STUDIES OF JUVENILE CHINOOK SALMON (Oncorhynchus tsha wytscha) AND OTHER SALMONIDS IN THE QUESNEL RIVER DRAINAGE DURING 1980 Prepared For Department of Fisheries and Oceans Fisheries Operations Prepared By M. A. Whelen, W. R. Olmsted and R.W.J. Stewart E. V.S. Consultants Ltd. 195 Pemberton Avenue North Vancouver, B. C. V7P 2R4 PROJECT 658 055 CONTRACT NO. 07SB.FP501-9-1287 March, 1981 T ABLE OF CONTENTS List of Appendices v Acknow ledgements vi Summary vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Purpose . ..,. 3 1.2 Descr iption of the Study Area 3 1.3 Historic Review of the Quesnel River Watershed 4 2.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 11 2.1 Field Methods . 11 2.1.1 Physical studies 11 2.1.2 Biological studies. 11 2.1.2.1 Fyke net trapping. 14 2.1.2.2 Inclined plane trapping 14 2.1.2.3 Minnow trapping 16 2.1.2.4 Seining . 16 2.1.2.5 Fish collections 17 2.1.2.6 Fry rearing 17 2.1.2.7 Fry tagging 20 2.1.2.8 Fry mark and recapture • 20 2.2 Laboratory Methods. 20 2.2.1 Age determination . 20 2.2.2 Disease diagnosis . • 21 2.2.3 Population estir:nates 21 3.0 BIOPHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENT . 22 3.1 Water Temperature and Discharge 22 3.2 Water Quality . • . 25 li I \ TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) I ) Page I 3.3 Habitat Description. 25 I 3.~ Species Composition 25 ~.O CHINOOK SALMON ., ...... 27 ~.l Chinook Under yearlings . 27 I ! ~.l.l Fyke net trapping. 27 ~.1.2 Inclined plane trapping 27 I '1 ~.1.3 Minnow trapping . 30 ~.l.~ Seining . • • . ••• CI • ., •• 33 I !: ~.1.5 Emergence and emigration • 33 ~.1.6 Population estimates and trap efficiency. • 35 ~.1.7 Instream fry quality. • 38 1 I ~.1.8 Instream distribution & relative abundance. 43 ~.1.9 Fry rearing 47 I \ 4.1.10 Mortality and disease diagnosis 52 4.1.11 Fry tagging 55 4.2 Chinook Smol ts . 55 ~.2.1 Timing of migration. II • 01 01 0 • " 55 l~.2.2 Smolt quality 55 5.0 COHO SALMON . 61 I j 5.1 Coho Underyearlings 61 5.1.1 Fy ke net trapping. 61 I, 5.1.2 Inclined plane trapping • " •••• ., 0 61 5.1.3 Minnow trapping . 61 I 5.1.4 Seining . " . 64 5.1.5 Emergence and emigration. " • " • CI " •• 64 5.1.6 Instream fry quality. • . 65 5.1. 7 Distr ibution and relative abundance . 67 5.1.8 Fry rearing •• fI •• II •••• 67 I J ! ; 1-1 i ili TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Page 5.2 Coho Smolts • . • . 69 5.2.1 Timing of migration. 69 5.2.2 Smolt quality •• 0 •• 70 6.0 SOCKEYE SALMON 73 6.1 Sockeye Under year lings 73 6.1.1 Emergence 73 6.1.2 Fry quality 76 6.1.3 Distribution and relative abundance . 76 6.2 Sockeye Smolts. • . 76 6.2.1 Timing of migration. 76 6.2.2 Smolt quality 78 6.2.3 Population estimates 80 7.0 TROUT AND CHAR 82 7.1 Rainbow Trout . • . 82 7.2 Dolly Varden Char ........ 0 • 84 7.3 Lake Char •..•. 84 8.0 NON-SALMONID SPECIES. 85 8.1 Mountain Whitefish 85 8.2 Redside Shiner . 85 8.3 Brassy Minnow . 85 8.4 Northern Squawfish • . 86 8.5 Suckers 86 8.6 Burbot 87 8.7 Slimy Sculpin 87 l , 9.0 STUDIES OF JUVENILE SALMONIDS IN BLACK CREEK.. 88 9.1 Description of the Study Area 88 9.1.1 Physical environment • . 88 : ' \ , ] iv r) ~l T ABLE. OF CONTENTS (cont1d:) ~l Page ~l 9.1.2 Biological environment 90 '] 9.2 19'80. Studies . 90. '- 9.3 Juvenile Chinook SaJrnon 91 9.3.1 Overwintering populations .. 91 ] 9.3.2 Immigrant populations. 94 9.3.3 Rearing populations. • . 94 :1 9;4 Juvenile Coho Salmon . 96 9.5 Juvenile Rainbow Trout 98 J 10.0 CONSLUSIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF FUTURE STUDIES 10.0 ~l 10.1 Conclusions. , 100 10..2 Requirements of Future Studies 10.1 J 11.0 LITERATURE CITED ...•........... , . 103 J J J J J J J J v *LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix I Physical data, Quesnel River, April-August, 1980 II Quesnel River water quality, May-August, 1980 III Fyke net trap catch, Quesnel River, April-August, 1980 IVa Inclined plane trap (MIPT) catch data, Quesnel River, April-August, 1980 . IVb . Inclined plane trap(QFIPT) catch data, Quesnel River, April-August, 1980 V Gee trap collection data, Quesnel River, 1980 VI Seine data, Quesnel River, 1980 VII Pen rearing data, lower Quesnel Lake, 1980 VIII Fry disease diagnosis, Quesnel River, 1980 IX Quesnel River Burling Pond , J *Copies of the appendices are available upon request from: B. G. Shepherd A/New Project Coordinator l ; Department of Fisheries and Oceans 1090 West Pender Street Vancouver, B. C. V6E 2Pl ,) vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Field studies were supervised by M. Whelen; R. Stewart served as relief supervisor. M. Farrell, D. McCullough, R. Olmsted, B. Reid, G. Robinson