California Steelhead: Management, Monitoring and Recovery Efforts

Jonathan Nelson

Steelhead Restoration & Management Program

Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus California Steelhead Klamath Distinct Population Segments Mountains (DPS) Province

 Klamath Mountains Province Status: Not warranted (2001) Northern California  Northern California Central Valley Status: Threatened (2000)  Central California Coast Central California Status: Threatened (1997) Coast  Central Valley Status: Threatened (1998) South-Central California Coast  South-Central California Coast Status: Threatened (1997)  Southern California Southern California Status: Endangered (1997) California Steelhead Recovery and Management Resources

RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT PLANS

 Steelhead Restoration and Management Plan for California (CDFG 1996)  Currently being updated and revised  Southern California Steelhead Recovery Plan (NMFS 2012)  South-Central California Coast Steelhead Recovery Plan (NMFS 2013)  Central Valley California multi-species Salmonid Recovery Plan (Steelhead, Winter and Spring Chinook) (NMFS)  Public Draft 2009, Final Draft anticipated 2014  Multi-species Recovery Plan for Steelhead and Chinook (NMFS)  Central California Coast and Northern California DPS/ESUs  Co-Manager Draft anticipated 2014  California Hatchery Review Statewide Report – (California HSRG 2012)  Independent scientific review of anadromous hatchery management/protocols California Steelhead Monitoring Plans:

California Coast

 California Coastal Salmonid population Monitoring: Strategy, Design, and Methods.  (CDFG Fish Bulletin 180, 2011)

California Central Valley:

 A Comprehensive Monitoring Plan for Steelhead in the California Central Valley  (CDFG 2010)  Implementation Plan for the Central Valley Steelhead Monitoring Plan  (CDFW 2014)

Monitoring Techniques:

 Life Cycle Monitoring Stations  VAKI and Video Stations  Weirs and Fish Traps  REDD Surveys  Snorkel Surveys  Acoustic Telemetry  DIDSON Stations California Steelhead Report Card Data Annual Statewide Catch of O. mykiss (> 16”) 2000-2011 Wild and Hatchery 30000 Return of Card Required by Law Wild 25000 Hatchery 20000

15000

10000

5000

0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Wild O. mykiss: Hatchery O. mykiss: Release and Harvest Release and Harvest % Harvest % Harvest 30000 25000 5 3 3 5 6 5 8 5 4 3 2 0 28 22 25 21 24 23 23 22 20 24 28 26 25000 20000 Release 20000 Release Harvest 15000 Harvest 15000 10000 10000

5000 5000

0 0 Klamath Mountains Province DPS Klamath Mountains Province Status: Not warranted (2001) DPS includes:

 Winter Steelhead (ocean maturing)  Stock appears to be stable

 Fall Steelhead (stream maturing)  Stock is stable  Linked to timing of hatchery run

 Summer Steelhead (steam maturing)  Stock is uncertain  May warrant future protection

 “Half-Pounder” runs  Unique to Northern Coastal range  Defined as sub-adults that have spent 2-4 months in estuary or nearshore before returning to the river to overwinter

 Dam Removals on Klamath  4 dams and over 600 stream miles  Anticipated removal 2020

 Restorations efforts in this DPS are key to ensure preventive declines in future populations Trinity River Fall Steelhead run-size Estimates 2002-2012 (above Willow Creek weir, Wild and Hatchery)

50,000 Wild 45,000 Hatchery 40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

0 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Northern California DPS Northern California Status: Threatened (2000)

DPS includes:

 Winter Steelhead  Stocks stable to declining

 Summer Steelhead (Eel River)  Stock is uncertain  May warrant future protection

 “Half-Pounder” runs  Limited stream locations

Primary Threats:

 Poor forest practices  Poor land use practices  Non-native predators  Sacramento Pikeminnow  High water temperatures

Log Jams

Landslides Eel River Wild Winter Steelhead Counts 2000-2014 Van Arsdale Fisheries Station

1000 2013-14 - Mid-season count 900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14  Average counts in 1940’s ~ 4000 annually

 Sacramento Pikeminnow introduced in 1978/79

Middle Fork Eel River Summer Steelhead Abundance 1970-2013 1800 Summer Steelhead – 2011 Survey 1601 1600 1550 1522 1524 1490 1422 1400 1298

1191 1200 1149 1148

1052 1054 997 1000 1000 865 872 817 837 792 800 771 727 731 721 711 691 701 654 666 657 622 626 600 527 534 502 516 513 523 449 451 422418 396 400 377 306

200

0 Central California Coast DPS Central California Coast Status: Threatened (1997) DPS includes:

 Winter Steelhead  Stocks continue to decline

Primary Threats:

