AN ABSTRACT OT' THE THESIS OT' Paul Edward Reimers for the M. S. in Fisheries (Narne) (5@ ( Major) Date thesis is presented Title DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES IN TRIBUTARIES OT' THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved profes sor) During 1963 and 1964 collections were made in tributaries of the lower Colurnbia River and literature was reviewed to cornpile a list of fishes frorn that area. Based on available sources and collections in this study, a total of. 28 farnilies and 77 species are known from the lower Colurnbia River. Most of the fishes are rnarine or have rnarine affinities. Freshwater fishes include eight farnilies and ?9 species, but only three farnilies and eight species are prirnary. In the Colurnbia River the peripheral farnily Cottidae reaches great developrnent in the absence of a rrrore extensive prirnary fauna. Seven of the 12 species of Cottus known frorn the basin occur in the lower tributaries and were found to be the rnost widespread species there. LocaI distribution of 25 selected species is discussed, and used to gain an understanding of the relationship of the fauna of the Co1urn- bia River with the fauna of the Puget Sound drainage and coastal strearns of Oregon and Washington. These 25 selected species in- cluded I7 species which are recorded frorn the lower Columbia Riv- €r, and eight other species which are possibly present there. A nurnber of species occur throughout the Colurnbia River basin and rnay have interchanged with other drainages at several points. The absence of several species frorn the Rrget Sound drainage was associated with their absence frorn tributaries of the lower Colurnbia River. Because these species were absent frorn the lower tributaries, they were apparently unable to take advantage of the dispersal route north of the lower Colurnbia River. Several species had unexplainable di stributions. DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES IN TRIBUTARIES OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER by PAUL EDWARD REIMERS A THESIS subrnitted to OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY in partial fulfillrnent of the requirernents for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE June 1964 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Associate Professor of Fisherids Redacted for Privacy Head of Departrnent of Fish and Garne Managernent Redacted for Privacy Dean of Graduate School Date thesis is presented /! 1,r,, ', .;., Typed by Marion F. Palrnateer ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I especially thank rny rnajor professor, Dr. Carl E. Bond, for originally stirnulating rny interest in fisheries and this project, and for his constant encouragernent throughout the study. Dr. Jarnes D. Hall provided rnany valuable criticisrns of the rnanuscript. Funds for this study were supplied by the Agricultural Experi- rnent Station. I also appreciate the financial and rnanpower support provided by the Oregon Fish Cornrnission, especially Dr. Donald W. Chaprnan and Messrs. Robert E. Loeffel and Jack M. Van Hyning. Mr. Benjarnin Patten, U. S. Bureau of Cornrnercial Fisheries, provided free use of his unpublished inforrnation on fish distribution in the lower Colurnbia River. To rny good friend, K Koski, rny cousin, Lee Fisher, rny par- ents, and rny wife, Sandra, I arn deeply grateful for encouragernent and tirne spent collecting in the fie1d. My wife also spent rnany hours cornpiling data during the identifications and typing original drafts. TABLE OT' CONTENTS Page INTRODUC TION I General Background I Purpose of the Study 3 Dispersal Routes 3 S;ecies Included in the Study 9 Literature Rewiew 10 DESCRIPTION Or. THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER LZ General IZ Geological History 13 METHODS AND MATERIALS i6 ANNOTATED LIST OF FISHES 18 General I8 Farnily - Petrornyzontidae 18 Farnily - Urnbridae z4 Farnily - Cyprinidae Z7 Farnily - Catostornidae 34 Farnily - Gasterosteidae 3'l Farnily - Percopsidae 39 Farnily - Cottidae 39 DISCUSSION 50 Factors Affecting Fish Distribution 50 Fishes of the Lower Colurnbia River 5l Zoo geographical Relation ships 57 SUMMARY 6z BIBLIOGRAPHY 66 APPENDIX 7L LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page I Map Showing Sorne Major Drainages of Oregon and Washington Considered in This Study Z Z Map Showing the 215 Collecting Stations Included in This Study 3 Map Showing Some of the 55 Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River Included in This Study (Strearn Nurnbers Keyed to Tables I and 2) 4 Distribution of Larnpetra spp.Arnrnocoetes in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River Z3 5 Distribution of Larnpetra planeri in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River 25 5 Distribution of Larnpetra tridentata in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River z6 7 Distribution of Mylocheilus caurinus and Rhinichthys osculus in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia Ri""" 29 8 Distribution of Ptychocheilus oregonensis in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River 30 9 Distribution of Rhinichthys