STATE OF WASHINGTON September 2018 Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Hatchery Evaluation Program 2017 Annual Report by Michael P. Gallinat and Lance A. Ross Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program FPA 18-08 Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Hatchery Evaluation Program 2017 Annual Report by Michael P. Gallinat Lance A. Ross Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Program/Science Division 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, Washington 98501-1091 Prepared for: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan Office 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Suite 343 Boise, Idaho 83709 Cooperative Agreement: F16AC00033 September 2018 Acknowledgments The Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Hatchery Evaluation Program is the result of efforts by many individuals within the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and from other agencies. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Ace Trump, Lyons Ferry Hatchery Complex Manager and Hatchery Specialists Steve Jones, Dan Pounds, Scott Breslin, Doug Maxey, and Dick Rogers for their cooperation with hatchery sampling, providing information regarding hatchery operations and hatchery records, and their input on evaluation and research activities. We also thank all additional hatchery personnel who provide the day-to-day care of the spring Chinook and for their assistance with hatchery spawning, sampling, and record keeping. We thank Lynn Anderson and the Coded-Wire Tag Lab staff for their assistance in coded-wire tag verification. We also thank Lance Campbell and Andrew Claiborne for providing scale ages, and Kelly Britt for information on fish health during the year. Special thanks go to David Bramwell for help formatting this report. We thank the staff of the Snake River Lab; in particular, Joe Bumgarner, Ashly Beebe, Debbie Milks, Todd Miller, Afton Oakerman, and seasonal workers Sarah Golden, Jarrod Miller, Valerie Miranda, Daniel Olson, and Steven Sweet who helped collect the information presented in this report. We thank Joe Bumgarner, Alf Haukenes, Rod Engle, and Erik Neatherlin for reviewing the draft report. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service through the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan Office funded the supplementation program. A grant through the Bonneville Power Administration provided funding for a portion of the hatchery program PIT tags. Abstract Lyons Ferry Hatchery (LFH) and Tucannon Fish Hatchery (TFH) were built/modified under the Lower Snake River Fish and Wildlife Compensation Plan. One objective of the Plan is to compensate for the estimated annual loss of 5,760 (1,152 above the project area and 4,608 below the project area for harvest) Tucannon River spring Chinook caused by hydroelectric projects on the Snake River. With co-manager agreement, the hatchery supplementation production goal was increased in 2006 from 132,000 to 225,000 fish for release as yearlings. This report summarizes activities of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Lower Snake River Hatchery Evaluation Program for Tucannon River spring Chinook for the period May 2017 to April 2018. A total of 263 salmon were captured in the TFH trap in 2017 (17 natural adults, 9 natural jacks, 101 hatchery adults, and 136 hatchery jacks). Of these, 111 (18 natural, 93 hatchery) were collected and hauled to LFH for broodstock, fifteen adipose clipped strays were killed outright, and the remaining fish (137), primarily jacks, were held at LFH for potential broodstock supplementation or killed outright for jack management. No fish were passed upstream of the TFH adult trap. During 2017, fourteen (12.6%) salmon collected for broodstock died prior to spawning, a marked increase from previous years. Spawning of supplementation fish occurred once a week between 29 August and 26 September, with peak eggtake occurring on 12 September. A total of 181,664 eggs were collected from 8 natural and 52 hatchery-origin female Chinook. Egg mortality to eye-up was 3.9% (7,140 eggs) which left 174,524 live eggs. An additional 4.5% (7,934) loss of sac-fry left 166,590 BY 2017 fish for production. Weekly spawning ground surveys were conducted from 30 August and were completed by 5 October 2017. A total of 70 redds and 41 carcasses (8 natural, 33 hatchery) were found. Twenty-nine redds (41% of the total) were counted above the adult trap even though fish were not passed upstream. Based on redd counts, carcasses recovered, and broodstock collection, the estimated return to the river for 2017 was 512 spring Chinook (60 natural adults, 9 natural jacks and 284 hatchery-origin adults, 159 hatchery jacks). Volitional release of the 2016 BY smolts began on 9 April and continued until 27 April, 2018 when the remaining fish were forced out. An estimated 209,031 BY16 smolts were released. Evaluation staff operated a downstream migrant trap to provide juvenile outmigration estimates. During the 2016/2017 emigration, we estimated that 14,305 (10,325-22,431 95% C.I.) natural spring Chinook (BY 2015) smolts emigrated from the Tucannon River. Smolt-to-adult return rates (SAR) for natural origin salmon are almost eight times higher on average (based on geometric means) than hatchery origin salmon. However, hatchery salmon survive almost three times greater than natural salmon from parent to adult progeny over the length of the project. A study was conducted for three brood years (BY11-13) to determine if rearing full term at TFH would return more adults back to the Tucannon River versus the current protocol of egg incubation and early life rearing at LFH. Results from PIT tag detections to date do not show a significant benefit in either survival or homing back to the Tucannon River by rearing fish at TFH instead of LFH. Final adult returns from this study are expected in 2018. Based on the results to date, we will continue to use LFH for holding, spawning, and incubation and early life rearing of Tucannon River spring Chinook. Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iv List of Appendices ...........................................................................................................................v Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Program Objectives ............................................................................................................. 1 ESA Permits ........................................................................................................................ 2 Facility Descriptions ........................................................................................................... 2 Tucannon River Watershed Characteristics ........................................................................ 2 Adult Salmon Evaluation .................................................................................................................4 Broodstock Trapping .......................................................................................................... 4 Broodstock Mortality .......................................................................................................... 6 Broodstock Spawning ......................................................................................................... 7 Broodstock BKD Screening and Virology Testing ............................................................ 8 Natural Spawning................................................................................................................ 9 Historical Trends in Natural Spawning............................................................................. 10 Stream Nutrient Enrichment ............................................................................................. 12 Genetic Sampling .............................................................................................................. 13 Age Composition, Length Comparisons, and Fecundity .................................................. 13 Arrival and Spawn Timing Trends ................................................................................... 18 Total Run-Size .................................................................................................................. 20 Spawning Escapement ...................................................................................................... 22 Coded-Wire Tag Sampling ............................................................................................... 24 Stray Salmon into the Tucannon River ............................................................................. 25 Adult PIT Tag Returns ...................................................................................................... 27 Juvenile Salmon Evaluation ...........................................................................................................29 Hatchery Rearing, Marking, and Release ......................................................................... 29 Smolt Trapping ................................................................................................................. 30 Juvenile Migration Studies ............................................................................................... 33 Survival