BIG VALLEY BAND OF POMO INDIANS Big Valley sub-basin creek water quality, quantity and Hitch Lavinia exilicauda Chi ecology, Spring, 2014 and 2015 Contact: Sarah Ryan, Environmental Director Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians Environmental Protection Department 2726 Mission Rancheria Road Lakeport, CA 95453 707-263-5277 Extension 105 Fax: 707-263-5378 Cell: 707-349-4040 Email: [email protected] June 2015 I. Executive summary Introduction The main aim of creek sampling within Big Valley sub-basin creeks is to determine water quality and quantity and information on the ecology of the hitch Lavinia exilicauda during the hitch runs which occurs typically in spring. Additionally, critical habitats for the hitch life cycle are investigated. In total 5 creeks within the Big Valley sub-basin were selected based on previous information which indicated that they supported hitch runs and observations that showed that spawners and young fish were seen in some of these creeks including Adobe, Kelsey and Cole. In addition, these creeks are within the ancestral territories of the Big Valley people and collecting spawning fish from these areas are an important part of the Tribe’s culture. Further observations were carried out in 2015 with staff from Robinson Rancheria Environmental department and the sampling expanded to include Cooper Creek, Scotts Creek and Robinson Creek. During the spring of 2014 and 2015, the following creeks or creek points were sampled namely: Seasonal Creek at Soda Bay Road Adobe Creek at Soda Bay Road, Finley, Merritt and Bell Hill Kelsey Creek at Soda Bay Road Cole at Soda Bay Road, and Clark Drive Stations were located using a Geo-Explorer 2005 GPS. The main parameters analyzed were: Temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, turbidity, total suspended sediments, dissolved oxygen. Water quality parameters were determined using a Hydrolab surveyor® DS5X DataSonde water quality multiprobeprofiler. Water depth (cm) and Water Flow (ft/sec) were measured at the thalweg using a Global Water Flow Meter, Model FP201. Results for 2014 Spring spawning season Sampled sites were characterized by diminished water quantities in the spawning creeks. Kelsey Creek (Flow range- 0.00-76.76 Ft/sec; Depth at thalweg ranged 0.31-0.69 m) and Adobe (Flow range- 11.54-192.85 Ft/sec; Depth at thalweg ranged from 0.006-0.4 m). During February and March 2014, dry creek bed patches with non continuing water flow were noted at Adobe and Cole Creeks early in the season and this was reported to CDFW and game wardens. This created concerns that water diversions or obstructions were occurring and affecting the Clear Lake hitch run. Fish and Wildlife staff responded by inspecting the said areas but indicated to Big Valley Rancheria Environmental Director that they did not see any water diversions in particular, chalking it up to thirsty aquifers that needed to be recharged in certain areas. On March 24, during weekly creek monitoring, Big Valley EPA staff noticed sufficient water flow on Adobe Creek at Bell Hill Road crossing but further downstream at Merritt Road crossing it was bone dry (see Attachment 1 which was submitted to CA State Water Resources Control Board and the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife with no response). The previous week a fish die off (including candidate species Clear Lake hitch) occurred further downstream at Soda Bay Road crossing due to fish being stranded in small pools of water on Adobe Creek. This is the first reported case of death of mature fish (spawners) due to water drawdown. Typically spawners are able to make it back into the lake after the runs due to presence of contagious water flow in the creeks and it’s the young that are stranded in pools of water on the creeks. The dead fish consisted primarily of suckers and hitch resulting to significant loss of spawning hitch stock. At that time, staff engaged in a Clear Lake Hitch rescue with Department of Fish and Wildlife staff as well as the staff from Robinson Rancheria and Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake. Close to 200 hitch and other species mainly suckers were moved to nearby Kelsey Creek which still had some good water flow. Clear Lake hitch (State listed - threatened and candidate List, ESA) and Sacramento Sucker die off in Adobe Creek 3/18/14 due to stranding in a shallow pool Page 2 of 32 because of lack of contiguous water flow impacted heavily on the spawning stock. Out of the total 31 dead fish species sampled 7 were hitch and 24 were suckers. Four of the seven fish were females filled with eggs, one had crystallized eggs. With regards to water flows Kelsey Creek had initial high quantity but did not sustain this flow. Cole Creek was most impacted by