ARROW LAKES RESERVOIR NUTRIENT RESTORATION PROGRAM, YEARS 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) REPORT
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ARROW LAKES RESERVOIR NUTRIENT RESTORATION PROGRAM, YEARS 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) REPORT by E. U. Schindler, D. Sebastian, T. Weir, H. Andrusak, G.F. Andrusak, M. Bassett and K. I. Ashley Fisheries Project Report No. RD 137 2013 Resource Management Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Province of British Columbia Funding by Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and Arrow Lakes Power Corporation A subsidiary of Columbia Power and Columbia Basin Trust Fisheries Project Reports frequently contain preliminary data, and conclusions based on these may be subject to change. Reports may be cited in publications but their manuscript status (MS) must be noted. Please note that the presentation summaries in the report are as provided by the authors, and have received minimal editing. Please obtain the individual author's permission before citing their work. ARROW LAKES RESERVOIR NUTRIENT RESTORATION PROGRAM YEARS 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) REPORT by E. U. Schindler1, D. Sebastian2, T. Weir3, H. Andrusak4, G.F. Andrusak4 M. Bassett1 and K. I. Ashley5 1 Resource Management, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Province of BC, 401-333 Victoria St., Nelson, BC, V1L 4K3 2 British Columbia Conservation Foundation, Suite 200-1383 McGill Rd, Kamloops, BC V2C 6K7 3 Fish, Wildlife and Habitat Management Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Province of BC, PO Box 9338 STN PROV GOVT, Victoria, BC, V8W 9M2 4 Redfish Consulting Ltd., 5244 Hwy 3A, Nelson, BC, V1L 6N6 5 Ecological Restoration Program, BC Institute of Technology, 700 Willingdon Ave.,Burnaby, BC, V5G 3H2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding for the eleventh and twelfth year (2009 and 2010) of the Arrow Lakes Reservoir Nutrient Restoration Project was provided by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program – Columbia Basin and Columbia Power Corporation. The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program – Columbia Basin is a joint initiative between BC Hydro, the province of British Columbia and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The program was established to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife compensation populations affected by BC Hydro dams in the Canadian portion of the Columbia River Basin. The contributions from the province of British Columbia are primarily from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Ministry of Environment. Funding is provided by Arrow Lakes Power Corporation (ALPC) which owns the Arrow Lakes Generating Station. ALPC is jointly owned by Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust. Columbia Power Corporation manages the operations of the ALPC on behalf of the joint venture. The funding is being provided as a compensatory benefit for the operations of the Arrow Lakes Generating Station on the Lower Arrow Lake. Arrow Lakes Reservoir Nutrient Restoration Program, Years 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) Report i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report summarizes results from the eleventh and twelfth year (2009 and 2010) of nitrogen and phosphorus additions to the Upper Arrow Lakes Reservoir (referred to as Upper Arrow in the report). The nutrient restoration program was conducted using an adaptive management approach in an effort to restore reservoir productivity lost as a result of nutrient retention and uptake in upstream reservoirs (Revelstoke and Mica). The primary objective of the nutrient restoration program is to restore kokanee (Onchorhynchus nerka) populations, which are the primary food source for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). Secchi disc measurements were typical of previous years’ results with a seasonal pattern with decreased spring to summer transparency associated with increased phytoplankton biomass and increased turbidity due to spring runoff, followed by increased transparency in the late summer and fall months. Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes Reservoir (referred to as Upper Arrow and Lower Arrow in the remainder of the report) is a warm monomictic lake with with isothermal temperatures from late fall to early spring and stratification during the summer months. In 2009, the maximum water temperature of the season occurred in July in Upper Arrow and in August in Lower Arrow. In 2010, the maximum water temperature occurred in August in Upper and Lower Arrow. Total phosphorus concentrations ranged from 2 to 5 µg/L, in Upper Arrow and 2 to 4 µg/L in Lower Arrow, with the exception of a higher value of 7 µg/L observed at AR 8 in April. In 2010, concentrations ranged from 2 to 3 µg/L, in Upper Arrow and 2 to 5 µg/L in Lower Arrow. These results are indicative of ultra-oligotrophic conditions. Over