COASTAL RIVERS I NFORMAT I ON Observations onon FishFish LiistributDistribution ion inin TillamookTillamook Bay, Oregon,Oregon, wi-f-h with NotesNotes on ShellfishSheHfish Temperature, and Physical Characteristics by T. Edwin Cummings Richard L. Berry Fish Commission of Oregon Management and Research Division This work was conducted in cooperation with -f-hethe NationaJ National Marine Fisheries Service under the AnadromousFish Act PL 89-304 April 19741974 4 CONTENTS Page No. I NTRODUCT I(ON ON DESCRIPTION OF ThETHE AREA. METHODS.......................................................... 4 Seining Sites. 4 Equipment . 5 Data Recorded 5 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 5 Coho. Chinook. Herr! ng. .................................................... 12 Smell-..ei I 2 Sole..So I e.. 13 StanyFyFlounder Flounder............................................................ 13 SurfPerch .................................................................................................... 13 Col-tids....................... .,....... ..................... 14 MiscellaneousMiscellaneousFish Fish SpeciesSpecies.................................. 14 Shellfish................................................... 14 Temperature ................................................. 17 DISCUSSION. 17 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 19 LITERATURE CITED. 19 APPEND IX 20 FIGURES fj9urefure No.No. Page No. I Map of Tillamook Bay,Bay, OregonOregon 3 2 Presence ofof FishesFishes inin thethe Ti TM I lamookIamook BayBay EstuaryEstuary .......... 8 TABLES Table No. Page No. I Names of Fish Occurring in TiHarnookTillamook Day,Bay, Oregon ......... 6 2 Clam Species FoundFound inin TillamookTiHamook Bay,Bay, OregonOregon .............. 155 3 Surface Water Temperature (C) at Six Seining Sites in Tillamook Bay, 1972 ...................................... 17 APPENDIX TABLES AHA-H Station 2.4 km. Point Below Crab Harbor?Harbor, TillamookTiliamook Bay, 1972 ............................................................................................... 21 A-2 Station 4.0 km. Point OppositeOpposite GarabaldiGarabaldi Off Office ice Building, TillarnookTillamook Bay,Bay, 19721972 ........................................................ 22 A-3Station 5.6 km. Bay SideSide ofof GhostGhost Hole, Hole, Ti Tillamook I lamook Bay, 1972 .................................... .- ............................ 23 A-4Station 8.5 km. Sibley Sands,Sands? TiTillamook I lamook Bay,Bay, 19721972 ....... 24 A-5A-S Station 10.010.0 kin.km. Kilchis Point Upbay from Submerged Piling, Tillamook Bay, 1972 ............................. 25 A-6Station 15.0 km. Tomlinson Slough at Confluence of Trask and TITlllamook I lamook Rivers,Rivers, TillamookTi I larnook Bay, Bay, 1972 1972 ................ ................ 262(3 B-IB--I Supplemental Seining Stations in Tillamook Bay, 1972 ..... 28 B-2 Supplemental SeiningSeining StationStation inin SloughsSloughs ofof IIITillamook lamook Bay, 1972 ................................................ 29 Some Observations on Fish Distribution in Tillamook Bay, OregonOregon, with Notes onon ShelfShellfish, fish, Temperature, and Physical Characteristics I NTRODUCT I ON Fish Commission of Oregon personnefpersonnel seined selected locations of Tillarnook Bay, Oregon, from June to September 1972.l972, to determine if juvenile salmon were rearing inIn the estuary and to get some concept of relative numbers of fishfish inin thethe variousvarious partsparts o-fof thethe bay. These data then coufdcould be compared withwith resultsresults ofof simisimiliar liar samplingsampi ng projects inn other bays andand give an insight on possible management measures to preserve or enhance salmon populations. Observations ofof thisthis typetype areare alsoafso valuablev&uable in pro viding techniques, sample stations, and scope or need for planning of more definitive studies on the bay in the future. Information from previousprevious workwork andand reportsreports ofof fishfish distributiondistribution forfor other species are includedIncluded with comments on physical characteristics and other facets ofof thethe baybay duringduring thethe sumrnersummers DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA TillamookTi I lamook Bay Bay isis locatedlocated onthe north coast of Oregon 80 kikilometers ometers (50 miles) south of the ColumbiaRiver. The bay lieslies inin aa flatHat valvalley ey which has large lumber andnd dairyindustriesindustries. Much of thethe lowlandslowlands sur-sur- rounding the upper bay have beendiked and converted from salt marsh to pasture land. The bay is about 9.7 km (6 iii) long and 4.8 km (3 mi) wide with an area of 3,354 hectares oror 8,2898,289 acresacrGs (Div.