Sockeye Re-Introduction to Skaha Lake Monitoring Program

Presented by: Howie Wright Future of our Salmon Conference March 2014

Revitalization of an Okanagan Fishery & the Salmon People

Seven member band communities: 1. Indian Band 2. Indian Band 3. 4. 5. Upper Nicola Band 6. Lower Similkameen Band 7. Upper Similkameen Band And the Colville Confederated Tribes (USA)

Salmon Integral to Okanagan Culture

Background: Okanagan Sockeye

• Okanagan sockeye ARROW LAKES populaon is one of two remaining viable Okanagan stocks Wenatchee • Okanagan run makes up 70-90% of all Columbia river sockeye

Columbia River sub-basins historically accessible to sockeye

Columbia River sub-basins with present day viable 1200 km and 9 major dams sockeye populaons to get to spawning grounds on Okanagan River History

• Commercial Salmon Fisheries U.S. (1870’s) • Historical decisions did not consider importance to Okanagan fisheries – Mainstem Columbia River Dams (1933) – Grand Coulee Dam blocks access to Upper Columbia (1938) – Grand Coulee Dam Fish Maintenance Project (1939-1943) – (1961) – Okanagan River Channelizaon and salmon Access in Okanagan River restricted (McIntyre Dam -1915)

Historical Range of Okanagan Sockeye

Historical range extended into Dam at outlet of Okanagan Lake constructed in 1914 Skaha Dam (OK Falls) current migraon barrier + fish passage 2011-2013 McIntyre Dam constructed in 1921 (fish migraon barrier unl 2009) Sockeye Reintro Program Overview

• Iniated in 1997 • COBTWG (Canadian Technical Working Group) • Three-year risk assessment completed in 2003 • 12 Year Reintroducon Program (2004-2016) into Skaha Lake • Adapve management framework • Funded by Grant and Chelan County Public Ulity District (Columbia hydro migaon) • Stepwise approach prior to Okanagan Lake • Extensive Monitoring • Decision at end of program for fish passage into Skaha Program Overview: Key Questions

Key questions include (not limited to): • What impacts will sockeye have on existing kokanee stocks? • What components of the food web and physical environment most strongly control the ? production of sockeye and kokanee? • What are the effects on the existing Osoyoos sockeye population? • Learn for Okanagan Lake Skaha Lake Pelagic Food Web

Simplified...

1-3+ nerkids (SK and KO)

Hatchery sockeye fry Kokanee fry Mysis

? Zooplankton Non-edible phytoplankton

Edible phytoplankton How are Sockeye Reintroduced?

• Eggs (400,000 - 2 million) taken from broodstock collected on spawning grounds near Oliver and raised to fry in hatchery • Fry released in Pencton Channel (above Skaha Lake) the following spring Egg take site

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Broodstock Collection Area and Egg take site Collection, Transportation and Holding

Egg Take Evening Release Two release strategies for 2008 BY 1. June 2, Midnight release 2. June 3, early evening

Ceremonial Release Skaha In-Lake Sampling

Each spring since 2005, between 400,000 and 1.7 million sockeye fry released into Skaha Lake.

Intensive monitoring: • Water chemistry • Temperature • Oxygen • Phytoplankton • Zooplankton • Mysid shrimp • Fish (SK and KO) Results: Plankton & Chemistry Since the stocking of sockeye fry in 2005, there has been no obvious changes in Mysis, zooplankton, phytoplankton, or water chemistry in Skaha Lake.

250 Diaphanosoma Skaha zooplankton dw Daphnia -1 biomass 2005-11 200 Bosmina

Epischura

150 Diacyclops

Leptodiaptomus

100 Nauplii Rotifer

Zooplanktonbiomass µ gL 50 Lower biomass in 2011 due to 0 Feb Aug Feb Aug Feb Aug Feb Aug Feb Aug Feb Aug Feb Aug unusually high flushing rates Figure from McQueen 2012. Results:Age 0 Kokanee Survival Kokanee Survival

Not determined by: • Zooplankton biomass (food) • Density of older kokanee (competor or predator) • Sockeye stocking density (competor) • Mysis biomass (competor) • Number of adult KO spawners

Possibly determined by: • River discharge and/or air temperature? Results: Growth of SK and KO Growth of juvenile Sockeye and Kokanee

Juvenile sockeye and kokanee growth rates have been very stable, despite variaon in stocking density (ie. no evidence of density dependant growth).

12 Sockeye 2005 Sockeye 2006 10 Sockeye 2007 Sockeye 2008 8 Sockeye 2009 Sockeye 2010 Sockeye 2011 6 Age 0 kokanee 2005 Age 0 kokanee 2006 4 Age 0 kokanee 2007 Fishlength (cm) Age 0 kokanee 2008 2 Age 0 kokanee 2009 Age 0 kokanee 2010 Age 0 kokanee 2011 0 Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec Jan Apr Jun McQueen 2012. Results: Bioenergetics Bioenergecs

Based on inputs of body weights, water temp, and food found in gut, model esmates the amount of food the fish/Mysis would have had to eat to grow as fast as it did grow in the field.

