UPPER DESCHUTES RIVER SUBBASIN FISH MANAGEMENT PLAN UPPER DESCHUTES FISH DISTRICT October 1996 Principal Authors: Ted Fies John Fortune Brenda Lewis Mark Manion Steve Marx ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The principal authors wish to acknowledge the help, encouragement, comments, and edits contributed by a large number of people including the Technical and Public Advisory Committees, ODFW Fish Division and Habitat Conservation Division staffs, Central Region staffs, other basin planners, district biologists, and staff from other agencies helped answer questions throughout the development of the plan. We especially want to thank members of the public who contributed excellent comments and management direction. We would also like to thank our families and friends who supported us during the five years of completing this task. 2 FOREWORD The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) develops management plans for each basin or management unit in the state following the requirements of Oregon Administrative Rule 635-07-515, which states: Resources of the state shall be managed according to plans which set forth goals, objectives and operating principles for management of species, waters, or areas. Such plans are a primary means of implementing Department policies regarding fish management. The Upper Deschutes River Subbasin Fish Management Plan was developed to direct management of fish resources of the upper 132 miles of the Deschutes River, its tributaries, lakes, reservoirs, and the Cascade Mountain high lakes within the upper Deschutes River subbasin. ODFW is committed to the planning process as an integral part of all current and future management by the agency. The Upper Deschutes River Subbasin Fish Management Plan is one element in the Department's planning efforts. Species plans for chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, trout, and warmwater game fish have been adopted. These statewide plans guide the development of more localized plans for individual river basins and subbasins. These plans serve several needed functions. They present a logical, systematic approach to conserving our aquatic resources. They establish management priorities and direct attention to the most critical problems affecting our fisheries so that the Department's funds and personnel can be used accordingly. They inform the public and other agencies about the Department's management programs and provide them with the opportunity to help formulate those programs. Plan Scope Fish management in the waters of the upper Deschutes River subbasin, which flows into Lake Billy Chinook, is addressed by this plan. Companion documents, the Crooked River and Metolius River Subbasin Fish Management Plans have been adopted. The Upper Deschutes River Subbasin Fish Management Plan will be presented to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in August of 1996 with adoption expected in September of 1996. Plan Development Process and Participants This plan was developed by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWS) with the help of two committees. The Public Advisory Committee, representing non-treaty user groups and other interested members of the public, helped identify a range of objectives and actions for managing the fishery resources in the upper Deschutes i River basin. The Technical Advisory Committee, composed of representatives of state and federal fishery agencies, tribes, land and water management agencies, and utilities, developed specific fishery and other technical information and described and assessed potential actions for managing the fisheries. Members of the Public Advisory Committee and their affiliations are: PAT SCHATZ Crane Prairie Resort BYRON BEACH Metolius River Lodges JOHN JUDY Metolius flyfisherman and guide LEN MATHISEN Deschutes River Mitigation and Enhancement Committee MAVIS SHAW Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation CRAIG LACY Oregon Trout PHIL HORTON Warmwater fishing groups GARY WARD Crook County Parks and Recreation CHARLIE BROWN Des. Basin Resource Committee and Swalley Water DAVE NOLTE Trout Unlimited, Bring Back the Natives, Fish America Foundation BOB GRIFFIN Central Oregon Flyfishers JOHN HOFFERD East Lake Resort and Paulina Lake Resort JIM MYRON Oregon Trout Members of the Technical Advisory Committee and their affiliations are: TOM MERRITT Deschutes National Forest- Forest Fisheries Biologist DEAN GROVER Ochoco National Forest DON RATLIFF Portland General Electric- Fisheries biologist BOB BEAL Central Oregon Irrigation District JAN HOUCK Oregon State Parks and Recreation JIM EISNER Bureau of Land Management KYLE GORMAN Oregon Department of Water Resources- Watermaster LT. GLENN MCDONALD Oregon State Police LARRY ZACK Bureau of Reclamation TIM KEITH Oregon Department of Forestry BRUCE HAMMON Oregon Department of Environmental Quality LARRY RASMUSSEN U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service DAVID SUMMER Deschutes National Forest- recreation STAN RODGERS Woodward Company- wood products HUGH MOORE Ochoco Irrigation District LINDA PRENDERGAST Pacific Power CHUCK BURLEY Northwest Forestry Association CHUCK SCHONECKER North Unit Irrigation District ii Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff who contributed to this plan: Mark Chilcote, Natural Production Program Leader Alan Dale, Assistant Regional Supervisor, Central Region Ted Fies, District Fisheries Biologist, Upper Deschutes Fish District John Fortune, ODFW retired Bob Hooton, Trout Program Leader Brenda Lewis, Basin Planner, resigned Mark Manion, Assistant District Fisheries Biologist, Upper Deschutes Fish District Steve Marx, Assistant District Fisheries Biologist, Upper Deschutes Fish District Patricia Oman, Planner Terry Shrader, Eastern Oregon Warmwater Project Leader Walt Weber, District Fisheries Biologist, North Coast Fish District Principal authors are Ted Fies, John Fortune, Brenda Lewis, Mark Manion, Steve Marx and Terry Shrader. Purpose of Plan This plan is intended to set fish management direction for the next five to ten years within the specified water bodies of the subbasin. The policies and objectives within each section provide the core of the management program and describe the fundamental direction that will be pursued. These are implemented through specific actions, which may include (but are not limited to) acquiring habitat, developing angling regulations, and stocking fish. Because of funding uncertainties, a wide variety of actions are described, but not all may be implemented. Organization of Plan This plan is divided into 11 major sections which address the fish management in individual waters or groups of waters in the upper Deschutes River subbasin. Each of these sections is, in turn, divided into sub-sections that address habitat, the major fish species or groups of species, and angling access, within major water bodies of the river subbasin. Each of these sub-sections contains: 1. Background and status: historical and current information which helps explain the context of the policies, objectives, and actions. 2. Policies: constraints or principles developed specifically for management activities in the subbasin related to that species or topic. 3. Objectives: what is intended to be accomplished. 4. Assumptions and Rationale: support and justification for objectives. iii 5. Actions: individual tasks and activities needed to be carried out to progress toward attainment of objectives. For each significant water body or group of water bodies, a management direction or two or more management alternatives were written during the initial scoping of this document. This version of the plan contains only the management direction adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. All of the management options, including specific actions, are governed by Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) currently in place which relate to fish management. A partial list of those OARs can be found in Appendix G. Procedures developed by ODFW are incorporated in the Manual for Fish Management (1977) and A Department Guide for Introductions and Transfers of Finfish into Oregon Waters (1982), and Habitat Protection Policies and Standards (1991). Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission Action The entire plan is presented to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (OFWC), which reviews the management direction and management alternatives described within the plan. After considering staff recommendations and public comments, the Commission chooses management directions for each significant water body. After a period of 60 days, in which further public review may take place, the entire plan will be finalized to reflect the Commission decisions. Oregon Administrative Rules are developed from the policies and objectives of the approved plan, and will be submitted to the Attorney General for finalization within the same time frame. GENERAL CONSTRAINTS Legal Considerations Besides the statewide species plans, the Upper Deschutes River Subbasin Fish Management Plan must also conform to other established constraints, such as federal acts (e.g., Wilderness, Endangered Species), state statutes, administrative rules, memoranda of understanding, and other policies. ODFW interacts with other agencies primarily in dealing with fish habitat issues. Although the U.S. Forest Service is the major public land manager in the planning areas, several federal and state entities have jurisdiction over activities that affect fish habitat. These include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Department of the Interior's