Coho Supplementation in the Queets River, Washington
Larry Lestelle, Biostream Environmental February 2012 Purpose of presentation: . Summarize results of coho supplementation in the Queets River 1989-2002
. Two papers summarized, along with more recent results:
Lestelle, L.C., G.R. Blair, S.A. Chitwood. 1993. Approaches to supplementing coho sa lmon in the Queet s River, Washi hitngton. IIn L. Berg and PPW.W. DDlelaney (eds.) Proceedings of the coho workshop. British Columbia Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, BC.
Sharma, R., G. Morishima, S. Wang, A. Talbot, and L. Gilbertson. 2006. An evaluation of the Clearwater River supplementation program in western Washington. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63:423– 437. The Queets watershed – west coast of the Olympic Peninsula, WA (450 square mile basin) Focus in this review on the work in the Clearwater R Land-use ownership and jurisdictions Stream habitats very diverse Diverse in-channel habitats Diverse off-channel habitats Long-term monitoring has occurred in Clearwater R
. Extensive smolt enumeration efforts (began 1980)
. Sppgawning escapements monitored with redd surveys (mid 1970s to present)
. Similar level of monitoring in Queets subbasin The Problem (as perceived in 1980s): . Believed that coho run badly underescaped • Extensive ocean and freshwater fisheries
• Highest harvest rates in BC – outside domestic control
• Federal court-ordered escapement goal range
• Treaty-reserved Indian fisheries squeezed Ocean Recruits and Spawner Escapement
25,000
Age‐3 recruits 20,000
ber 15,000 Num 10,000
5,000 Spawners 0 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 Spawning year Ocean Recruits and Spawner Escapement
25,000
Age‐3 recruits 20,000
ber 15,000 Num 10,000 Escape goal range
5,000 Spawners 0 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 Spawning year Supplementation to be used . To attempt to increase spawners for purposes of probing escape goal range • Not seen as a long-term solution, but a short- term experimental approach
. With native, wild broodstock • To addre ss fidifinding s of NikNicke lson et al. (1986)
Nickelson,,.E.,.F. T.E., M.F. Solazzi, and S. ..JB. Johnson. .9. 1986. Use of hatchery coho salm on (Oncorhynchus kisutch) presmolts to rebuild wild populations in Oregon coastal streams. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43:2443 - 2449. Nickelson used hatchery-stock 0+ fish to augment summer juvenile densities
. Juveniles stocked in spring 1980-82
. Spawner densities upon return approx eq ual in S and U streams
. Resulting summer densities much lower in S than U
. ClddConcluded hhthatch fish much less fit than wild fish – hypothesized run timing difference was reason Approach for Queets / Clearwater Rivers: . NO spawners only used for bdbroods toc k • Adults and jacks • Captured with g illnets, pole nets, seines • 1:1 sex ratio used; random mating • Three major areas targeted in Clearwater R
. Progeny reared till late winter as 1+
. All juveniles marked for subsequent ID
. Release strategy based on a life history perspective of how subbasin used by coho Life history patterns Pattern of habitat utilization in the Clearwater River Spawners
Lower Low gradient Off-channel Upper High gradient maitin stem tibttributari es pondsmaitin stem tibttributari es
Life stage Egg incubation
Spring dispersal
Summer rearing
Fall redistribution
Overwintering
Smolts
Key to utilization negligible low moderate/high Natural seeding levels differed by habitat type
. Low gradient streams seen as largely seeded
. Off-channel ponds seen as generally under- seeded
. Supplementation to focus on this life history pa tter n Presmolts placed into acclimation ponds in steep streams – mostly in three areas . Put into acclimation ponds in February
. Volitional release as smolts (April- May)
. Spawners returned mostly to these areas
. Same approach in Queets subbasin Presmolts placed into acclimation ponds in steep streams – mostly in three areas . Put into acclimation ponds in February
. Volitional release as smolts (April- May)
. Spawners returned mostly to these areas
. Same approach in Queets subbasin
. Natural overwitinter ing ponds shown by yellow ovals Results NO spawner fate (from Sharma et al 2006) NtNatural -oriiigin spawners (i n year i)
3,000
2,500
2,000 er bb 1,500 Num 1,000
500
0 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Natural spawn 1,160 2,344 1,610 2,050 2,342 427 1,829 2,355 534 1,352 2,268 2,585 Brood stock 113 127 308 193 123 31 103 103 39 73 49 97 Brood year Natural spawn Brood stock Smolt outmigrant origin (leaving subbasin) Smolt outmigrants (in year i + 2)
120,000
100,000
80,000 ber
mm 60,000 Nu 40,000
20,000
0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Brood year Nat origin Sup origin Resultant natural spawning abundances (scale) Resulting natural spawners (in year i + 3)
12,000