and J. Sutherland provided technical support. Coded-wire tagging was performed by A. Bussell, R. Cook, M. Lauder, and P. Nelson, under the supervision of M. Whelen. Drafting was completed by L. Borleske; the manuscript was typed by D. Prissick and L. Borleske. E. V.S. Consultants Ltd. gratefully acknowledge the co-operation and support of the residents of Likely, B.C. In particular, M. Murray, F. Baron, B. Derkson, L. Meronyk, B. Deacon and C. Shoemaker generously assisted during the study. C. Brenton and W. Griffioen of West Coast Fishculture Ltd., Nanaimo, provided expertise related to chinook fry rearing and disease analyses. Y. Yole, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, aged scale smears. B. Shepherd, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Vancouver, provided direction throughout field and analytical components of the study. The manuscript was reviewed by W. Griffioen, D. Harding, C. MacKinnon and B. Shepherd. The present investigation was funded through the Salmonid Enhancement Program, Department of Supply and Services Contract No. 07SB.FP 501- 9-1287. DEDICATION This report is dedicated to the memory of Beverly Mills Ellis (1924--1980), Ph.D., P.Eng., co-founder of E. V.S. Consultants Ltd. F--'< i vii , , I SUMMARY i 1. E.V.S. Consultants Ltd. was retained by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, through the auspices of the Salmonid Enhancement Program, to conduct studies of juvenile chinook salmon in the Quesnel River drainage from April 01 to August 31, 1980. Incidental data related to juvenile salmonids (coho, sockeye, non-anadromous trout and char), and non­ salmonid species were collected concurrently. Physical parameters, including water temperature and relative water height, were measured daily. 2. Quesnel Lake/River water temperatures ranged from 1.50 C in April to o 0 - 17.0 C in July. Quesnel Lake temperatures were generally 0.5 to 1.5 C lower than mainstem water temperatures. 3. Mean monthly discharge ranged from 47.9 m3/sec in April to 262.8 m3/sec in June. Peak freshet (297.3 m3/sec) occurred on May 20. 4. An estimated 44,400 underyearling chinook were captured by fyke and inclined plane traps, beach seine, and baited minnow traps between April 01 and August 31. 5. Emergence of chinook fry began prior to trap installation on April 01 during constant discharge and water temperature. Peak emigration occurred on April 17 during the initial increase in discharge; thereafter, , j the rate of emigration decreased as discharge increased. Peak migratory movements were coincident with the new moon and/or nights of heavy overcast. By peak freshet (May 20), emigration was 85% complete, and terminated by June 15. Mean- fork length of emigrant chinook ranged , ) from 37.8 mm to 39.1 mm. 6. Rearing under yearling chinook were most abundant at Quesnel Forks during June. Maximum in-stream specific growth rate (1.145) was observed in minnow trapped fry from Quesnel Forks between July 15-23, viii coincident with maximum water temperatures. Maximum mean fork length (60.7 mm) of rearing chinook fry occurred in seine catches in the Morehead Creek area. 7. An estimated 40,600 chinook fry were reared in floating net pens in Quesnel Lake between April 08 and August 05. Specific growth rates of pen reared fry ranged from negative values on June 23- 30 (minimum -1.195) to a maximum value of 1.542 (July 18-25). 8. Approximately 9,500 chinook fry were utilized during nine mark and recapture studies. Pooled data from these experiments estimated an emigrant population of approximately 247,000 underyearling chinook from the upper Quesnel River in 1980. 9. An additional 8,500 pen reared chinook fry were lost through disease­ related mortality between June 30 and August 04. Rate of mortality appeared closely correlated with ambient water temperature; greatest mortality occurred in water temperatures equal to or greater than 15.00 C. Although no single causative agent was identified, bacterial and/or nutritional gill disease was suspected. Two ten--day antibiotic treatments of Furalozidone/TM- 50 were ineffective. 10. By August, 22,600 pen reared chinook fry remained for coded-wire tagging. Approximately 2,000 of these were considered undersize ( 45.0 mm), while 2,260 fry were lost to mink predation. On August 04 and 05, ~J 18,327 chinook fry were marked by CWT and released into Quesnel Lake at Likely. Mean fork length was 58.7 mm. J 11. Twenty-eight yearling chinook were sampled from the Quesnel River between April 10 and June 17; the majority was seined from Murray's J Pool.