Focal Fish Species Focal Fish Species Characterization APPENDIX I This chapter describes the fish species selected to evaluate the health of the Deschutes Basin ecosystem and the effectiveness of management actions in the basin. These species were selected because they have special ecological, cultural or legal status. The chapter provides information on each focal species. In particular, it describes the status of each focal species population, as well as its historic and current distribution within the Deschutes Subbasin. It also discusses historic and current artificial production programs and harvest within the subbasin, and the relationship between artificial and naturally produced populations. Focal Species Selection The Deschutes River Basin supports more than thirty species of indigenous and introduced fish. Indigenous salmonids comprise six of the species and include Chinook salmon, summer steelhead, sockeye salmon, redband trout, bull trout and mountain whitefish. Five introduced salmonid species present in the subbasin include Coho salmon, brown trout, cutthroat trout, brook trout and lake trout. Five of the thirty fish species in the Deschutes River Basin have been chosen as aquatic focal species for this subbasin plan: Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead/redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and Pacific Lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) (Table 1). The five species were selected by the Fish Technical Team, a group of fish and natural resource experts brought together to provide technical advice during the subbasin planning process. The team selected the focal species based on their significance and ability to characterize the health of the ecosystem and the effectiveness of management actions. The list of focal species was then adopted by the Deschutes Coordinating Committee for use in subbasin planning. Criteria used in selecting the focal species included a) designation as a federal threatened or endangered species, b) cultural significance, c) local significance, and d) ecological significance, or ability to serve as indicators of environmental health for other aquatic species. Generally these selected species also have population status, distribution and habitat use data available that will be of assistance in future decision making. Table 2 shows the various fish species found within the Deschutes River Basin. Des1chutes Subbasin Plan, Appendices Page I-1 Focal Fish Species Table 1. Deschutes River Basin Focal Species. Species Scientific name Status Distribution Significance Chinook Oncorhynchus Proposed for ESA Lower 100 miles of High tribal cultural Salmon tshawytscha listing – not Deschutes River, value, High non- warranted at this Warm Springs River tribal value time system and Shitike Creek Summer Oncorhynchus Steelhead Lower 100 miles of High Tribal cultural Steelhead mykiss ESA-Listed Deschutes River and value, High non- Threatened for tributaries Tribal value Mid-Columbia ESU Redband Redband Trout Throughout the High Tribal cultural Trout Proposed for ESA subbasin. Some and non-Tribal value listing – not populations warranted at this fragmented time Bull Trout Salvelinus ESA-Listed Metolius River / Lake High Tribal cultural confluentus Threatened for Billy Chinook habitat and non-Tribal value Mid-Columbia ESU complex and lower Deschutes River, Warm Springs River, Shitike Creek Sockeye Oncorhynchus Not listed Major subbasin lakes High Tribal cultural Salmon nerka and reservoirs and and non-Tribal value tributaries streams Pacific Lampetra tridentata State Protected Lower 100 miles of High Tribal cultural Lamprey Species Deschutes River and value Warm Springs River system and Shitike Creek Des2chutes Subbasin Plan, Appendices Page I-2 Focal Fish Species Table 2. Historical and Current Fish Species in the Deschutes River Basin. Common Name Scientific Name Origin Status Abundance Pacific lamprey Lampetra tridentata indigenous present Moderate Summer steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss indigenous present Moderate Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus indigenous present Moderate tshawytscha Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch introduced present locally abundant Kokanee Oncorhynchus nerka introduced present abundant Atlantic salmon Salmo salar introduced present rare Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerka indigenous present rare Redband trout Oncorhynchus mykiss indigenous present Moderate to locally abundant Bull trout Salvelinus confluentus indigenous present very rare Mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni indigenous present very abundant Brown trout Salmo trutta introduced present abundant Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis introduced present abundant Cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki introduced present moderate