• Invasive Mysis consume 2-3 mes as much zooplankton as all fish combined. • Less than 15% of daily prey producon is consumed by fish and Mysis together. • Even at highest fish densies, these rates are much too low to have any impact on prey biomass. Simplified...

1-3+ nerkids (SK and KO)

Hatchery sockeye fry Kokanee fry ? Mysis

Zooplankton

Non-edible phytoplankton

Edible phytoplankton Take Home Messages: Skaha In-lake Take Home Messages Studies

1)What impacts will sockeye have on exisng kokanee stocks (growth and survival)? To date, no evidence of negave impacts. Lots of food for Mysis, sockeye, and kokanee! 2)What components of the food web and physical environment most strongly control the producon of sockeye and kokanee? In Skaha Lake, Mysis is the main driver of the food web. Mysis harvest in 2012 will provide more insight. Summary of Program Results to Date

• Results from monitoring impacts of sockeye reintroducon are promising so far • Relavely good juvenile abundance, growth, and survival • Low impact to nave fishes (such as kokanee) • Increased understanding that Mysis shrimp are driving the foodwebs • Increased Okanagan River sockeye escapement in recent years (2012 highest on record), but many factors involved and we expect to see some smaller runs in the near future Future Direction

• Construct & operate Pencton hatchery for releasing up to 3.5 million sockeye fry and monitor fish-forage interacons • Design and construct fish passage at Skaha Lake dam (fish passage by 2015) • Expand telemetry program (acousc and PIT arrays) to monitor adult and juvenile behaviour • Specify long term biological goals • Recommend management acons and re- establish meframes and priories for Okanagan Lake Reintroducon – expert workshop end of April 2014 • Habitat Restoraon and improvement How are the sockeye run doing?

350,000 Reference period trend in Okanagan River sockeye salmon escapement Many Factors: 300,000 Wells • Stock augmentaon • Fish water mgmt tools AUCriver 250,000 • Fisheries management (ocean and Columbia 200,000 River) • Ceremonies

150,000 Experiment Begins • Habitat Restoraon… Escapement esmate 100,000

50,000

0 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 Return Year Where do all the sockeye come from ?

10000 1 - 2009 8000

2013 6000

4000 2005 2012 2006 2000 2007 2008 2010, Testalinden Creek Age 0 sockeye density ha density sockeye 0 Age dam failure & slide 0 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 AUC in the river previous fall

Post FWMT deployment, more adult spawners clearly lead to more smolt production as per Hyatt & Rankin (1999) analysis of carrying capacity of river and lake habitats. However, density independent losses of eggs/fry do still occur e.g. spring 2010. Out of Basin monitoring Food fisheries/culture

• Salmon feast • Salmon in diet • Revitalizing a fishery • Cultural ceremonies Starting to see benefits-economic and recreational fisheries 669 3 Adult Genecs Key Quesons?

Scaerplot depicng results of the discriminant analysis of principal components of sampled populaons including 2003 Kokanee from Okanagan Channel (KO-OKC-2003), 2003 Kokanee from Skaha Lake (KO-SKA-2003); 2012 Kokanee from Skaha Lake (KO-SKA-2012), 2012 Sockeye from Skaha Lake (SK-SKA-2012), and 2012 Sockeye from Osoyoos Lake (SK-OSO-2012). Populaon Genecs Conclusions Key Quesons? Osoyoos and Skaha SOCKEYE populaons are not genecally differenated, connue to manage as an aggregate, •Skaha (Pencton Channel) sockeye and kokanee indicang part introgression (~ 6%); more work needed to conclude if occurring more frequently in both kokanee and sockeye, Ho: incresaing in KO, less so for sockeye at this early stage. Recommend larger sample size for sockeye, and closer look at new hybrid program methodology, •Skaha populaon (thermal marks) indicate majority of donor stock from hatchery outplants (imprinng to lake) in 2011, 2012; • Low straying rate of Skaha outplants to Index secons of Okanagan River (Osoyoos; otoliths), or Wenatchee River (PIT Tags).

Hatchery Key Quesons? Hatchery Key Quesons? Hatchery Key Quesons? Stock Augmentaon: Broodstock

1800 1 Male 1600 0.9 Female 1400 0.8 pNOB 1200 0.7 0.6 1000 Brood PNI 0.5 Year 800 0.4 pNOB 2007 0.88 600 0.3 2008 0.94 400 0.2 2009 0.86 200 0.1

No. of Broodstock Collected 2010 0.92 0 0 2011 0.80

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2012 TBD Disease & Fish Health

1.00 Prevelance of Disease (Adult Sockeye)

0.90 BKD Codex (Hi,Med, Low) Parvicapsulatesting 0.80

0.70 IHNV 0.60 BKD 0.50 Parvicapsula

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.10

0.00 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

NOTE: Alevin and fry (hatchery) sampled each year as well – all negave. Lim Limp’t (Thank You)