the spring to fall sampling season nitrate collected from epilimnetic integrated samples decreased, with the decline corresponding with phytoplankton uptake and utilization during summer stratification. Nitrate concentrations in discrete samples collected within the photic zone (2, 5, 10, 15 and 20 m) were similar to previous years with a seasonal decline in July and August and September in Lower Arrow. From April to late June in 2009, chryso/cryptophytes contributed to approximately half of the overall abundance with a shift to mostly bacillariophytes in July through September. In October and November, phytoplankton composition showed a trend similar to the spring results. The 2010 results were similar to 2009 except bacillariophytes contributed to the majority of the abundance through November. The trend of chrysophytes and cryptophytes being dominant in the spring and decreasing during the summer months could be attributable to increased Daphnia sp. biomass, indicating grazing on phytoplankton is likely occurring. Overall zooplankton abundance and biomass increased in 2009 and decreased in 2010 in Upper Arrow compared to the 2008 results. Copepods dominated in the spring with Daphnia spp. increasing in the late summer and fall months, a consistent trend observed in some but not all previous years. In Lower Arrow, copepods dominated in the spring but then shifted to Daphnia spp. biomass being dominant during July onward. Arrow Lakes Reservoir Nutrient Restoration Program, Years 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) Report ii The annual average mysid biomass at deep stations was slightly higher than the long term average in 2009 and 2010. Kokanee escapement (in the index tributaries) to Upper Arrow and Lower Arrow was 305,000 and 146,000 respectively in 2009. In 2010 the escapement was 345,000 and 156,000 in Upper Arrow and Lower Arrow, respectively. In Upper Arrow the majority of kokanee spawned in the Hill Creek spawning channel in both years. The mean spawner size at Hill Creek in 2009 and 2010 was 24.1 and 24.2 cm respectively, slightly larger than the long term average of 23.7 cm. Fecundity was 258 and 272 eggs/female in 2009 and 2010 respectively, a slight increase from 2007 and 2008 results. The hydroacoustic estimates of kokanee of all age classes (after spawning occurred) increased in 2009 and 2010 from the 2008 results. The estimates in 2009 and 2010 were a total of 9.1 and 14.5 million, respectively. In 2009, there was an estimated 6.4 million fry in 2009 and 12 million fry in 2010. The mean kokanee biomass in 2009 and 2010 was 10.2 kg.ha-1 and 8.2 kg.ha-1 respectively (the long term average in the nutrient addition period was 9.7 kg.ha-1. The results from 2009 and 2010 indicate all trophic level responses have been positive to addition of nutrients to Upper Arrow. Phytoplankton composition was suitable to move carbon efficiently through the food web to kokanee. This is indicative of a positive response to the adaptive management of closely monitored seasonal applications of limiting macronutrients. Arrow Lakes Reservoir Nutrient Restoration Program, Years 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) Report iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………………....i Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………..ii Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………….iv List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………………..vi List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………………..xiv Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………...1 Methods …………………………………………………………………………………………..2 Fertilizer additions ………………………………………………………………………..3 Physical data, chemical, phytoplankton, zooplankton and mysid sampling ……………...6 Phytoplankton …………………………………………………………………………….7 Zooplankton ………………………………………………………………………………8 Mysis diluviana …………………………………………………………………………...9 Kokanee …………………………………………………………………………………..9 Spawner numbers, size and fecundity …………………………………………...10 Fry to adult survival……………………………………………………………..10 Age determination ……………………………………………………………….11 Trawl sampling ………………………………………………………………….11 Hydroacoustic survey ……………………………………………………………12 Kokanee Biomass ………………………………………………………………..13 Analysis of Annual Biomass ……………………………………………………..14 Stock Recruitment-Ricker model ………………………………………………...14 Results …………………………………………………………………………………………..15 Temperature ……………………………………………………………………………..15 Dissolved Oxygen ……………………………………………………………………......16 Secchi ……………………………………………………………………………………18 Integrated samples – 0-20 m …………………………………………………………….19 Discrete Samples ………………………………………………………………………...37 Hypolimnion Samples …………………………………………………………………...41 Phytoplankton …………………………………………………………………………...50 Arrow Lakes Reservoir Nutrient Restoration Program, Years 11 and 12 (2009 and 2010) Report iv Zooplankton……………………………………………………………………………...70 Mysis diluviana ………………………………………………………………………….81 Kokanee ………………………………………………………………………………….87 Spawner escapement estimates ………………………………………………….87 Spawner size