Snohomish Basin Steelhead State of the Knowledge Report (2008)
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23 January 2008 TO: Snohomish Basin Partners SUBJECT: Snohomish Basin Steelhead State of the Knowledge Report Dear Partners: With the Snohomish Basin Salmonid Recovery Technical Committee and the Co-managers (WDFW and Tulalip Tribes), Snohomish County contracted the services of R2 Resource Consulting to compile existing information on steelhead in the Snohomish Basin. This information was requested in anticipation of eventual recovery plan development across the Puget Sound Steelhead ESU. The report lays a foundation for technical analysis and planning, but it is not a plan. The Report fulfilled eight key tasks that help provide baseline information for the planning process: 1. Developed an electronic annotated bibliography documenting sources of data and information on life histories, largely at the basin level. 2. Developed a GIS geodatabase of current and historic life histories in habitats across the basin. 3. Developed a map of known spawning and rearing reaches in the basin. 4. Summarized harvest and hatchery management in cooperation with the co-managers. 5. Described available information on migration, spawning, rearing and overwintering habitats across the basin, by brood year and stock. 6. Described existing data sets and their strengths and limitations for planning. 7. Summarized the knowledge regarding genetic differentiation between hatchery and wild stocks. 8. Coordinated with the Technical Committee, Co-managers and NOAA Fisheries. Note: the information in this report was collected from all known sources. The Technical Committee and Forum will need to evaluate this information and put it into context when initiating the planning process. The report may raise technical or policy questions to the fore but is not meant as the definitive answer for steelhead management and/or recovery. Issues that arise will be discussed and addressed by the committees as needed. Sincerely, Tim Walls Lead Staff, Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum Snohomish Basin Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) “State of the Knowledge” Technical Memorandum Prepared by: R2 Resource Consultants, Inc. 15250, NE 95th Street Redmond, Washington 98052 Prepared for: Snohomish Basin Recovery Technical Team Snohomish County under Surface Water Management Master Agreement No. OC06/6-3(DD) Work Authorization WA#10 January 10, 2008 Snohomish Basin Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) “State of the Knowledge” Project Team R2 Resource Consultants Principal Investigator: Ronald F. Campbell Authors: R. Campbell, M.S. T. Sullivan, M.S. P. DeVries, Ph.D. K. Oliver T. Nightengale, M.S. Snohomish County Lead: Tim Walls Snohomish River Basin Technical Team Contributors: Andy Haas, Snohomish County Janne Kaje, King County Kollin Higgins, King County Kit Rawson, The Tulalip Tribes Andy Appleby, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Chad Jackson, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Kirt Hughes, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Jeff Haymes, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Mindy Rowse, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Reviewers: Curt Kraemer, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (Ret.) Doug Hennick, Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Jim Starkes, Jon Houghton, Pentec Environmental, for the Port of Everett Acknowledgements We would like to gratefully acknowledge Kurt Nelson (Tulalip Tribes), Kent Dimmitt, Gil Lensegrav, Kelly Henderson, Todd Kassler (WDFW), Kurt Beardslee, MaryLou White, Jamie Glasgow (Wild Fish Conservancy), who contributed valuable time, data, or provided access to information for the benefit of this report. Snohomish Basin Recovery Technical Team Snohomish Basin Steelhead Trout CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 2. TIME HISTORY - SNOHOMISH RIVER BASIN ..................................................................3 2.1 MIGRATION .........................................................................................................................5 2.2 SPAWNING............................................................................................................................7 2.3 INCUBATION/EMERGENCE ....................................................................................................9 2.4 REARING ............................................................................................................................11 2.5 OUTMIGRATION, FRESHWATER AGE ..................................................................................13 2.6 OCEAN AGE........................................................................................................................16 2.7 REPEAT SPAWNERS ............................................................................................................18 3. HISTORIC AND CURRENT DISTRIBUTION.....................................................................21 3.1 RELATIVE ABUNDANCE......................................................................................................21 3.2 MATRIX TABLE ..................................................................................................................23 3.3 SPAWNING ESCAPEMENT/DISTRIBUTION............................................................................23 3.4 REARING HABITAT DISTRIBUTION .....................................................................................24 3.5 SMOLT TO ADULT RETURNS (SARS)..................................................................................31 4. HATCHERY AND HARVEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS IN SNOHOMISH BASIN......................................................................................................................................35 4.1 DESCRIPTION OF HATCHERY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ...................................................35 4.1.1 Basin Hatcheries....................................................................................................37 4.1.1.1 Tokul Creek Hatchery...............................................................................37 4.1.1.2 Reiter Ponds Hatchery ..............................................................................38 4.1.1.3 Wallace River Hatchery............................................................................39 4.1.2 Hatchery Influence on Natural-Origin Steelhead Stocks ......................................40 4.1.2.1 Ecological Interactions..............................................................................40 4.1.2.2 Genetic Introgression................................................................................42 4.1.2.3 Residualization..........................................................................................43 4.1.2.4 Outplanting ...............................................................................................44 R2 Resource Consultants, Inc. ii January 10, 2008 1675.08/Sno Basin Steelhead Trout_Tech Memo_1.10.08 Snohomish Basin Recovery Technical Team Snohomish Basin Steelhead Trout 4.1.2.5 Disease ......................................................................................................44 4.1.2.6 Predation ...................................................................................................44 4.1.2.7 Competition...............................................................................................45 4.1.3 Hatchery Reform ...................................................................................................46 4.1.3.1 HSRG Recommendations .........................................................................47 4.2 DESCRIPTION OF HARVEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS......................................................53 5. GENETIC DIFFERENTIATION............................................................................................57 5.1 DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN SNOHOMISH RIVER BASINS ...................................................57 5.2 SUMMER-RUN VS WINTER-RUN.........................................................................................58 5.3 HATCHERY VS WILD ..........................................................................................................58 5.4 ANADROMOUS VS RESIDENT ..............................................................................................61 6. DATABASE SUMMARY.......................................................................................................63 6.1 WDFW STEELHEAD HISTORICAL SHARED DATABASE FILES.............................................64 6.1.1 Winter-Run Steelhead (Basin):..............................................................................64 6.1.2 Summer-Run Steelhead (Basin) ............................................................................65 6.1.3 Summer-Run Steelhead (Tolt)...............................................................................65 6.2 WDFW FISH PLANT DATABASE ........................................................................................65 6.3 SASSI / SASI RECORDS .....................................................................................................66 6.4 WDFW CATCH RECORD CARD (CRC) DATABASE ............................................................67 6.5 WDFW HATCHERY GENETIC MANAGEMENT PLAN (HGMP) RECORDS............................67 6.6 WDFW SPAWNING GROUND SURVEY DATABASE .............................................................68 6.7 WDFW SUNSET FALLS FISH TRAPPING ANNUAL AND SUMMARY DATA REPORTS............69 6.8 SSHIAP [INCLUDED