FISH RESEARCH PROJECT OREGON JOHN DAY RIVER BASIN STEELHEAD Oncorhynchus mykiss DATA AND INFORMATION COMPILATION WW Draft Dated: 1/17/04 Prepared By: Wayne H. Wilson James R. Ruzycki Richard W. Carmichael Ian A. Tattam Funded By: U. S. Bureau of Reclamation CONTENTS Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY………………….………………………………………... 1 Objectives……………………………………………………………………... 1 Accomplishments and Findings……………………………………………….. 1 Management Recommendations……………………….……………………… 1 Acknowledgments……………………….………………......................……… 2 INTRODUCTION……………………………..……………………………………. 3 STUDY AREA………………………………………………..…………………….. 4 METHODS…………………………………………………………..……………… 6 RESULTS…………………………...………………………………………………. 7 Annotated Bibliography of Literature Concerning Salmonids in the John Day Basin.......................................................................................... 7 Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data Collection Methods, Data, and Data Quality…....................…………………………………………….. 7 Hatchery Steelhead Coded Wire Tag Data……………....………………….. 19 Sport Catch, Tribal Harvest, and Creel Summary Data ……........….……….. 22 Hatchery Fish Stocking and Non-native Transplants in Tributaries of the John Day Basin………........................……......………….. 22 Oncorhynchus mykiss Density Data………...............…...............…….....….. 33 O. mykiss and O. tschawytscha Predation Data……….................………….. 42 DISCUSSION……………………….......………………………………………….. 46 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE INVESTIGATIONS…………......…….. 50 REFERENCES………….................................................................................…….. 52 APPENDIX A. Literature Review of John Day Basin Planning Reports………...….. 78 i CONTENTS (Continued) Page APPENDIX B. Literature Review of Habitat Projects in the John Day Basin……..… 82 APPENDIX C. Literature Review of biological information for fish species in the John Day Basin……………………………….……………………. 90 APPENDIX D. Literature Review of Oregon State Game Commission and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Management Reports…….…….. 105 APPENDIX E. Upper Mainstem John Day Basin, Historic Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data……………………………...……………… 112 APPENDIX F. Lower Mainstem John Day Basin, Historic Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data…................................................................. 133 APPENDIX G. South Fork John Day Basin, Historic Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data……………………….……………………. 144 APPENDIX H. North Fork John Day Basin, Historic Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data………………………………………………………… 153 APPENDIX I. Middle Fork John Day Basin, Historic Summer Steelhead Spawning Survey Data………………………………………………………… 171 APPENDIX J. John Day Basin Steelhead coded wire tag recovery data…….……. 179 APPENDIX K. John Day River Basin Steelhead Creel and Sport Catch Data…….. 190 APPENDIX L. Species, Hatchery, and stock codes listed in Appendices N-R…..... 193 APPENDIX M. Historic stocking records for rivers and streams of the Upper Mainstem John Day River……………………………..………….. 195 APPENDIX N. Historic stocking records for rivers and streams of the Lower Mainstem John Day River………………………………….……… 202 APPENDIX O. Historic stocking records for rivers and streams of the South Fork John Day River…………………………….………………………. 205 APPENDIX P. Historic stocking records for rivers and streams of the North Fork John Day River…………………………..……………….....……… 208 ii CONTENTS (Continued) Page APPENDIX Q. H istoric stocking records for rivers and streams of the Middle Fork John Day River………………………………….…………………. 218 APPENDIX R. Tattam, I. 2003 unpublished data. Accuracy of John Day basin Index Spawning Survey Timing For Summer Steelhead Redd Counts in Black Canyon Creek of the South Fork John Day Basin…………………………….……………….......…. 221 APPENDIX S. Statement of Work for Project: Implementation of the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) Protocol in the John Day River Subbasin of the Columbia Plateau Province………………….………....……. 225 iii FIGURES Number Page 1. Map of John Day River basin. Dashed lines denote boundaries of the basin. ………….……………………….………………... 5 2. Comparison of Index A and Index B summer steelhead spawning density (redds/mile) for the John Day basin from 1959 to 2003. ………….……………………….…………………………… 9 3. Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and Northern Pike Minnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) encounters per trap week at ditch diversion trap boxes located in the Middle Fork and Upper Mainstem John Day River subbasins from 1959 - 1998 (John Day District Fish Biologist annual reports 1959 - 1998). ………….……………………….…... 44 iv TABLES Number Page 1. Index B summer steelhead spawning survey streams selected from five main spawning areas of the John Day basin. ………….