Rogue Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan - September 7, 2007 ROGUE SPRING CHINOOK SALMON CONSERVATION PLAN Adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission September 7, 2007 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 3406 Cherry Avenue NE Salem, OR 97303 1 Rogue Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan - September 7, 2007 Table of Contents Page FOREWORD .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................................... 6 CONSTRAINTS.......................................................................................................................................................... 6 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Historical Context ................................................................................................................................................... 6 General Aspects of Life History........................................................................................................................... 10 General Aspects of the Fisheries.......................................................................................................................... 10 SPECIES MANAGEMENT UNIT AND CONSTITUENT POPULATIONS .................................................... 11 DESIRED BIOLOGICAL STATUS ....................................................................................................................... 12 Population Productivity........................................................................................................................................ 15 CURRENT STATUS ................................................................................................................................................ 16 Sources of Available Data .................................................................................................................................... 16 Abundance............................................................................................................................................................. 17 Run Composition .................................................................................................................................................. 18 Race Composition ................................................................................................................................................. 18 Migration Timing.................................................................................................................................................. 19 Age Composition ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Spawner Distribution............................................................................................................................................ 20 Spawner Composition........................................................................................................................................... 20 Persistence of the Species Management Unit...................................................................................................... 21 Viability of the Species Management Unit.......................................................................................................... 26 DISPARITY BETWEEN DESIRED AND CURRENT STATUS........................................................................ 28 PRIMARY FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISPARITY................................................................................ 29 Habitat Volume ..................................................................................................................................................... 29 Habitat Quality ..................................................................................................................................................... 33 Biological Factors.................................................................................................................................................. 37 Fisheries ................................................................................................................................................................. 53 Key Biological Attributes Affected By Reservoir Operation ............................................................................ 59 Comparisons to Other Populations ..................................................................................................................... 67 ALTERNATIVE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES.............................................................................................. 70 Alternative 8 .......................................................................................................................................................... 71 Alternative 9 .......................................................................................................................................................... 73 CRITERIA INDICATING DETERIORATION IN STATUS.............................................................................. 79 MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND RESEARCH NEEDS............................................................................ 81 Monitoring Needs.................................................................................................................................................. 81 Evaluation Needs................................................................................................................................................... 82 Research Needs...................................................................................................................................................... 83 PROCESS TO MODIFY CORRECTIVE STRATEGIES ................................................................................... 84 Adaptive Management.......................................................................................................................................... 84 Reporting ............................................................................................................................................................... 85 POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO OTHER NATIVE SPECIES ................................................................................. 86 ECONOMIC IMPACTS .......................................................................................................................................... 86 ATTAINMENT OF DESIRED STATUS ............................................................................................................... 87 REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................................... 88 2 Rogue Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan - September 7, 2007 Table of Contents (continued) Page APPENDIX A - Definitions..................................................................................................................................... 93 APPENDIX B - Regulatory Responsibilities of Governmental Agencies ........................................................... 96 APPENDIX C - Synopsis of the Lost Creek Dam Fisheries Evaluation Project.............................................. 100 APPENDIX D - Brief History of Hatchery Programs for Spring Chinook Salmon in the Rogue River....... 109 APPENDIX E - Development of the Desired Status Statement......................................................................... 110 APPENDIX F - Data and Estimates Used During Plan Development .............................................................. 115 APPENDIX G - Conservation Assessment and Planning Model....................................................................... 119 APPENDIX H - Potential Strategies for Management of Freshwater Fisheries Considered during Plan Development ............................................................................................................................................................ 129 APPENDIX I - Potential Management Actions Considered during Plan Development ................................. 133 APPENDIX J - Description of Alternative Suites of Management Actions ........................................................... 145 APPENDIX K - Options for Reservoir Operation ................................................................................................... 162 APPENDIX L - Commitments by State Agencies .................................................................................................... 166 3 Rogue Spring Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan - September 7, 2007 FOREWORD The purpose of this document is to present a conservation plan for spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) that inhabit the Rogue Species Management Unit of southwest Oregon. Conservation plans are to be developed for each Species Management Unit of native fish in the state of Oregon, as outlined by the Native Fish Conservation