Russian River Fisheries Status and Monitoring

Gregg Horton and Justin Smith

www.sonomacountywater.org www.sonomacountywater.org www.sonomacountywater.org www.sonomacountywater.org

DPS Geographic Ranges

Salmonid Life Cycle

Eggs

Alevins

Adult

Parr Smolt

Thermal Ranges

26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16

Temperature (C) Temperature 15 14 13 12 11 10 Thermal Ranges

26 25 24 Resistance 23 22 21 Tolerance 20 19 18 Suitable 17 16

Temperature (C) Temperature 15 14 13 Optimal 12 11 10 Thermal Ranges-Hacienda

26 25 24 Resistance 23 22 21 Tolerance 20 19 18 Suitable 17 16

Temperature (C) Temperature 15 14 13 Optimal 12 11 10 Thermal Ranges-Smolts (Mirabel)

26 25 24 Resistance 23 22

21 Tolerance 20 19 18 Suitable 17 16 Number of Fish Temperature (C) Temperature 15 14 13 Optimal 12 11 10 Thermal Ranges-Adults (Mirabel)

26 25 24 Resistance 23 22

21 Tolerance 20 19 18 Suitable 17 16 Number of Fish Temperature (C) Temperature 15 14 13 Optimal 12 11 10 Monitoring Timing and Life Stage

Adult

Juvenile (in-stream)

Juvenile/ Smolt (outmigrant)

Juvenile (estuary) Water quality

1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec 1-Jan Monitoring Timing and Life Stage

(Chinook spawner survey) (PIT antenna, mouth) Adult (Chinook spawner survey) Adults (PIT antenna- Duncans Mills/Mirabel) (Upstream video- Mirabel) Juvenile (Backpack electrofishing) (in-stream) (PIT antenna) (PIT antenna) (Rotary screw trap) (Rotary screw trap) Juveniles

(Funnel trap) Juvenile/smolt (PIT antenna) (outmigrant) (Funnel / pipe trap) Smolts (Rotary screw trap / Funnel trap) (PIT antenna) (PIT antenna) (Downstream video) Juvenile (Beach seining) (estuary) (Beach seining) (Datasonde) Water quality (Datasonde)

1-Apr 1-May 1-Jun 1-Jul 1-Aug 1-Sep 1-Oct 1-Nov 1-Dec 1-Jan Lower estuary Upper estuary Austin Creek Dutch Bill Creek Mark West Creek Mainstem Dry Creek Monitoring Methods and Locations

Downstream migrant traps: • Mirabel (Russian River) • Dry Creek • Mark West Creek • Dutch Bill Creek • Austin Creek

Monitoring Methods and Locations

• PIT tags • Small radio tags • PIT tag antennas: • Dry Creek • Dutch Bill Creek • Austin Creek • Estuary (Russian River)

Monitoring Methods and Locations

Adult salmonid monitoring: • Mirabel (Russian River)

Monitoring Methods and Locations

• Estuary seining • River km 0-12 • 50 sites sampled monthly (May-October)

Estuary (annual steelhead catch)

1 CUPE (fish/set)CUPE

0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Austin Creek Steelhead Parr Movement

Austin Creek Cumulative Steelhead Catch • Most of the movement of 6000

steelhead from Austin 5000

Creek to the estuary 4000 occurred between May 3000 and July

Number of of Number fish 2000

1000

5/7 6/4 7/2 7/9 4/16 4/23 4/30 5/21 5/28 6/18 6/25 7/16 5/14 6/11

2010 2011 2012 Dry Creek Chinook Smolt Movement

Dry Creek cumulative Chinook catch • Most of the movement of 25000 Chinook smolts out of Dry 20000

Creek occurred between May and July 15000

10000 Number of of Number fish

5000

4/5 5/3 6/7 7/5 8/2 8/9 4/12 4/19 4/26 5/10 5/17 5/24 5/31 6/14 6/21 6/28 7/12 7/19 7/26 8/16 8/23

2010 2011 2012 Wild Coho Smolts Relative Abundance

Coho Smolts (wild) • Coho (wild) 140

• More wild coho smolts 120 were detected at Dry 100 Creek relative to other 80 trapping sites 2010 60 2011

Number of of Number fish 2012 40

0 Austin Creek Dry Creek Dutch Bill Mirabel Mark West Creek Creek Juvenile Steelhead Relative Abundance

Steelhead YOY/parr (wild) • Steelhead 6000 • More steelhead detected 5000

at Austin Creek relative 4000 2010 to other trapping sites 3000 2011 2000 Number of of Number fish 2012 1000

0 Austin Creek Dutch Bill Mirabel Mark West Creek Creek Chinook Smolts Relative Abundance

Chinook Smolts (wild) 25000 • Chinook 20000

• More Chinook detected at 15000 Dry Creek and Mirabel 2010 when compared to other 2011 10000 2012 trapping sites of Number fish 5000 Population estimates 0 • Austin Dry Creek Dutch Bill Mirabel Mark West

allow us to approximate 450,000 the total number of fish 400,000 350,000 passing our study site Total catch 300,000 Population estimate 250,000 200,000

Number of of Number fish 150,000 100,000 50,000 0

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Population estimate of Chinook smolts shown with 95% CI Size/Age of Austin Creek Steelhead

Steelhead YOY/parr and smolts • In Austin Creek we 250 detect • Steelhead parr 200

• <1 year 150

• Age 1+ parr smolt • and Steelhead 100 smolts length (mm) Fork 50

0 4/11 4/21 5/1 5/11 5/21 5/31 6/10 6/20 6/30 7/10 Juvenile Salmonid Growth

• Individual growth rates can be calculated for PIT tagged fish that are recaptured at a later date • Dry Creek • Estuary Dry Creek-Baseline Monitoring

1 Lower Reach Middle Reach Upper Reach 0.9 0.8 0.7 2010 2011 0.6 mm/day mm/day

- 0.5

95% CI) 0.4 ±

( 0.3 0.2 Growth 0.1 0 0 5 10 15 20 River Kilometer

1.4 Lower Reach

- Middle Reach Upper Reach

1.2 1 2008 2009

95% CI) 0.8

± 2010 2011 (

2 0.6

0.4

0.2 fish/m Population Density 0 0 5 10 15 20 River Kilometer Wild Chinook Salmon Spawners

8000 The 2012 number is

7000 Preliminary but not 6,681 6,103 expected to change

6000 5,474 appreciably Fish 5000 4,788 4000 3,410 3,172 2,572 3000 2,516 1,963 1,801 1,445

Number of of Number 2000 1,383 1,125 1000 0 For more detailed information on the Water Agency’s fisheries monitoring program see:

Russian River Biological Opinion status and Data Report 2011-12 http://www.scwa.ca.gov/

Highlights

• PIT tags and related technology continue to enhance our ability to address fisheries-related questions • Flat plate PIT antenna array operated continuously near mouth of river • This equipment is key in expanding adult coho returns to the Russian River in 2012-13 (withstood ~40,000 cfs)

Highlights

• PIT tags and related Wild Coho salmon

technology continue to 800 enhance our ability to 600 address fisheries-related questions 400 200 • Signs that the number of Number of Fish 0 naturally-reproduced 2009 2010 2011 2012 (“wild”) coho salmon Parr (wild) Smolt (wild) continued to increase

Highlights

• PIT tags and related technology continue to enhance our ability to address fisheries-related questions

• Signs that the number of naturally-reproduced (“wild”) coho salmon continued to increase

• Highest number of adult Chinook in 13 years of video monitoring