………… 10 2. Non-index B summer steelhead spawning survey streams from five main spawning areas of the John Day Basin. ………….……………... 10 3. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and redd density (redds/mile) for summer steelhead spawning surveys expressed as index A and index B for survey years 1959 - 2003. ………….……………………… 11 4. Index B summer steelhead spawning density (redds/mile) for the Upper Mainstem, Lower Mainstem, South Fork, Middle Fork, and North Fork subbasins, and the entire basin. ……….….……………………….………… 12 5. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi)of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams of the Upper Mainstem John Day subbasin. ………….……………………….………… 13 6. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi)of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams of the Lower Mainstem John Day subbasin………….……………………….…………. 14 7. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi)of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams of the South Fork John Day subbasin. ………….……………………….………………. 15 8. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi)of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams of the Middle Fork John Day subbasin. ………….……………………….……………… 16 9. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi) of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams of the North Fork John Day subbasin. ………….……………………….……………… 17 10. Number of streams and miles surveyed, redds counted, and density (redds/mi)of summer steelhead redds in Index B streams for the entire John Day River basin. ………….……………………….…………………. 18 v TABLES (Continued) Number Page 11. Hatchery source, stock, number recovered, and release agency for hatchery steelhead with coded wire tags recovered in the John Day ARM (mouth to Tumwater Falls) from 1992 - 2001. ………….………….. 20 12. Hatchery source, stock, number recovered, and release agency for hatchery steelhead with coded wire tags recovered in the John Day River ABV ARM (Tumwater Falls to Cottonwood Bridge) from 1986 - 2001. ………….……………………….…………………………… 20 13. Recovery year, hatchery source, number of recoveries and recovery location for hatchery steelhead with coded wire tags recovered upstream of Cottonwood Bridge 1988 - 2003. ………….……………………….….. 21 14. Year, run (W-winter, S-summer, U-unknown), number, tributary, and subbasin of release for all known hatchery steelhead released into the John Day River basin from 1925 - 1969. ………….………………………. 23 15. Summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the Upper Mainstem John Day River Basin (upstream of Kimberly, RKM 296) from 1925 - 1997. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T), steelhead of unknown run (Sthd), winter steelhead (StW), summer steelhead (StS), coho salmon (Coho), and brook tout (BkT). ………….………………. 24 16. Summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the Lower Mainstem John Day River basin (Mouth to Kimberly, RKM 296) from 1947 - 1976. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T) and summer steelhead (StS). ………….………………………. 26 17. Summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the South Fork John Day River basin from 1947-1994. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T), winter steelhead (StW), and coho salmon (Coho). ………….……………………….…………..………. 27 18. Summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the North Fork John Day River basin from 1925-1997. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T), winter steelhead (StW), summer steelhead (StS), brook tout (BkT) and west slope cutthroat trout (WcT). ………….……………………….……………………………… 28 19. Summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the Middle Fork John Day River basin from 1947-1994. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T) and summer steelhead (StS). ……… 30 vi TABLES (Continued) Number Page 20. Comprehensive summary of all known stocking records for hatchery salmonids released into the entire John Day River basin from 1925 - 1997. Species include rainbow trout (Rb T), steelhead of unknown run (Sthd), winter steelhead (StW), summer steelhead (StS), brook tout (BkT), and west slope cutthroat trout (WcT). ………….……………………….………………………….. 31 21. Annotated bibliography of literature including density estimates (fish/meter) for Oncorhynchus mykiss and other fish species in the Upper Mainstem John Day River subbasin, 1958 - 1979. ………….… 34 22. Annotated bibliography of literature including Oncorhynchus mykiss and other fish species density estimates (fish/meter and fish/square meter) for tributaries in the South Fork John Day River subbasin, 1965 - 2003. ………….……………………….……………….. 36 23. Annotated bibliography of literature including Oncorhynchus mykiss and other fish species density estimates (fish/meter and fish/square meter) for tributaries of the Middle Fork John Day River subbasin,