reduced by conducting sampling during summer flow conditions (Karr et al. 1987). Additionally, modifications that accounted for regional differences in species composition and that vigorously test the reliability and repeatability of metrics enhanced the dependability for use as a long term monitoring tool (Hughes et al 1998; Fore 2003; Hughes et al. 2004). Continued monitoring by regularly measuring responses related to aquatic disturbance requires an understanding of a minimally disturbed condition (Hughes 1995; Mebane et al. 2003). This information establishes a standard (baseline or reference condition) for what should be expected in an ecosystem if left to function undisturbed. This idea of integrating ecological consideration based on each species found in a population has been broadly applied in regular monitoring and managing aquatic resources (EPA 2007; OWEB 2007; ODFW 2009a). Understanding the composition of the aquatic assemblage can provide the insight needed for constructing a multi-dimensional assessment of stream condition, and formulating actions for restoring functionality of aquatic resources in disturbed areas. The City of Portland, in continued partnership with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), looked to add to existing