10,000
8,000 ber
mm 6,000 Nu 4,000
2,000
0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Brood year Nat origin Sup origin Resultant natural spawning abundances - rescaled Resulting natural spawners (in year i + 3)
5,000
4,000
ber 3,000 mm
Nu 2,000
1,000
0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Brood year Nat origin Sup origin Natural-origin spawners (in year i) Amplification of natural 5,000 spawners from year i to 4, 000 year i + 3 3,000
2,000 Number
1,000
0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Brood year Natural spawn Brood stock
Resulting natural spawners (in year i + 3) 5,000
4,000
3,000 mber 2,000 Nu
1,000
0 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 Brood year Nat origin Sup origin Reproductive success of aggregate natural spawners compared
Non supplemented years Supplemented years NOR Nat Smolt/ NOR SOR Nat Smolt/ BY BY % SOR spawner smolts spawner spawner spawner smolts spawner 1979 38123,812 52, 900 13.9 1992 2,050 922 49,942 24.4 31.0% 1980 2,650 42,600 16.1 1993 2,342 1,120 43,900 18.7 32.4% 1981 2,234 99,800 44.7 1994 427 86 34,931 81.8 16.8% 1982 2,456 60,600 24.7 1995 1,829 204 81,516 44.6 10.0% 1983 538 48, 200 89.6 1996 2,355 27852,785 47,807 20.3 54.2% 1984 3,684 90,800 24.6 1997 534 102 28,750 53.9 16.1% 1985 1,563 47,500 30.4 1998 1,352 836 93,837 69.4 38.2% 1986 1,556 73,600 47.3 1999 2,268 519 101,328 44.7 18.6% 1987 17841,784 86, 000 48.2 2000 2,585 356 83,312 32.2 12.1% 1988 1,914 67,800 35.4 2002 4,108 357 80,883 19.7 8.0% 1989 1,160 52,600 45.3 2003 2,710 1,081 76,249 28.1 28.5% 1990 2,344 77,500 33.1 2004 2,848 561 52,060 18.3 16.4% 1991 16101,610 63, 100 39.2 2005 2,552 432 60,250 23.6 14.5% 2001 10,556 74,415 7.0 2006 1,252 55,604 44.4 Reproductive success of natural spawners w/o SO spawners – note strong density dependent effect (typical for coho)
Smolts per spawner - unsupplemented 100
80 wner aa 60
s per sp s per 40 tt
Smol 20
0 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Natural spawners Unsupp Example to illustrate how fitness loss might be manifested
Hypothetical with fitness loss 100
80 With fitness loss
wner Fitness = 0.7 * Fully fit aa 60
s per sp s per 40 tt
Smol 20
0 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Natural spawners With fitness loss Smolts per spawner - supplemented 100 . Results for natural 80 spawning supplemented
60 spawner rr
40
Smolts pe Smolts 20
0 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Natural spawners Supp
Percent SOR in natural spawning 60%
50%
RR 40%
30%
20%
Percent SO 10%
0% 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Natural spawners All years plotted together
Smolts per spawner - All years 100
80 wner aa 60
s per sp s per 40 tt
Smol 20
0 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Natural spawners Unsupp Supp Smolts per spawner - without extremes 60 . Extreme ends (lower 50 and upper) taken out
40 and fitted linearly to look at effects through spawner rr 30 the main body of data
20
Smolts pe Smolts . Conclusion: little or no 10 fitness loss seen in
0 aggregate 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 supplemented Natural spawners population Unsupp Supp
Percent SOR in natural spawning 50%
40% RR 30%
20%
Percent SO 10%
0% 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 Natural spawners Wrap-up: Total natural smolts produced
Clearwater subbasin . Capacity for 120,000 12,000 smolts seen as generally 100,000 10,000 unchanged across wide 80,000 8,000 range of ss escapements 60,000 6,000
Smolts 40,000 4,000 Spawner . Reduced itinterannua l 20,000 2,000 variation in past 10 years 0 0 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008
Smolt year Ponds show trend for increasing contribution to total yield . TtlTotal % from 4 pon ds suggests overall % of Clearwater smolts from 4 ponds contribution from off- 35% channel habitats is 2 30% R = 0.24 >50% in some years P < 0.02 25% . Suggests a declining
20% trend must be occurring for
Percent 15% contributions from run-off tributaries 10%
5%
0% 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Smolt year Tributaries show trend for decreasing contribution to total yield
. Consistent with % of Clearwater smolts from 2 streams 30% pattern seen for ponds R2 = 0.34 – tibttributar ies are 25% P < 0.002 producing fewer smolts relative to 20% ponds
15% Percent
10%
5%
0% 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 Smolt year Conclusions: . Supp lemen ta tion was efftiffective at amplify ing the abundance of natural spawners . SlSupplemen ttitation using NO bdtkbroodstock showed little or no adverse effect on reproductive success . No evidence for increase in total natural smolts . Change in relative contributions of pond & runoff tributary smolts believed to be due to • Siting of smolt release sites • Loss in productive capacity of low-gradient streams due to logging effects (e.g., loss of large stable wood)