(Div. ofof St.SL Lands,Lands, 1973)1973) andand isis equally divided between tidelands (1685 ha) and submerged lands (f,670(1,670 ha). TillamookTiHamook BayBay ranksranks thirdthird inin sizesize ofof OregonsOregons estuaries,estuaries followingfolfowing the Columbia River estuary (37,953(37953 ha)ha) andand CoosCoos BayBay (5,010(5,010 ha).ha). 2. Major rivers entering the bay are the Miami, Kilchis,Kitchis,Wilson, Trask, and T1llamookTillamook (Figure I). These streams draindrain 1,3991399 km2km2 (540(540 mi2)mi2) andand annually contribute about 266 million cubic meters(216,000 acre ft) at a combined average flowflow ofof 90.5690.56 m3/secm3/sec (3,200(3,200 cfs).cfs). The annual rate of precipitation on the watershed varies from 228.6cm (90 in) on the coastcoast toto 381 cm (150 in) near the crest of the Coast RangeMountains. The shore line of Tillamook Bay is rocky from themouth to 3.2 km (ml 2). A large tideflattidefat onon thethe northnorth endend ofof thethe bay,bay, knownas Garibaldi Flat,FIat, is composed of rock, sand,sand; and mud. The tidelands across the main channel from Garibaldi are composed of sharp sand. These change gradually to a sand and mud mixturemixture atat 8.08.0 kmkm (mi(mi 5) and to mudmud atat 12.912.9 kmkm (mi(mi 8).8). At 14.5 km (ml 9), the bottom is composed of silt deposited from tributary streams. Above 14.5 km the bottom changes from fine tocoarser gravel as the gradient of tributary streams increase. Eel grassgrass bedsbeds andand associatedassociated sinai smaller icr plantsare scattered up to about 12.9 km. Beds of eel grass are relatively smal Iin the spring but cover large areas of the bay prior to the onset of winter storms.storms. About 1,214 ha (3,000 acres) of the bayare leased for commercial oyster production. Commercial fishermen harvest crabs, clams, anda variety of species for bait from the bay. Sport fishing, crabbing, clamming, hunting, and boating are popular. Garibaldi Basin is home port for a fleet ofocean- going commercialcommercial aridand sportsport boats. Boat launching facilities at the basin are used by many tourists.tourists. Historically,Historical ly, severalseveral wellwell defined channelsran generally north and south in the bay. These channels provided access for boats carryingpas- sengers and freight betweenbetween TiTi 1I larnooklamook CityCity andand pointspoints along the coast. Miami River heloe Point (3U(3I. z Hobsonville Point LJj U 0 (6.L U U- UL) BAY CITY T°0T°° Highway 101 (1 LE( II TidelandTideland between between elevations elevations ofof mean Slough F4 lowlow andand mean high water ten Mile4i1e numbernumber (iMi(iM 1 (19.3 1cm) Seining sites )( Tiliamook Tr River River FigureFIgure 1. Map of Tillamook Bay, Oregon (Approximate tide level -1.0 ct)ft) 4. Most of these old channels are no longer passable at low tide,even to small skiffs. Pile dikes were placed across some in the unsuccessful attempt to maintain a single channel past Bay City on the east side of the bay. With the exception of the Garibaldi Boat Basin, channels in the bay have not been dredged for several years. The lower Wilson and Trask were dredged inin thethe fal fall I of 1972. Prior toto thisthis dr-edging,dredging, nonenone of the river mouths were accessible to our boat at low tide. METHODSMETHOD S Seining Sites We sampled selected sites monthly at low tide and random sites occasionally atat highhigh tidetide toto collectcoHect finfin fishfish throughout the summer of 1972. Site selection was governedgoverned byby availabilityavaHability ofof areasareas firmfirm enoughenough toto stand on while pulling a seine. We found six areas, suitable for seining at low tide, that gave reasonable coverage of the bay along the main channel. These were located 2.4, 4.0, 5.6, 8.5, 10.0, and 15.05.0 km above the endend of the north jetty (Figure I). Bottom type and conformation varied with each site.site, The sitesite atat 2.42.4 ksrkm had a rock and sand bottom that dropped off intoa weed bed and deep water. At 4.0 km we seined in a shallow, sandy, side channelonto a sand beach. The site at 5.65,6 km was a sand beachon the edge of the ughost"ghost hole," a major holding and sport fishingarea for adult salmon. At 8.5 km we seined over a weed bedbed andand mudmud flatflat ontoonto thethe endend ofofa mud and rock mound known as Sibley Sands.Sands." Seining at 10.0 km was through shallow waterover a mud bottom onto a sandy mud beach. Soft mud and snags precluded effective seining between 10.00.0 km and 15.0 km. At 15.05.0 km we seined in a hole on the TiTillamook I lamook RiverRiver justjust belowa cut-off channel from the Trask River. We sampled other areas of the bay and sloughs when they were accessible at higher tidal stages. 5. Equipment Our equipment included aa 125125 ftft (38.1(38J m)m) 'ong,long, byby 10-ft10-ft