Movement Patterns of Adult Steelhead and Anglers in the Mainstem Clearwater River, Idaho
Stacey F. Feeken Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho
Michael C. Quist U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho
Brett J. Bowersox and Marika E. Dobos Idaho Department of Fish and Game Clearwater River Columbia River
Snake River
0 100 km Potlatch River Five wild populations NF Clearwater River • Lower Clearwater River • Lolo Creek Clearwater River • SF Clearwater River • Lochsa River MF Clearwater River Lochsa River • Selway River One hatchery stock Selway River
SF Clearwater River Trophy steelhead fishery July 1st • Catch and release Entire river (to Clear Creek) August 1st • Catch and keep Mouth to Memorial Bridge • Catch and release Entire river (to Clear Creek) October 15th • Catch and keep Entire river (to Clear Creek) May 1st • Closed to fishing How can we better understand the steelhead fishery to benefit both steelhead and anglers? Describe steelhead distribution and movement • Wild and hatchery steelhead • Timing into the Clearwater River • Fate
Describe angler distribution Methods Sort-By-Code
Clearwater River Columbia River GO LM LG DW IH
MC JD
TD BO HC
Snake River
0 100 km Lower Granite Dam Potlatch River NF Clearwater River Tracking 1 2 3 4 5
Clearwater River 6 MF Clearwater River 7 Lochsa River
8
Selway River SF Clearwater River
0 40 km Results Lower Clearwater Radio-tag group Granite Dam River Potlatch 15 14 Lochsa 23 19 Dworshak NFH 60 58 SF Clearwater 80 74 Total 178 165 Spawn Year 2017 18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
Number of steelheadNumber 2
0 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Month 12
10
8
6
4
Number of steelheadNumber 2
0 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Month 8 6 Potlatch 4 2 0 8 6 Lochsa 4 2 0 8 6 South Fork 4 2 0 Number of steelhead Number 8 6 Dworshak 4 2 0 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Month 70 N = 165 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Movement(km/d) -10 -20 n = 15 n = 110 n = 97 n = 86 n = 81 n = 81 n = 34 n = 19 -30 Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr Month Potlatch Lochsa 0.08 0.08 0.08 Anglers Fall Fall Fall n = 9 n = 6 n1 = 1170 0.06 0.06 0.06 n2 = 742
0.04 0.04 0.04
0.02 0.02 0.02
0.00 0.00 0.00
0.08 0.08 6.00 Winter Winter Winter n = 9 n = 8 5.00 n1 = 1400 0.06 0.06 n = 622 4.00 2
0.04 0.04 3.00
2.00 0.02 0.02 1.00
0.00 0.00 0.00
Density estimator Density 4.00 0.08 20.0 Spring Spring Spring n = 3 n = 10 n1 = 393 3.00 0.06 15.0 n2 = 243
2.00 0.04 10.0
1.00 0.02 5.0
0.00 0.00 0.0 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200
POT NF SF LOC POT NF SF LOC POT NF SF LOC River kilometer Dworshak South Fork 0.08 0.08 0.08 Anglers Fall Fall Fall n = 50 n = 61 n1 = 1170 0.06 0.06 0.06 n2 = 742
0.04 0.04 0.04
0.02 0.02 0.02
0.00 0.00 0.00
0.3 0.08 6.00 Winter Winter Winter n = 37 n = 8 5.00 n = 1400 0.06 1 0.2 4.00 n2 = 622
0.04 3.00
0.1 2.00 0.02 1.00
0.0 0.00 0.00
Density estimator Density 0.08 0.08 20.0 Spring Spring Spring n = 14 n = 14 n1 = 393 0.06 0.06 15.0 n2 = 243
0.04 0.04 10.0
0.02 0.02 5.0
0.00 0.00 0.0 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200
POT NF SF LOC POT NF SF LOC POT NF SF LOC River kilometer Hatchery and Wild Anglers 0.08 0.08 Fall Fall n1 = 111 n1 = 1170 0.06 0.06 n2 = 15 n2 = 742
0.04 0.04
0.02 0.02
0.00 0.00
0.08 6.00 Winter Winter n1 = 45 n1 = 1400 0.06 n = 17 2 4.00 n2 = 622
0.04
2.00 0.02
0.00 0.00
Density Density estimator 0.08 20.0 Spring Spring n1 = 28 n1 = 393 0.06 15.0 n2 = 13 n2 = 243
0.04 10.0
0.02 5.0
0.00 0.0 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 0 25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200
POT NF SF LOC POT NF SF LOC River kilometer Origin
Tributary Potlatch Dworshak South Fork Lochsa
Potlatch 79% 0 0 0
North Fork 0 72% 9% 0
South Fork 0 0 66% 0
Lochsa 0 0 0 84% 100 Lochsa 80 Potlatch
60
40
20
Steelhead (% tagged)
0
DNFH trap Unknown Potlatch RiverLochsa River Dead or shed Angler Possibleharvest harvest Fate 50 Dworshak 40
30
20
10
Steelhead (% tagged) Steelhead(%
0
North ForkSouth Fork DNFH trap Unknown Dead or shed Angler Possibleharvest harvest Fate 80 Local brood General production 60
40
20
Steelhead (% tagged) (% Steelhead
0
North ForkSouth Fork DNFH trap Unknown Dead or shed Angler Possibleharvest harvest Fate 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Steelhead (% tagged) (% Steelhead
0 Potlatch Lochsa Dworshak South Fork Radio-tag group Wild and hatchery • Limited overlap of wild and hatchery steelhead • Angling effort focused on hatchery fish • No evidence of straying by hatchery fish
Regulation structure • Highly compartmentalized fishery • Out-of-basin stocks Dworshak steelhead • Run reconstruction • Fish are returning to the North Fork • Few fish collected for brood
South Fork steelhead • Higher returns of local brood to South Fork than general production • General production had high returns Macrohabitat selection Summarize 2017-2018 steelhead and angler data Idaho Department of Fish and Game University of Idaho Nez Perce Tribe • Paul Bunn • Shannon Blackburn • Brent Boncheau • Michael Briggs • Christopher Caudill • Peter Cleary • Tim Copeland • Sophie Gilbert • Matt Corsi NOAA • Brian Knoth • Dalton Lebeda • Darren Ogden • Devin Norland Funded by: Pacific Coastal Salmon • Scott Putnam Recovery Fund • Grant Truskowski • Clayton Waller • Don Whitney Photo: Matt Corsi