SNAKE RIVER SOCKEYE SALMON CAPTIVE BROODSTOCK PROGRAM RESEARCH ELEMENT ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT January 1, 2007—December 31, 2007 Photo by Jeff Heindel Prepared by: Mike Peterson, Fisheries Research Biologist Kurtis Plaster, Senior Fisheries Technician Laura Redfield, Fisheries Technician Jeff Heindel, Conservation Hatchery Supervisor and Paul Kline, Principal Fisheries Research Biologist IDFG Report Number 08-10 June 2008 Snake River Sockeye Salmon Captive Broodstock Program Research Element 2007 Annual Project Progress Report Part 1—Project Overview Part 2—Oncorhynchus nerka Population Monitoring and Redfish Lake Sport Fishery Investigations Part 3—Sockeye Salmon Smolt Monitoring and Evaluation And Sockeye Salmon Spawning Investigations and Unmarked Juvenile Out-migrant Monitoring Part 4—Predator Surveys By Mike Peterson Kurtis Plaster Laura Redfield Jeff Heindel Paul Kline Idaho Department of Fish and Game 600 South Walnut Street P.O. Box 25 Boise, Idaho 83707 To: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Division of Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97283-3621 Project Number 1991-07-200 Contract Number 37981 IDFG Report Number 08-10 June 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..............................................................................................................1 PART 1—PROJECT OVERVIEW................................................................................................. 3 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 3 SNAKE RIVER SOCKEYE SALMON CAPTIVE BROODSTOCK PROGRAM............................. 4 PROJECT GOALS........................................................................................................................ 5 PROJECT OBJECTIVES..............................................................................................................5 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................................... 6 2006 and 2007 Captive Broodstock Program Egg and Juvenile Supplementation.................... 7 LITERATURE CITED.................................................................................................................. 12 PART 2—ONCORHYNCHUS NERKA POPULATION MONITORING AND REDFISH LAKE SPORT FISHERY INVESTIGATIONS........................................................................ 17 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 17 METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 17 Oncorhynchus Nerka Population Monitoring............................................................................ 17 Redfish Lake Sport Fishery Investigations............................................................................... 18 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 18 Oncorhynchus Nerka Population Monitoring............................................................................ 18 Redfish Lake ......................................................................................................................... 18 Alturas Lake .......................................................................................................................... 19 Pettit Lake ............................................................................................................................. 19 Redfish Lake Sport Fishery Investigations............................................................................... 20 LITERATURE CITED.................................................................................................................. 26 PART 3—SOCKEYE SALMON JUVENILE OUT-MIGRANT AND ADULT SPAWNING MONITORING AND EVALUATION ...................................................................................... 27 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 27 SOCKEYE SALMON JUVENILE OUT-MIGRANT MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............. 27 ADULT SPAWNING MONITORING AND EVALUATION........................................................... 27 METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 28 SOCKEYE SALMON JUVENILE OUT-MIGRANT MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............. 28 Redfish Lake Creek Trap .........................................................................................................28 Alturas Lake Creek Trap .......................................................................................................... 29 Pettit Lake Creek Trap ............................................................................................................. 29 Salmon River and Redfish Lake Creek Smolt Groups............................................................. 29 Mainstem Snake and Columbia River Dams ........................................................................... 29 ADULT SPAWNING MONITORING AND EVALUATION........................................................... 30 Sockeye Salmon Spawning Investigations .............................................................................. 30 Unmarked Juvenile Out-migrant Monitoring............................................................................. 30 Adult Trapping on Redfish Lake Creek .................................................................................... 30 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 31 SOCKEYE SALMON JUVENILE OUT-MIGRANT MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............. 31 Redfish Lake Creek Trap .........................................................................................................31 i Table of Contents, continued. Page Alturas Lake Creek Trap .......................................................................................................... 32 Pettit Lake Creek Trap ............................................................................................................. 32 Salmon River and Redfish Lake Creek Smolt Groups............................................................. 32 Mainstem Snake and Columbia River Dams ........................................................................... 33 SOCKEYE SALMON SPAWNING INVESTIGATIONS AND UNMARKED JUVENILE OUT-MIGRANT MONITORING ............................................................................................ 33 Sockeye Salmon Spawning Investigations .............................................................................. 33 Unmarked Juvenile Out-migrant Monitoring............................................................................. 34 LITERATURE CITED.................................................................................................................. 43 PART 4—PREDATOR SURVEYS.............................................................................................. 45 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 45 METHODS .................................................................................................................................. 45 Adult Bull Trout Trapping Redfish Lake Creek......................................................................... 45 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 46 Fishhook Creek........................................................................................................................ 46 Alpine Creek ............................................................................................................................ 46 Bull Trout Capture, Mark, and Haul Operations Redfish Lake Creek ...................................... 46 LITERATURE CITED.................................................................................................................. 51 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... 52 APPENDICES............................................................................................................................. 53 ii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Eyed-egg production by IDFG and NOAA facilities for the Snake River sockeye salmon captive broodstock program 1991—2007......................................... 8 Table 2. Snake River sockeye salmon captive broodstock program egg and fish reintroduction history. .................................................................................................. 8 Table 3. Physical and morphometric characteristics of three study lakes located in the Sawtooth Valley, Idaho................................................................................................ 9 Table 4. Sockeye salmon releases to Sawtooth Valley waters in 2006. ................................... 9 Table 5. Sockeye salmon releases to Sawtooth Valley waters in 2007. ................................. 10 Table 6. Estimated O. nerka population, density, and biomass for Redfish, Alturas, and Pettit lakes, 1990 to 2007..................................................................................