Abundance and Distribution of Arctic Grayling in the Upper Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007
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Abundance and Distribution of Arctic Grayling in the Upper Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007 CONSERVATION REPORT SERIES The Alberta Conservation Association is a Delegated Administrative Organization under Alberta’s Wildlife Act. CONSERVATION REPORT SERIES 25% Post Consumer Fibre When separated, both the binding and paper in this document are recyclable Abundance and Distribution of Arctic Grayling in the Upper Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007 Kevin Fitzsimmons Alberta Conservation Association Box 1420, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada T4C 1B4 Mike Blackburn† Alberta Conservation Association #203, Provincial Building, 111 – 54 Street Edson, Alberta, Canada T7E 1T2 †Current Address: Alberta Sustainable Resource Development 111 ‐ 54 Street, Edson, Alberta, Canada, T7E 1T2 Report Editors PETER AKU KELLEY KISSNER Alberta Conservation Association 50 Tuscany Meadows Cres NW #101, 9 Chippewa Rd Calgary, AB T3L 2T9 Sherwood Park, AB T8A 6J7 Conservation Report Series Type Data ISBN printed: 978‐0‐7785‐8460‐5 ISBN online: 978‐0‐7785‐8461‐2 Publication No.: I/347 Disclaimer: This document is an independent report prepared by the Alberta Conservation Association. The authors are solely responsible for the interpretations of data and statements made within this report. 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: Fitzsimmons, K., and M. Blackburn. 2009. Abundance and distribution of Arctic grayling in the upper Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007. Data Report, D‐2009‐ 004, produced by the Alberta Conservation Association, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. 16 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: info@ab‐conservation.com Website: www.ab‐conservation.com i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY During summer 2007, we used sample angling to assess the Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) population in an upper section of the Little Smoky River (235 km in length), the majority of which is a catch‐and‐release angling area. We angled 27 stream sites and captured a total of 1,734 individual Arctic grayling. Five percent of the total catch was of legal harvest size fish (350 mm total length). Catch rates were highly variable among sites ranging from 0 to 7.1 fish/h and from 0 to 96 fish/km. At seven study sites, we applied capture‐mark‐recapture techniques to estimate sample angling capture efficiency (q) for Arctic grayling. Overall, capture efficiencies were dependent on fish size. Capture efficiency of large fish (> 250 mm fork length; FL) was 2.4 times greater than that for small fish (150 ‐ 249 mm FL; q = 0.143). We incorporated these effects when modeling abundance of Arctic grayling for the entire length of the 235 km study area. Small fish were nearly twice as abundant as large fish (17,294 fish versus 9,326 fish). Estimated abundance of legal‐sized Arctic grayling was only 3% of the total estimate (i.e., 812 fish; 90% CI = 481 – 1,366). Arctic grayling were unevenly distributed in the study area. Mainstem sections located at the upper end of the Little Smoky River supported high numbers of legal‐sized Arctic grayling (i.e., > 17 fish/2 km). Total fish abundance peaked at approximately 55 km upstream of the boundary of the two‐fish bag limit (i.e., Pass Creek rail bridge). Downstream of the Tony Creek confluence the river supported low numbers of Arctic grayling. This information will assist resource managers in the development of management plans for the Little Smoky River watershed. Key words: Arctic grayling, sample angling, capture efficiency, modeling, abundance, spatial distribution, Little Smoky River, population size structure. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Alberta Conservation Association employees Lyndon Rempel, Josh Bouchard and Jay Wieliczko for assistance with data collection. We also thank Janet Boyd, Kris Maier and Frank Wood for additional help in the field. Thanks to George Sterling (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development) and Mike Rodtka (Alberta Conservation Association) for assistance with study design. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development kindly allowed us use of the forestry bunkhouse in Fox Creek. Helpful reviews on earlier versions of this document were provided by Jason Blackburn, Paul Hvenegaard, Cam Stevens and Mike Rodtka. The Forest Resource Improvement Agency of Alberta and Alberta Conservation Association provided funding for this project. 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 1.1. Background ................................................................................................................1 1.2. Study objectives .........................................................................................................2 2.0 STUDY AREA.................................................................................................................2 3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................................3 3.1. Inventory data............................................................................................................3 3.2. Population modeling.................................................................................................5 3.3. Stream temperature and flow monitoring .............................................................6 4.0 RESULTS .........................................................................................................................7 4.1. Capture efficiencies ...................................................................................................8 4.2. Population modeling...............................................................................................10 4.3. Size structure............................................................................................................12 4.4. Summary...................................................................................................................13 5.0 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................................14 6.0 APPENDICES...............................................................................................................17 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Location of inventory, population estimate and temperature monitoring sites in the upper Little Smoky River study area............................................... 4 Figure 2. Abundance and spatial distribution of (A) small and large Arctic grayling and (B) legal‐sized Arctic grayling in the 235‐km Little Smoky River study area, 2007 ............................................................................................................... 11 Figure 3. Fork length histogram of Arctic grayling captured by angling in the Little Smoky River, 2007 ................................................................................................ 12 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Arctic grayling captures, angling effort, site length and catch rates for the Little Smoky River in 2007....................................................................................... 8 Table 2. Angling capture efficiency and Akaike’s information criterion parameters for size‐structured Arctic grayling catch at capture‐mark‐recapture sites on the Little Smoky River in 2007....................................................................................... 9 vi LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1. Date, location and channel information for sites on the Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007.................................................................................... 17 Appendix 2. Fork length‐total length relationship for Arctic grayling from the Little Smoky River, Alberta, 2007....................................................................... 19 Appendix 3. Maximum, minimum and seasonal mean water temperature at nine locations in the Little Smoky River study area, 2007. ........................... 20 Appendix 4. Historical and 2007 water discharge measured at Water Survey of Canada hydrometric station No. 07GG002 on the Little Smoky River at the Town of Little Smoky...................................................................... 21 Appendix 5. Size‐structured capture‐mark‐recapture data for population estimates conducted in the Little Smoky River study area, 2007.......................... 22 vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION