Anadromous Rainbow Smelt in the US Gulf of Maine
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A Regional Conservation Plan for Anadromous Rainbow Smelt in the U.S. Gulf of Maine By Claire L. Enterline Maine Department of Marine Resources 172 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333 Bradford C. Chase Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 1312 Purchase Street, 3rd Floor, New Bedford, MA 02740 Jessica M. Carloni New Hampshire Fish and Game Department 225 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824 Katherine E. Mills University of Maine, Gulf of Maine Research Institute 350 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project would not have been possible without the leadership of John W. Sowles and Seth L. Barker (Maine Department of Marine Resources) And the many tireless hours of field, laboratory, and statistical work, and administration by: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries: Matthew H. Ayer, Scott P. Elzey, Christopher Wood, Katie L’Heureux, Kim Trull, Carolyn Woodhead, John Boardman, Mike Bednarski, Steve Correia, and Stephanie Cunningham New Hampshire Fish and Game Department: Douglas Grout, Cheri Patterson, Simon Beirne, Joshua Borgeson, Eric Bruestle, Joshua T. Carloni, Jessica Devoid, Michael Dionne, Robert Eckert, Rebecca Heuss, Elizabeth Morrissey, Conor O’Donnell, Lon Robinson, Kevin Sullivan, Christopher Warner, Kristi Wellenberger, and Reneé Zobel Maine Department of Marine Resources: Linda Mercer, Ernie Atkinson, Tim Bennett, Denise Blanchette, Colby Bruchs, Amy Hamilton Vailea, Joseph Gattozzi, Jon Lewis, Marcy Lucas, Celeste Mosher, Anne Simpson, Peter Thayer, Chris Uraneck, Thomas Watson, and the Maine Marine Patrol University of Maine Sea Grant Extension: Christopher Bartlett Downeast Salmon Federation: Dwayne Shaw Submitted as part of: A Multi-State Collaborative to Develop & Implement a Conservation Program for Three Anadromous Finfish Species of Concern in the Gulf of Maine NOAA Species of Concern Grant Program Award #NA06NMF4720249A Cover illustration by Victor Young ©2012 CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 1 – Species Status ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 – Basic Biology ...................................................................................................................................................6 Life History ................................................................................................................................................6 Habitat Use ................................................................................................................................................6 Genetic Stock Structure in Gulf of Maine ...................................................................................................8 1.2 – Historical Smelt Fisheries ...............................................................................................................................12 Mid-Atlantic .............................................................................................................................................12 New Jersey ................................................................................................................................................12 New York ..................................................................................................................................................13 Connecticut ..............................................................................................................................................14 Rhode Island .............................................................................................................................................14 Massachusetts ...........................................................................................................................................15 Historical Fisheries ...............................................................................................................................15 Recent Trends .......................................................................................................................................15 New Hampshire ........................................................................................................................................16 Historical Fisheries ...............................................................................................................................16 Recent Trends .......................................................................................................................................16 Maine .......................................................................................................................................................17 Historical Fisheries ...............................................................................................................................17 Recent Trends .......................................................................................................................................17 Canadian Provinces ...................................................................................................................................18 Historical Fisheries ...............................................................................................................................18 Recent Trends .......................................................................................................................................18 Summary ..................................................................................................................................................19 1.3 – Population Status in the Gulf of Maine ..........................................................................................................20 Previous Smelt Population Studies ............................................................................................................20 Current Fisheries Dependent Monitoring .................................................................................................21 New Hampshire Creel Survey ................................................................................................................21 Maine Creel Survey ..............................................................................................................................22 Current Fisheries Independent Monitoring ...............................................................................................22 State Inshore Trawl Surveys ...................................................................................................................22 Maine and New Hampshire Juvenile Abundance Surveys .......................................................................23 New Hampshire Egg Deposition Monitoring ..........................................................................................23 Maine Spawning Stream Use Monitoring ..............................................................................................24 Regional Fyke Net Sampling .................................................................................................................24 Establishing Gulf of Maine Spawning Site Indices .........................................................................24 2008-2011 Results .........................................................................................................................25 Study Area Summary .....................................................................................................................29 Conclusions About Regional Fyke Net Sampling ...........................................................................30 2 – Threats to Rainbow Smelt Populations in the Gulf of Maine ........................................................................... 42 2.1 – Threats to Spawning Habitat Conditions and Spawning Success ....................................................................42 Spawning Site Characteristics ....................................................................................................................42 Obstructions .............................................................................................................................................43 Dams ..................................................................................................................................................43 Road crossings ......................................................................................................................................44 ANADROMOUS RAINBOW SMELT REGIONAL CONSERVATION PLAN • 1 Contents continued Channelization and Flow Disruptions .......................................................................................................44 Discharge and Velocity ..........................................................................................................................44 Substrate and Channel Stability ............................................................................................................45 Watershed characteristics ..........................................................................................................................45 2.2 – Threats to Embryonic Development and Survival ..........................................................................................48