North Saskatchewan River Drainage, Fish Sustainability Index Data Gaps Project, 2017 North Saskatchewan River Drainage, Fish Sustainability Index Data Gaps Project, 2017 Chad Judd, Mike Rodtka, and Zachary Spence Alberta Conservation Association 101 – 9 Chippewa Road Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada T8A 6J7 Report Editors PETER AKU GLENDA SAMUELSON Alberta Conservation Association R.R. #2 101 – 9 Chippewa Rd. Craven, SK S0G 0W0 Sherwood Park, AB T8A 6J7 Conservation Report Series Type Data ISBN: 978-0-9959984-2-1 Reproduction and Availability: This report and its contents may be reproduced in whole, or in part, provided that this title page is included with such reproduction and/or appropriate acknowledgements are provided to the authors and sponsors of this project. Suggested Citation: Judd, C., M. Rodtka, and Z. Spence. 2018. North Saskatchewan River drainage, fish sustainability index data gaps project, 2017. Data Report, produced by Alberta Conservation Association, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. 18 pp + App. Cover photo credit: David Fairless Digital copies of conservation reports can be obtained from: Alberta Conservation Association 101 – 9 Chippewa Rd. Sherwood Park, AB T8A 6J7 Toll Free: 1-877-969-9091 Tel: (780) 410-1998 Fax: (780) 464-0990 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ab-conservation.com i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fishery inventories provide resource managers with information on fish species abundance, distribution, and habitat. This information is a key component of responsible land use planning. Alberta Environment and Park’s (AEP) Fish Sustainability Index (FSI), is a standardized process of assessment that provides the framework within which fishery inventories must occur for greatest relevance to government managers and planners. Our objective was to describe bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) distribution and abundance in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed to address data deficiencies for these FSI priority species. Bull trout are particularly sensitive to habitat change and are classed as Threatened in Alberta (Saskatchewan and Nelson rivers populations). Priority areas for fishery inventories in 2017 were identified in consultation with project partners and included the Blackstone River, its tributaries and tributaries of the Brazeau River. From July 7 to August 24, we sampled 52 sites randomly distributed throughout six watersheds classed as hydrologic unit code (HUC) 10. West Fraser Mills Ltd’s forest management area encompasses at least portions of four of the six watersheds and 26 of the 52 sites. Sites were sampled using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear. We captured 308 bull trout, and 235 mountain whitefish. Bull trout were detected in all the HUC 10 watersheds and at 33 of the 52 sites. The Thistle Creek watershed had the highest relative abundance of bull trout at 5.68 bull trout per 100 m, while the Devil Forks watershed had the lowest, at 0.42 bull trout per 100 m. Mountain whitefish were detected in all watersheds except Chungo Creek and Thistle Creek. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and cutthroat trout (Onchorynchus clarkii) were detected in all watersheds, except Thistle Creek and Devil Forks, respectively. We measured stream temperature (hourly) at 13 stations in the HUC 10 watersheds to assess thermal suitability for bull trout habitat. Results indicated that highly suitable thermal habitat for bull trout existed in the Thistle Creek and upper Blackstone River watersheds in the summer months of 2017. Our study provides current information on stream habitats, and the abundance and distribution of FSI priority species within the Blackstone River, its tributaries and tributaries of the Brazeau River. This information is useful to land managers when attempting to balance the diverse values of the landbase upon which they operate and critical for the conservation of native fish species particularly sensitive to habitat degradation including bull trout. Key words: Alberta, North Saskatchewan River watershed, FSI, bull trout, mountain whitefish, distribution, abundance. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Jessica Reilly and Steve Herman of Alberta Environment and Parks for their assistance with project design and development. Alberta Conservation Association employees Andrew Clough and Bryce O’Connor assisted with data collection and summary. The financial support of Hinton Wood Products, a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd., is greatly appreciated as is employee Laura Trout’s assistance with funding and study design considerations. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................... vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 2.0 STUDY AREA ................................................................................................................................... 2 3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................................... 5 3.1 Fish distribution and abundance ............................................................................................... 5 3.2 Stream habitat measurement ...................................................................................................... 6 4.0 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................................ 9 4.1 Fish distribution and abundance ............................................................................................... 9 4.2 Stream habitat measurement .................................................................................................... 13 5.0 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 15 6.0 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................................................... 17 7.0 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................. 19 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed and the fishery inventory watersheds, 2017. Inset map shows the location within the province of Alberta. ......................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing sites, 2017. ................................................................................................. 4 Figure 3. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of stream temperature stations in each watershed and the Blackstone River, 2017. ...................................... 8 Figure 4. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the distribution of fish species captured using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, 2017. .... 10 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Number of sites where fish were detected in each HUC 10 watershed and total catch of fish species using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, 2017. .............................................................................................................. 11 Table 2. Relative abundance of bull trout and mountain whitefish in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, 2017. .................................................................................................................................. 11 Table 3. Size distribution of fish species captured in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, 2017. ............... 12 Table 4. Summary of stream habitat measurements in each HUC 10 watershed collected while backpack and tote-barge electrofish sampling, July 7 to August 24, 2017. 14 Table 5. Summary of stream temperature measurements from 13 stations in the Blackstone and Brazeau watersheds, July 1 to August 31, 2017. ............................. 15 vi LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1. Summary of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing site locations (NAD 83, Zone 11) and fish capture by species in the Upper Blackstone River (BS, BL = tote sites), Brown Creek (B), Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) watersheds, 2017. ......................................................................... 19 Appendix 2. Bootstrapped mean relative abundance (10,000 replicates) of fish captured in each HUC 10 watershed, using