lewisi Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush introduced present low Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides introduced present moderate Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui introduced present low White crappie Pomoxis annularis introduced present low Black crappie Pomoxis introduced present low nigromaculatus Brown bullhead Ictalurus nebulosus locally abundant catfish introduced present Carp Cyprinus carpio introduced present low Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus introduced present moderate Shorthead sculpin Cottus confusus indigenous present locally abundant Reticulate sculpin Cottus perplexus indigenous present unknown Redside Shiner Richardsonius indigenous present locally abundant balteatus Speckled Dace Rhinichthyys osculus indigenous present locally abundant Longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae indigenous present low Chiselmouth Acrocheilus alutaceus indigenous present moderate Largescale sucker Catostomus indigenous present locally abundant macrocheilus Bridgelip sucker Catostomus indigenous present moderate columbianus Northern Pike Ptychocheilus indigenous present moderate Minnow oregonensis Three-spine Gasterosteus aculeatus introduced present locally abundant stickleback Tui chub Gila (Siphateles) bicolor introduced present very abundant Blue chub Gila (Gila) coerulea introduced present locally abundant Des3chutes Subbasin Plan, Appendices Page I-3 Focal Fish Species Aquatic Focal Species Population Delineation and Characterization Chinook Salmon Columbia River Chinook salmon, including those that return to the lower Deschutes River, are separated into spring (before June), summer (June/July) and fall (after July) races by their passage at Bonneville Dam. In the Deschutes Basin, spring and fall Chinook, and probably summer Chinook, returned annually to spawn in the draining, though the summer run may have been lost after construction of the Pelton Round Butte Complex. Trap counts before construction of Pelton and Round Butte dams show that a number of Chinook were caught before September 1, excluding spring Chinook (Jonasson and Lindsay 1988). There were also two peaks in the run at Sherars Falls (RM 44), a July peak and a September peak. Jonasson and Lindsay (1988) suggested that, based on the timing of Chinook passing the falls and those trapped at the Pelton Fish Trap, the summer run spawned above the dam site at a higher rate than those that migrated in the fall. Jonasson and Lindsay (1988) concluded, however, that because of the presence of Pelton and Round Butte dams, there is no longer a mechanism to spatially separate summer and fall runs and that there is no longer a distinction between the two races (Nehlsen 1995). Today, two races of Chinook salmon, spring Chinook and summer/fall Chinook, are believed to spawn and rear in the Deschutes subbasin. Both races are indigenous to the subbasin. Its possible that separate summer and fall races exist, however they are currently treated as one race. Managers based this decision on the fact that, while the existence of two peaks in run timing at Sherars Falls suggests that both summer and fall races return to the Deschutes River, there remains a lack of detectable reproductive isolation between the early and late segments of the run. Both segments of this run appear to spawn in the same areas and interbreeding between the two has been suspected for many years, suggesting that only one run exists. For this plan discussion the summer/fall Chinook will be considered as fall Chinook salmon. Spring Chinook Importance Spring Chinook salmon are an indigenous anadromous species with great in-basin and out-of-basin values to the tribal and non-tribal citizenry. Historically, this was a more robust population with a much greater freshwater distribution. The population was able to migrate to and from the ocean when flow conditions were optimum in the Columbia and Deschutes river systems (i.e. high spring flows), which minimized problems associated with barriers, disease and predators. It was also able to access a number of Deschutes River tributaries for spawning and rearing that are no longer accessible (i.e., Metolius River system, Crooked River system, and Squaw Creek). Spring Chinook are currently restricted to habitat areas below the Pelton Reregulating Dam (RM 100). Spawning and primary juvenile rearing habitat exists in Shitike Creek and the Warm Springs River system. Currently Portland General Electric and Warm Des4chutes Subbasin Plan, Appendices Page I-4 Focal Fish Species Springs Power Enterprises (co-FERC License applicants) are pursuing efforts to reintroduce anadromous fish upstream of Round Butte Dam. The intent of the plan is to restore sockeye and spring Chinook salmon, and summer steelhead to their historical range in the upper Deschutes River basin, including the Crooked