'TRINITY RIVER BASIN RESOURCE LIBRARY 198 5 STATUS REPORT .. , .'. I 3 OF 3 CILHFOWLA WILD AND WENIC.. b. IUVEHaS SALMON AND STEELHEAD FISHERIES ! . .. .. - :.,~..:,>-.. , La..,, ...., State bf California ('"' . I '. .. i , ., ., .. / ;? .,. .. .,.I,. .- ..,: .! .::.., .L,;:..-- ,.:;: ., ;'. , -a. /' 11 -,. .T&c ,, -:,.i , 1:. durces Agency ; />' [! ;' ,' *,J.", / ' f',. , .. /. .. ; my . ;$ n, Department :of Fish and Game .-... i c.3 - '.. ., . : ;.; : . --\..;''\:..: <'. / . ,... .;'. r. -.,.. I !.a -. , . --'"';,,',:7 if ,/ / -.. July 1987 .-\ TABLE OF CONTENTS.. Page INTRODUCTION............................................................... PART I THE WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS SYSTEM.......................................... Description of System .................................................... 2 History of Management ................-.................-................. 3 Present Management. ...................................................... 5 PART I1 WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS FISHERY STUDIES..................................... 8 Klamath River. ........................................................... 9 Trinity River. ........................................................... 18 Eel River....................... ......................................... 24 Smith River........ ...................................................... 31 Lower American River....... .............................................. 32 PART I11 . FISHERY MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT......................................... 34 Fishery Improvement ...................................................... 35 PART IV CONDITION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SYSTEM..................................... 62 Klamath River.... ........................................................ 63 Trinity River..................................................... ..... 65 Eel River.............................................................. .. 66 Smith River .............................................................. 69 Lower American River..................................................... 70 PART V "DEQUACY OF PRESENT MANAGEMENT..: .......................................... 71 Red Cap Creek - Chinook salmon (CS) spawning ground count (4 miles) Summer Steelhead (SH) survey (6 miles) Bluff Creek - Surmner SH survey (6 miles) Camp Creek - CS spawning ground count (3 miles) Blue Creek - Stream sunrey (7 miles) TRINITY RIVER The Trinity, New, South Fork Trinity, and North Fork Trinity components of the Wild and Scenic River system comprise the largest tributary to the Klarnath River. The Trinity and Klamath rivers join at Weitchpec and share many similarities in the nature and timing of their anadromous salmonid fish runs. The major studies underway on the Trinity ~ivkrsystem are designed to measure the effect of past major water diversion works, and subsequent annual exportation of nearly 90 percent of the water at Trinity Dam above the town of Lewiston. The studies also provide information necessary to plan and evaluate rehabilitation efforts and to set ocean and inland harvest levels on chinook and coho salmon and steelhead. The studies are cuutparable in scope to the Klarnath River studies and are planned to continue in the foreseeable future. Work a. during 1983-85 emphasized quantification of the salmon and steelhead runs and their contribution to sport, commercial and Native ~merican'fisheries. Trinity River Project - A weir was installed in the Trinity River near Willow Creek to trap and tag adult salmon and steelhead during E'Y 1983-84. The purposes of the tagging were to determine the size and timing of the salmon and steelhead runs, angler Hatchery-produced fish return to the Trinity system and contribute to the commercial and sport fisheries. Totals of 2,253 fall chinook, 131 coho, and 314 steelhead were trapped, tagged, and released directly upstream of the weir. Weirs were installed in the Trinity River near Junction City and Willow Creek to trap and tag adult salmon and steelhead during N 1984-85. Purposes of the tagging were to determine the size and timing of the salmon and steelhead runs, angler harvest rates for salmon and steelhead, and the rates at which Trinity River Hatchery-produced fish return to the Trinity system. Totals of 834 spring chinook, 1,461 fall chinook, 1,214 coho, and 505 steelhead were trapped, tagged and released directly .upstream of the weirs. The tagged to untagged ratio of chinook entering Trinity River Hatchery during the 1983-84 season indicated there were approximately 27,500 fall chinook salmon (26,300 adults and 1,200 grilse) in the Trinity River system above Willow Creek. Approximately 1,940 coho salmon (1,762 adults and 178 grilse) and 4,500 adult