 Habitat blockages  Habitat degradation  Urbanization  Dewatering from irrigation  Lagoon breaching

 Russian River  1960’s ~ 65,000 annually  1990’s < 5000 annually  ~ 500 licensed/permitted dams on tributaries

 Restoration Projects Include:  Estuary enhancements  Invasive plant removal  Predator removal  Riparian enhancement  Barrier removals Central California Coast San Lorenzo River, Santa Cruz Migratory Challenges

Alameda Creek – South Bay, San Francisco

Proposed Fish Ladder - 2015

Pescadero Lagoon

 1980 ~ 20,000 SH  2008 < 1000 SH Central Valley California DPS Central Valley Shasta Dam - 1945 Status: Threatened (1998)

DPS includes: Whiskeytown Dam - 1963

 Winter Steelhead Oroville Dam - 1965  Stocks stable to declining

 Summer Steelhead (?)  Presence suspected, unverified

 Resident form O. mykiss  Many CV streams provide year round cold, food rich habitats that favor a resident life history

 Run size estimates in Central Valley Folsom Dam - 1955  Early 1900’s - 1 to 2 million SH Englebright Dam - 1941  By 1960, ~ 40,000  2014 – Estimates unavailable

 Sacramento River and Tributaries  Consistent low wild run sizes

 San Joaquin River and Tributaries  Wild run size unknown  Estimated very low to declining Friant Dam - 1942  Large hatchery SH influence in CV  ~ 1 million smolts produced annually ~ 80% of historical habitat unavailable Red Bluff Diversion Dam, Upper Sacramento River

16000

15000

14000

13000

12000

11000

10000

9000

8000

7000 Gates at Red Bluff Diversion Dam

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

 As of 2009, accurate SH estimates are not available  SH counts ceased since gates are now raised through migration period  No evidence that low trend has changed Primary Threats:

 Dams  Habitat blockages and loss  Habitat degradation

 Water Management  Diversions and dewatering  Poor water quality

 Predation  (Striped Bass/Pikeminnow)

 Migration paths in Delta

The Delta South-Central California DPS

Big Sur River South-Central California Coast Status: Threatened (1997)

DPS includes:

 Winter Steelhead  Stocks continue to decline

Primary Threats:

 Habitat blockages  Habitat degradation  Dewatering from irrigation  Lagoon breaching  High water temperatures  Predation (Striped Bass/Pikeminnow)  Invasive plant species

 Restoration Projects Include:  Estuary enhancements  Invasive plant removal  Predator removal  Gravel augmentation  Riparian enhancement  Barrier removals

Carmel River Winter Steelhead Counts 1993-2013 San Clemente Dam Fish Ladder and Los Padres Dam Fish Trap 1000 San Clemente Dam 900 Los Padres Dam

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

San Clemente Dam Los Padres Dam  Removal logistics initiated - 2013  Adults trap and hauled above dam  ~ 8 River Miles to Los Padres Dam  Proposed juvenile/kelt fish collector Southern California DPS

Southern California Santa Ynez River, Bradbury dam Status: Endangered (1997) Historic Runs ~ 20,000 DPS includes: 1953

 Winter Steelhead  Stocks continue to decline

Primary Threats:

 Habitat blockages Current Runs < 200  Habitat degradation  Dewatering from irrigation  Drought Mission Creek, Santa Barbara – 2008  Urbanization  Channelization  High water temperatures  Non-native fish  Invasive plant species (Arundo)

 Restoration Projects Include:  Barrier removals Redd  Stream channel enhancement  Invasive plant removal  Riparian enhancement  Water user agreements  Land acquisitions

Ventura River Matilija Dam

1946

1948

 ~ 50% historic spawning habitat upstream  Scheduled for Removal in 2020 Robles Diversion Dam

1958

Historic Estimates = 4000 to 6000 March 2010 Current Estimates < 100 annually Fish ladder built 2005 California Steelhead - Hot Topics

 Implementation of monitoring and recovery plans

 Reintroduction above long standing barriers

 Angling regulations – harvest of hatchery fish

 Anadromous and resident form management

 Conservation hatcheries

 Drought related fish rescue SUMMARY

 Steelhead stocks in California appear to be stable to declining

 Need to implement identified recovery actions

 Need implementation of monitoring programs & data collection

 Need consistent water supply and unimpeded passage

 Need to continue to address & alleviate threats

 Need baseline funding for population restoration and assessment Jonathan Nelson Steelhead Restoration & Management Program California Department of Fish and Wildlife 830 S Street Sacramento, California 95811 Phone: (916) 445-4506 Fax: (916) 327-8854 Email: [email protected]