Sacramento Pikeminnow Migration Record
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Notes Sacramento Pikeminnow Migration Record Dennis A. Valentine, Matthew J. Young, Frederick Feyrer* U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, California 95819 Abstract Sacramento Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus grandis is a potamodromous species endemic to mid- and low-elevation streams and rivers of Central and Northern California. Adults are known to undertake substantial migrations, typically associated with spawning, though few data exist on the extent of these migrations. Six Sacramento Pikeminnow implanted with Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jfwm/article-pdf/11/2/588/2883906/i1944-687x-11-2-588.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 passive integrated transponder tags in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta were detected in Cottonwood and Mill creeks, tributaries to the Sacramento River in Northern California, between April 2018 and late February 2020. Total travel distances ranged from 354 to 432 km, the maximum of which exceeds the previously known record by at least 30 km. These observations add to a limited body of knowledge regarding the natural history of Sacramento Pikeminnow and highlight the importance of the river–estuary continuum as essential for this migratory species. Keywords: Cyprinidae; migration; movement; potamodromy; Ptychocheilus grandis Received: May 15, 2020; Accepted: August 31, 2020; Published Online Early: September 2020; Published: December 2020 Citation: Valentine DA, Young MJ, Feyrer F. 2020. Sacramento Pikeminnow migration record. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 11(2):588–592; e1944-687X. https://doi.org/10.3996/JFWM-20-038 Copyright: All material appearing in the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission unless specifically noted with the copyright symbol &. Citation of the source, as given above, is requested. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. * Corresponding author: [email protected] Introduction genus: Colorado Pikeminnow P. lucius, inhabiting the Colorado River basin; Sacramento Pikeminnow P. grandis Animals across a range of taxa engage in migratory (Figure 1), endemic to California’s inland waters; North- behaviors as an important aspect of their life histories ern Pikeminnow P. oregonensis, wide-ranging in the (Dingle 2014). Potamodromy, which is a type of Pacific Northwest; and Umpqua Pikeminnow P. umpquae, migration that occurs entirely within freshwater, is a native to the Umpqua and Siuslaw rivers (Carney and key strategy for inland fishes (Thurow 2016). Migratory Page 1990; Moyle 2002). The pikeminnows are distinct behavior of potamodromous fishes results from an among North American cyprinids because of adaptations ontogenetic separation of optimal habitats for growth, for carnivorous feeding (Carney and Page 1990) and are survival, and reproduction (Northcote 1984). Although often a major predator in their respective systems, potamodromous fishes are widespread across the globe, especially before the introduction of nonnative pisci- potamodromy is far less studied than diadromy, whereby vores (Moyle 2002). Pikeminnows often migrate from individuals migrate between freshwater and marine estuaries, lakes, and main-stem rivers to tributary streams habitats (Northcote 1998). Migratory species are partic- in the spring and early summer to spawn (Moyle 2002). ularly susceptible to habitat loss, as they require multiple Some of these migrations can be quite extensive; Tyus habitats across ontogeny and corridors connecting those (1990) tracked the movements of 63 adult Colorado habitats (Runge et al. 2014). Thus potamodromous fishes Pikeminnow to spawning areas and observed average as a group are relatively imperiled, largely due to migrations of 140.7 km (range 32–372.8 km) in the Green decreasing connectivity in freshwater environments River basin. (Thurow 2016). Sacramento Pikeminnow, the only Ptychocheilus en- Pikeminnows, genus Ptychocheilus within Cyprinidae, demic to California, are large bodied and long lived are fishes that can exhibit potamodromy native to (Moyle 2002). Sacramento Pikeminnow historically ob- western North America. There are four species in the tained sizes of more than 900 mm (Gobalet and Fenenga Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management | www.fwspubs.org December 2020 | Volume 11 | Issue 2 | 588 Pikeminnow Migration D.A. Valentine et al. We tagged the six Sacramento Pikeminnow (no. 1–6) between February 2017 and November 2018 across the northern Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, including Lindsey Slough (no. 1), the Sacramento Deepwater Shipping Channel (no. 2, 5), the Southern Yolo Bypass (no. 3), Cache Slough (no. 4), and Liberty Island (no. 6). We detected five fish (no. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6) in Cottonwood Creek and one fish (no. 2) in Mill Creek. All detections occurred between late February and early May 2018– 2020. Distances traveled from tagging location to detection location ranged between 354 and 432 km and fish were at large between 69 and 745 d (Figure 2; Table 1). Figure 1. Adult Sacramento Pikeminnow Ptychocheilus grandis Downloaded from http://meridian.allenpress.com/jfwm/article-pdf/11/2/588/2883906/i1944-687x-11-2-588.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 captured in the northern Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta on Discussion February 14, 2018. These observations of the volitional distance traveled 1993), and the largest contemporary Sacramento Pike- by Sacramento Pikeminnow exceed the previously minnow on record measured 1,150 mm (standard documented record (400 km; Moyle 2002) by as much length) and weighed 14.5 kg (Moyle 2002). A 662-mm as 32 km. Timing of the detections in Cottonwood and Sacramento Pikeminnow from the Russian River was Mill creeks is consistent with the known spawning period aged at 16 y using opercular bones, with larger fish likely of Sacramento Pikeminnow (Grant and Maslin 1999; older (Scoppettone 1988). They are naturally distributed Bettelheim 2001), suggesting that the observed move- across Central and Northern California in mid- and low- ments were in part spawning migrations. The move- elevation streams and rivers of the Sacramento–San ments of fish 1, which traveled 424 km in 69 d, provide Joaquin system as well as the Clear Lake basin, the the most direct observation of a presumed spawning Salinas and Pajaro rivers, the Russian River, and upper Pit migration. Assuming it initiated migration immediately River (Moyle 2002). Sacramento Pikeminnow are still upon tagging and that we detected it as soon as it common throughout their range but have become less arrived in Cottonwood Creek, this would indicate that it abundant in lowland habitats (Moyle 2002). They are traveled approximately 6 km/d during its spawning thought to make long migrations on the basis of migration. fortuitous information and direct observations of closely In the genus Ptychocheilus, the most comparable related species. For example, Tucker et al. (1998) noted migrations are undergone by Colorado Pikeminnow, Sacramento Pikeminnow migrations of up to 378.4 km in with individuals migrating long distances to natal the Sacramento River on the basis of public angler streams for spawning (Tyus 1990; McAda and Kaeding recaptures. Here we report observations of migration 1991; Irving and Modde 2000). The upper extent of distance records for six Sacramento Pikeminnow tagged migration distances for both species is similar; when in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and detected in factoring for distance traveled from tagging location to tributaries of the upper Sacramento River. spawning grounds, Colorado Pikeminnow migrations range between 218 and 476 km (Irving and Modde Methods and Results 2000), compared with our observations of 354–432 km for Sacramento Pikeminnow. However, the maximum In the course of various research projects in the tidal distances migrated by Colorado Pikeminnow may have northern Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta, we implanted been greater before regulation of the Colorado River six individual adult Sacramento Pikeminnow with passive and its tributaries (McAda and Kaeding 1991; Irving and integrated transponder tags (data available from Steinke Modde 2000). Migration timing of the two pike- et al. 2019). We observed tagged individuals in PIT-tag minnows shows little overlap, with Sacramento Pike- antenna arrays located in the upper Sacramento River minnow migrating to spawning sites in February tributaries of Cottonwood and Mill creeks, two un- through May (Grant and Maslin 1999; Bettelheim dammed streams with relatively good habitat for native 2001) and Colorado Pikeminnow migrating from mid- fishes (Figure 2; Table 1). We calculated migration May through August (Tyus 1990; McAda and Kaeding distances (km) of tagged and subsequently detected 1991; Irving and Modde 2000). However, the major fishes using the Google Earth Pro (version 7.3.2) path factor that stimulates migration for both species tool. We generated paths along the shortest distance appears to be changes in discharge (Tyus 1990; Grant within waterways from tagging location in the Sacra- and Maslin 1999; Bettelheim 2001), which differs mento–San Joaquin Delta to the confluence of Cache between the two watersheds, with Colorado Pike- Slough and the Sacramento River, then following the minnow also showing responses to temperature and main-stem Sacramento River to either Cottonwood Creek photoperiod (Tyus 1990). or Mill Creek and along the tributary