drought and had the least flow. All the sites at Adobe Creek displayed average flows and depth suggesting that they provide fast flows required by hitch during the spawning runs. All the sampled creeks did not support sustained flows to provide the minimum environmental flows needed to support the integrity of the ecosystem and sustenance of hitch life cycle since they dried up and young fish (Young of the Year- YOY ) were trapped in the water pools in which they later died impacting on recruitment of hitch in Clear Lake. Out of the dead hitch enumerated most had an average of 6.125± 3.31 lesions caused by Anchor worm parasite Lernea cyprinacea L. Research indicates that Lernaea spp. infestations can have serious pathogenic effects on their fish hosts as they cause disruption and necrosis of gill epithelium, while attachment of adult females usually causes hemorrhages, muscle necrosis and an intense inflammatory response, sometimes associated with secondary bacterial. It has also been demonstrated that there is high mortality rates in the infected fish and reduced swimming ability, which might predispose to greater predation rates. A summary of fish sightings in the major creeks supporting hitch runs in 2015 The first flow of water in the creeks occurred in early December 2014. The first water quality sampling was conducted on December 5, 2014 and all creeks had water except Cole Creek which was bone dry. The first fish sightings by Robinson Staff in the creeks occurred on February 9th at Scotts Creek. This was probably a hitch. On February 13th 2015 spawners were sighted at Adobe at Merritt crossing (4-8 suckers) and Adobe at Bell Hill (1 dead spawner sucker). On February 20th 2015, more fish were sighted at Adobe at Soda Bay Bridge and estimated to range from 700- 800 and were a mixture of hitch (about 70%) and 30 % suckers. Further observations showed that the hitch (See photo below) were much smaller (about 9 inches total length). Typically a mature spawner is on average 13- 15 inches total length, based on our observations since 2007. The hitch appeared to have injuries/lesions and parasitic infections most likely from Anchor worm infestation. The fish appeared to stay under the newly installed bridge downstream of Adobe at Soda Bay Bridge. It was not very clear why they were not moving upstream of this site but the most plausible reason would be due to flow or temperature conditions. The site was most likely a staging area before the hitch run. Temperatures were 12.01 ºC at this site and ranged from 8.83 at Cole Creek – 13.29 ºC at Adobe Merritt crossing. Typically surface water temperature is regulated by the season and locally by the presence /absence of vegetation and shading at the sampling sites. According to (Murphy 1948; Kimsey and Fisk 1960) the most ideal spawning temperature range is from 14-18 ºC. Ostensibly the hitch runs in Spring 2015 came much earlier than normally happens in Mid-March to April when the ideal temperatures are achieved. There is evidence that many hitch did not move upstream beyond Adobe at Soda Bay Bridge as later on in the season the fish fry at Adobe at Finley, Adobe at Merritt and Adobe at Bell Hill were predominantly suckers. This creates a recruitment failure for hitch during 2015 spring spawning season. In early May 2015 there were occasional sightings of juvenile hitch schooling at various locations on the lake shoreline. This was confirmed by CDFW staff in May 2015 through electrofishing at Soda Bay Cove where out of the total catch of 84 fish, 73 were hitch and the rest were Sacramento black fish. The hitch appeared to have been hatched 2 years earlier. Table 1.1 summarizes the major sightings of hitch in the creeks during the spring of 2015. The number of hitch entering the creeks has dwindled over the seasons. Adobe and Kelsey Creek continue to report some hitch sightings. Table 1.1. A summary of hitch sightings in major creeks draining into Clear Lake for 2015 spring season. Adapted from Chi Council website with our own observations in Big Valley sub-basin. Further information from Dean Rogers, Robinson Rancheria Page 3 of 32 Creek Observations Cole Creek No fish reported in the spring of 2015; Creek remained dry and lost contiguity early in the season Kelsey Creek Several schools of several hundred hitch seen Adobe Creek Several hundred fish seen. Fish (mixture of suckers and hitch seen at Adobe/Soda Bay bridge on February 20th 2015. Suckers may have made it upstream Manning Creek no reports Robinson Creek no reports of spawners seen but sucker fry were seen Cooper Creek A few hitch seen. On February 23rd about 30 hitch were seen at Witter Springs Road Bridge Hendricks Creek no reports Middle Creek No spawners sighted except one sighting in Rodman Slough.