Baseline Assessment of Salmonids in Tributaries of the Snake and Grande Ronde Rivers in Southeast Washington
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Baseline Assessment of Salmonids in Tributaries of the Snake and Grande Ronde Rivers in Southeast Washington 2005 Annual Report By Glen Mendel, Michael Gembala, Jeremy Trump and Chris Fulton Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program - Fish Management Division 529 West Main Street, Dayton, WA 99328 For Asotin County Conservation District United States Fish and Wildlife Service Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife May 2006 Baseline Assessment of Salmonids in Tributaries of the Snake and Grande Ronde Rivers in Southeast Washington 2005 Annual Report By Glen Mendel, Michael Gembala, Jeremy Trump and Chris Fulton Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program - Fish Management Division 529 West Main Street, Dayton, WA 99328 For Asotin County Conservation District United States Fish and Wildlife Service Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife May 2006 Acknowledgments Funding for this study was provided by multiple sources. Jim Uehara, (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) provided funding available from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Scott Deeds (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) provided funding for genetic sampling and analysis of native bull trout populations in the Tucannon Basin. The Asotin County Conservation District provided funding for surveys in Asotin County; special thanks to Brad Johnson. Michael Faler (U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service) provided personnel and field accommodations for Tucannon River bull trout sampling and PIT tagging with USACE funding (for USFWS activities). The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife provided additional funding and assistance. We would like to extend thanks to the following individuals with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife who contributed their efforts in collecting, entering, and summarizing data: Derek Gloyn, Steve Jeffers, Larabee Miller, and Mark Lambert. We would also like to thank Carrie Bretz, Holly Stanton-Smith and Kayla Warden for their assistance with Tucannon basin sampling (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees). We appreciate the draft report review and suggestions by Joe Bumgarner and Del Groat to improve this report. Dave and Sas Waldron of Western Life Outfitters provided outfitter services for bull trout sampling in the upper Tucannon River subbasin. We would also like to thank all of the private landowners and the Nez Perce Tribe for granting access to perform fieldwork on their properties. Without access to the streams on private property, significant portions of these efforts would not have been possible. Baseline Assessment of Salmonids in Tributaries of the Snake and i Grande Ronde Rivers in Southeast Washington. Table of Contents List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................v List of Figures................................................................................................................................ vi List of Photos ............................................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1 Introduction......................................................................................................................................2 Study Purpose and Objectives .............................................................................................3 Methods............................................................................................................................................5 Study Area ...........................................................................................................................5 Stream Reach...........................................................................................................6 Individual Site Selection..........................................................................................6 Habitat Assessment..............................................................................................................6 Stream Flow.............................................................................................................6 Stream Temperatures ...............................................................................................6 Limiting Factor Identification..................................................................................7 Fish Stock Assessment.........................................................................................................7 Distribution, Relative Abundance and Species Composition..................................7 Electrofishing Surveys.................................................................................7 Spawning Surveys........................................................................................9 Tissue Sampling.........................................................................................10 Genetic Sampling Protocol for the upper Tucannon Basin .............................................................................10 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................................12 Habitat Assessment............................................................................................................13 Stream Flow...........................................................................................................13 Stream Temperatures .............................................................................................13 Fish Stock Assessment.......................................................................................................14 Distribution and Abundance..................................................................................14 1. Lower Grande Ronde Tributaries, Tenmile Creek, and Asotin Creek Drainage........................................................................14 Electrofishing Survey.....................................................................14 Steelhead Spawning Surveys .........................................................26 Bull Trout Spawning Surveys........................................................26 Tissue Sampling.............................................................................27 Stream Profiles of Lower Grande Ronde Tributaries......................................................................................27 Grouse Creek .....................................................................27 Bear Creek .........................................................................29 Baseline Assessment of Salmonids in Tributaries of the Snake and ii Grande Ronde Rivers in Southeast Washington. Buford Creek......................................................................31 Shumaker Creek.................................................................32 Myers Creek.......................................................................34 Stream Profiles of Lower Snake and Asotin Creek Tributaries......................................................................................34 Tenmile Creek (Lower Snake River Tributary) ...........................................................................34 South Fork Asotin Creek...................................................35 Redhill Gulch.....................................................................35 North Fork Asotin Creek ...................................................36 Cougar Canyon ..................................................................37 George Creek .....................................................................39 Hefflefinger Gulch.............................................................41 2. Wenaha River Tributaries in Washington State....................................41 Electrofishing Surveys...................................................................41 Bull Trout Spawning Surveys........................................................47 Spring Chinook Spawning Survey.................................................48 Tissue Sampling.............................................................................48 Stream Profiles of Upper Wenaha River Tributaries.....................50 North Fork Wenaha River..................................................50 Unnamed Tributary of NF Wenaha ...................................52 Deep Saddle Creek.............................................................53 Beaver Creek......................................................................55 West Fork Butte Creek.......................................................58 Preacher Creek...................................................................59 East Fork Butte Creek........................................................60 Butte Creek........................................................................60 3. Tucannon River Drainage.....................................................................62 Electrofishing Survey.....................................................................62 Bull Trout Spawning Surveys........................................................77 Tissue Sampling.............................................................................81 Stream Profiles of the Tucannon River Basin................................82 Tucannon River..................................................................82