3140 Bull Trout Report 2012
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Fisheries Division Federal Aid Job Progress Report Montana Statewide Fisheries Management Federal Aid Project Number: F-113 July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013 Project Title: Montana Statewide Fisheries Management Job Title: (3140 LAKE KOOCANUSA AND KOOTENAI RIVER BASIN BULL TROUT MONITORING REPORT) Abstract: We conducted juvenile bull trout population estimates within reference reaches on index creeks. Juvenile estimates for many of the streams including O’Brien Creek, Bear Creek and Callahan Creek have decreased dramatically since survey began. Substrate scores and substrate coring data are presented. Bull trout redd counts in Grave Creek and the Wigwam River significantly increased between 1995 and 2005 but exhibited decreases since, likely in part due to re-opened bull trout harvest fishery in 2004. Bull trout redds in Grave Creek peaked in 2003 and have since decreased significantly. Bull trout redd counts in tributaries downstream of Libby Dam including Quartz, Pipe, Bear, and O’Brien creeks, and the West Fisher River have been variable over the past several years, and appear to track with bull trout populations in the Lake Koocanusa (DeHaan and Adams {2011} determined greater than 50 percent of bull trout residing below Libby Dam were entrained). Prior to redd counts in 2007 and 2008, bull trout redd counts in Keeler Creek exhibited a positive trend since monitoring began. Since 2005, there appears to be a negative trend that is substantially different from a stable population. Growing northern pike population in Bull Lake is a concern. We continued monitoring fish populations within the reservoir using spring and fall gill netting and present the results for bull trout and kokanee. Spring gill net catch of bull trout during the period 1975-1989 appeared to exist at equilibrium. Bull trout catch per net in Libby Reservoir significantly increased between 1990 and 2004. The trend appears to have stabilized since about 2005. This coincides with the opening of bull trout harvest initiated in 2004 for Koocanusa. We also found that Grave Creek redd counts and bull trout catch per net in Koocanusa have similar trends. Both indices are useful for determining management direction for the harvest of bull trout from Koocanusa. LAKE KOOCANUSA AND KOOTENAI RIVER BASIN BULL TROUT MONITORING REPORT Prepared by: Mike Hensler Neil Benson 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………..iii LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………..…...iv LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………………….…...vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………………………………vii INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..……1 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA..……………………………..…..……………….…….…....2 Kootenai River Drainage………………………….…….…………………………………………2 Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa……………………………………………………….……4 Fish Species………………………………………………………………………………….5 STREAM ELECTROFISHING/JUVENILE BULL TROUT ABUNDANCE ESTIMATES………………………………………………………………………………..………6 Grave Creek………………………………………………………………………………….9 West Fork Quartz Creek……………………………………………………………………12 Pipe Creek………………………………………………………………………………….13 West Fisher Creek………………………………………………………………………….14 Bear Creek………………………………………………………………………………….15 O’Brien Creek……………………………………………………………………..…………16 Keeler Creek………………………………………………………………………………..17 Callahan Creek……………………………………………………………………………..18 Libby Creek Above Libby Falls……………………………………………………………..19 STREAMBED CORING…………………………………………………………………………….20 Findings….………………………………………………………………………………..23 SUBSTRATE SCORING……………………………………………………………………………24 Findings….………………………………………………………………………………..26 ii BULL TROUT REDD COUNTS…………………………………………………………………..27 Grave Creek……………………………………………………………………………….29 Wigwam Drainage……………………………………………………………….………...31 Quartz Creek……………………………………………………………………….………32 Pipe Creek………………………………………………………………………….……….33 Bear Creek…………………………………………………….……………………………34 O’Brien Creek………………………………………………….…………………………..35 West Fisher Creek…………………………………………….…………………………....36 Keeler Creek…………………………………………………….………………………….37 Callahan Creek…………………………………………………………………………….38 LAKE KOOCANUSA GILLNET MONITORING…………………………………………..…….39 Bull Trout………………………………………………………………..………………….40 LITERATURE CITED………………………………………………………………..…………..42 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY We conducted juvenile bull trout population estimates within reference reaches on index creeks. Juvenile estimates for many of the streams including O’Brien Creek, Bear Creek and Callahan Creek have decreased dramatically since survey began. Substrate scores and substrate coring data are presented. Bull trout redd counts in Grave Creek and the Wigwam River significantly increased between 1995 and 2005 but exhibited decreases since, likely in part due to re-opened bull trout harvest fishery in 2004. Bull trout redds in Grave Creek peaked in 2003 and have since decreased significantly. Bull trout redd counts in tributaries downstream of Libby Dam including Quartz, Pipe, Bear, and O’Brien creeks, and the West Fisher River have been variable over the past several years, and appear to track with bull trout populations in the Lake Koocanusa (DeHaan and Adams {2011} determined greater than 50 percent of bull trout residing below Libby Dam were entrained). Prior to redd counts in 2007 and 2008, bull trout redd counts in Keeler Creek exhibited a positive trend since monitoring began. Since 2005, there appears to be a negative trend that is substantially different from a stable population. Growing northern pike population in Bull Lake is a concern. We continued monitoring fish populations within the reservoir using spring and fall gill netting and present the results for bull trout and kokanee. Spring gill net catch of bull trout during the period 1975-1989 appeared to exist at equilibrium. Bull trout catch per net in Libby Reservoir significantly increased between 1990 and 2004. The trend appears to have stabilized since about 2005. This coincides with the opening of bull trout harvest initiated in 2004 for Koocanusa. We also found that Grave Creek redd counts and bull trout catch per net in Koocanusa have similar trends. Both indices are useful for determining management direction for the harvest of bull trout from Koocanusa. iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Morphometric data presented for Lake Koocanusa…………………………….…….…4 Table 2. Current relative abundance (A=abundant, C=common, R=rare, N = Not Found) and abundance trend from1975 to 2013 (I=increasing, S = stable, D = decreasing, U = unknown) of fish species present in Lake Koocanusa and the Kootenai River drainage…………………………………………..………………………...………..…..5 Table 3. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of Grave Creek, 1997 - 2013…………………..9 Table 4. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of West Fork Quartz Creek, 1997 - 2013…….12 Table 5. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of Pipe Creek, 1999 - 2013…………………..13 Table 6. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of West Fisher Creek, 2002 -2013….……….14 Table 7. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of Bear Creek, 1999 - 2013…………………..15 Table 8. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of O’Brien Creek, 1998 - 2013……………....16 Table 9. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of Keeler Creek, 1998 - 2013…………..…...17 Table 10. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of North Callahan Creek, 2003 – 2013...…..18 Table 11. Population estimates (N), 95 percent confidence intervals (95% C.I.), probability of first pass capture (p) and densities for Age 1 and older bull trout calculated from electrofishing in the permanent section of Libby Creek, 2003 – 2013....……..….…..19 v Table 12. Mesh size of sieves used to gravimetrically analyze hollow core streambed substrate samples collected from Kootenai River basin tributaries………………………….....22 Table 13. Median percentage of streambed material smaller than 6.35 mm in McNeil core samples collected from bull trout spawning areas in tributary streams to the Kootenai River basin, 1994 – 2013…………………………………………………....….…….23 Table 14. Characteristics and ranks for computing substrate scores (modified by Leathe and Enk 1985 from Crouse et al. 1981)………………………..……………….…..……..25 Table 15. Summary of Kootenai Drainage substrate scores the stream sections monitored at juvenile population estimate sites in Kootenai River basin stream, 1998 –