cataractae in Tribu- taries of the Lower Colurnbia River 3Z 10 Distribution of Richardsonius balteatus in Tribu- taries of the L;ffil"rrr6i" ni.r", 35 l1 Distribution of Catostornus rnacrocheilus in Tributari". oiEffi cotu,...ui" ni*, 36 LZ Distribution of Gasterosteus aculeatus and Percopsis transrnontana i" T"ib"t""i"" of ttr" Lo*""- Colurnbia River 38 Figure Page l3 Distribution of Cottus aleuticus in Tributaries of the Lower Cohrrrrbia Ri.r.r 4l L4 Distribution of Cottus asper and Cottus beldingi in Tributrri"saf thZ t "*u" cotGEII Ri.,r", 4Z l5 Distribution of Cottus confusus in Tributaries of the Lower Cot,r.rrUi" Rire" 45 I6 Distribution of Cottus gulosus in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River 46 L7 Distribution of Cottus perplexus in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River 48 18 Distribution of Cottus rhotheus in Tributaries of the Lower CotrrrrrUi" niv." 49 LIST Or. TABLES Table Page I Approxirnate Distance Inland to the Confluence of the Oregon Shore Tributaries of the Colurnbia River Included in This Study 5 Z Approxirnate Distance Inland to the Confluence of the ril[ashington Shore Tributaries of the Colurnbia River Included in This Study 3 Description of Selected Waterfalls on Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River T4 4 Known Distribution of Selected Native Fishes Present or Pos sibly Present in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River (Prepared frorn Collections and Available Sources) L9 5 f'requency and Percent Occurrence of Species Captured at the 215 Collection Stations in Tributaries of the Lower Colurnbia River 53 DISTRIBUTION OF FISHES IN TRIBUTARIES OF THE LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER INTRODUC TION General Background Knowledge of the distribution of fishes in the lower Colurnbia River is irnportant for an understanding of the ichthyofaunal relation- ships of the Colurnbia River basin with the Puget Sound and coastal drainages of Oregon and Washington (Figure I ). With the exception of Novurnbra hubbsi Schultz, the prirnary freshwater fishes and the inland sculpins of the Puget Sound drainage and coastal strearns of Washington are the sarne or closely related to those in the Colurnbia River (28, p. Z0Z). A sirnilar relationship exists between the Colurn- bia River and coastal strearns of Oregon (4, p. I37-I38). Despite the sirnilarity between these adjacent drainages and the Colurnbia River, only the dispersal route between the Ivl/illarnette River and the rniddle and south coastal strearns of Oregon has been exarnined ex- tensively. The prirnary reason that dispersal routes in other areas have not been considered has been the absence of detailed inforrnation on the distribution of fishes near the areas of possible interchange. However, with the distributional inforrnation acquired in this study, speculation is possible concerning several of these dispersal routes 1:'iiii,",T ii(iU.il) i-,1.:Ir.-.ii.J 1.',Ij-lialeii;e .ii-'rer 2. I,eira-r-cl:] -:i l'er 3. iicc:-r-j-c-r:.i .lj-Yer il. Uo',]"-LJ-Lz L.:ver 5. .itt a,;a ltver o. ullc:lal-l-s r.l-r vcr 7, Descilrtes liver 8. Iiisq'*aflrr !ivsr 9. Green ?iver 10. Suoqualnie ?iver 1l-.'.lena'bchee i.iver 12. }.kina Iliver Scale fur liiles Figure f. ilap Sho;ring Sorre Lla'jor Draina;es of Oregoir and'llasiti:rgion Considered jn thj-s Study. adjacent to the lower Colurnbia River. Purpose of the Study The present study was conducted in 1953 and L954 to provide an annotated list of fishes frorn tributaries of the lower Colurnbia River and to exarnine general factors affecting local distribution and inter- relationships with adjacent drainages. More questions were opened than answered concerning the distribution and abundance of the various species in the lower Colurnbia River. Most of the questions can be best answered through exhaustive physiological and ecological studies, although several taxonornic problerns exist. Collections were rnade at least once at Zl5 stations (Figure Z) in 55 Oregon and Washington tributaries of the lower 96 rniles of the river, frorn the rnouth of the Willarnette River to the Pacific Ocean (Tables I and 2; Figure 3). In addition, several collections were rnade in the Washougal River about 20 rniles inland frorn the rnouth of the Willarnette River, as well as the rnainstern Colurnbia, and some adjacent coastal and Puget Sound drainages. Dispersal Routes Because the Cascade Mountains forrn a barrier to the inter- change of rnost species between the eastward-sloping tributaries of the rniddle Colurnbia River and the westward-sloping tributaries of LOWER COLUMBIA DRAINAGE IT llrirf t (ta.4oatr_l W ASH I NGT ON coLUr!la ttYE ( t,a?t ff.1 It. lDrrt z OREGON ()lrJ o 9 5 o e l COASTAL ORAINAGES a LOWER COLUMBIA o ;ILLAIE'IE RIVER tr'igure 2. Map showing the 21 5 Collecting Stations Included in This Study A Table I. Approxirnate Distance Inland to the Confluence of the Oregon Shore Tributaries of the Colurnbia River Included in This Study Narne of Tributary Approxirnate Distance Inland (rnile s ) t. Skipanon River I 2. Lewis and Clark River 10 3. Youngs River l8 4. Klaskanine River 18 5. Walluski River I4 5.