steelhead migrated above Willow Creek. Approximately 12% of the chinook, 11% of the coho, and 16% of the adult steelhead were harvested by anglers in the Trinity River above Willow Creek in 1983. Preliminary review of the tagged:untagged ratio of chinook entering Trinity River Hatchery indicated approximately 11,899 fall chinook salmon (7,453 adults and 4,446 grilse) immigrated into the Trinity River system above Willow Creek in 1984. Approximately 18,807 coho salmon (2,759 adults and 16,048 grilse) and 6,306 adult steelhead migrated above Willow Creek (preliminary estimates). An estimated 3,927 spring chinook (3,673 adults and 254 grilse) migrated in the Trinity River upstream of Junction City (preliminary estimate). Approximately 6.7% of the chinook, 5.2% of the coho, and 16.1% of the adult steelhead were harvested by anglers in the Trinity River above Willow Creek in 1984 (prelimin- ary estimates). Approximately 14.3% of the spring chinook were harvested by anglers in the Trinity River upstream of Junction City (preliminary estimate).' Groups of approximately 100,000 fish each of yearling spring and fall chinook were coded-wire-tagged and released directly from Trinity River Hatchery in ". October 1980 to begin a study to determine survival and the contribution to the fisheries of hatchery-produced chinook. Approximately 63,000 fall chinook were similarly marked and released at three downstre& sites to determine the relative survival and contribution to the fisheries'offish released at off-hatchery-site locations. As a continuation of he same program, 200,000 smolt-size chinook fingerlings were marked and released from the hatchery, and 300,000 chinook were released downstream in June 1984. Groups of approximately 100,000 fish each of yearling spring and fall chinook were coded-wire-taggged and released directly from Trinity River Hatchery in October 1984. Approximately 77,470 fall chinook were similarly tagged and released at three downstream sites to determine the relative survival and -. contribution to the fisheries of fish released at off-hatchery-site locations. Approximately 93,000 yearling + fall chinook were also coded-wire-tagged and released from the hatchery in March 1985. Approximately 236,000 yearling coho salmon were coded-wire-tagged at Trinity River Hatchery and were released at five different time& from February through .@i 1984. me purpose of this program is to determine if, and to what extent ~fi.+i . i;e\ease time of coho affects survival and contribution to the fisheries. The .'. releases are timed to coincide with particular lunar phas.e cycles. .. , ' - Approximately 73,000 coded-wi re-tagged at Trinity River s; Hatchery and released in 1984. of these, 22,000 had received salt treatments in order to determine if this would enhance smolting and contribute to a higher - survival rate. Approximately 129,000.fall chinook and 46,000 spring chinook, all yearlings representing approximately.~i'ofthe production not coded-wire-tagged, were fin-clipped at Trinity RiveWHatchery in the fall of 1983. This is part of a Representative Marking Program to determine the fraction of the total Trinity River basin chinook m'comprised of hatchery-produced fish and to facilitate development of hatchery origin spawner escapement estimates for the basin. Natural Stocks Assessment: During FY 1983-84, the Natural Stocks Assessment Project began developing a spawning habitatcriteria for natural spawning fall-run chinook salmon on the South Fork Trinity River. Measurements taken in late September and early 2 2 October 1984, showed that a minimum of 8,384 m (10,027 yd ) of spawning gravel for fall chinook'salmon were available within the lower 36 krn (22.4 miles) of the South Fork Trinity River. Depth and velocity measufe ts were recorded from 53 fall chinook redds. Depths ranged from 28 cm inches) to 114 cm (45 inches) with a mean depth of 50 cm (19.7 inches). Flow velacity 0.4 ft above the redds ranged from 0.21 m/s 0.7 ft/s), to 1.19 m/s (3.9 ft/s), with a mean of 0173 m/s (2.4 ft/s). Collection of data for two ad<i.tional years will provide an adequate data base to evaluate the spawning capa the South Fork Trinity River and to provide . .'. ': ... insight to chinook habitat preferences in the Klamath-Trinity River system. During recent years, spawner escapement of fall chinook into the South Fork has apparently been at a low level, but the initial evaluation of gravel availability indicates spawning habitat may be limiting to natural production and in part, responsible for low escapement. New activities begun in the South Fork Trinity River basin during 1984-85 9 involved the installation and operation of a seasonal salmon and steelhead trapping/tagging facility near the mouth to permit development of population estimates. High river flows required removal of the weir before