2018 Redfish Lake Sockeye Salmon Acclimation Post-Release Update John Powell Idaho Department of Fish and Game Lower Snake River Compensation Plan 2019 Annual Meeting April 23 rd -25 th 1
Transcript
2018 Redfish Lake Sockeye Salmon Acclimation Post-Release Update
John PowellIdaho Department of Fish and Game
Lower Snake River Compensation Plan2019 Annual Meeting
April 23rd-25th
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Acknowledgments
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• Paul Kline – Deputy Director• Chris Kozfkay – ESA & Policy Program Coordinator• Marc Garst – Hatchery Program Coordinator• Bryan Grant – Hatchery Complex Manager• Dan Baker – Eagle FH Manager• Steeve Pomerleau – Sawtooth FH Manager• Brandon Filloon – Springfield FH Manager• Doug Engemann – Pahsimeroi FH Manager• Eric Johnson – Fisheries Research Biologist• Jesse Trushenski – Spring Salmon, LCC• Don Larsen – NOAA Fisheries• Mollie Middleton – NOAA Fisheries
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Presentation Notes
Acknowledgments
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• Bonneville Power Administration• Lower Snake River Compensation Plan• Shoshone Bannock Tribes• NOAA Fisheries• IDFG Fish Production, Fish Health and
Research staff
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Presentation Outline
• Expansion of Snake River (Redfish Lake) Sockeye Salmon Captive Brood program
• Challenges following program expansion
• 2018 release strategy and results
• Moving forward
• Recolonize habitat by returning greater numbers of anadromous adults
• Anadromous adults used to re-seed the habitat and to replace captive adults in hatchery spawning designs
• Production increases to 1,000,000 smolts
Recolonization Phase
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Program Expansion
Springfield Fish Hatchery
Sawtooth Fish Hatchery
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Program Expansion
Presenter
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The includes presmolts released in the Fall of 2017 that were added to the 2018 count
Challenges Following Program Expansion
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2017 Springfield Release Results
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Blood hormone testing (specific plasma cortisol) testing in 2017 identified that we stress factors continued to act on smolts following release to Redfish Lake Creek. Cortisol is partially responsible for the fight or flight response in fish. Cortisol levels prior to loading at Springfield were at low background levels. After loading on fish trucks, cortisol levels spiked – perhaps understandably. Just before release – following a 5hr truck trip, they were slightly lower but essentially the same. 4 hours after release, they spiked considerably and stay high even 24 hrs after release.
RESULTS SUPPORT WORKING HYPOTHESIS RELATED TO WATER CHEMISTRY 11
Researching Effects of Water Chemistry Differences
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Presentation Notes
Blood chemistry results for plasma cortisol are shown in this figure. Results are color coded and adjusted to represent a percent change over 1hr values. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Springfield water returned to background levels after 24hrs. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Salmon River water at the Sawtooth Hatchery were elevated after 24hrs but likely not high enough to be problematic. On the other hand, cortisol levels for fish introduced to Redfish Lake Creek water continued to increase after 24hrs. Results supported our working Ho that water chemistry related stress was real and could possibly be causing observed low survival.
~40K smolts released directly from Springfield Hatchery to Redfish Lake Creek as a control
~600K smolts to acclimate at Sawtooth Hatchery½ released in Redfish Lake Creek½ released in the Salmon River
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2018 Springfield Release
240K presmolts released to Redfish Lake in October, 2017≈100K smolts migrated in spring 2018
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So…moving forward to release year 2018. Our release plan is based on options that avoid transporting fish directly from Springfield Hatchery to Redfish Lake Creek. To spread risk, we resurrected a previously used release strategy – and released about 250K pre-smolts to Redfish Lake this past October. These fish will overwinter and outmigrate primarily this spring. They were acclimated at Sawtooth from Springfield for two weeks and blood chemistry work done. The balance of about 700K smolts rearing at Springfield Hatchery will be transferred to open raceways at the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery and acclimated for about two weeks. Half will be transported to Redfish Lake Creek for release and the other half released directly to the Salmon River at the hatchery. We have demonstrated this works. A control group of about 50K will be transported from Springfield Hatchery and released directly to Redfish Lake Creek.
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2018 Acclimation
Trushenski et al. (In Review)
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Cortisol (ng/mL)
Springfield Fish Hatchery
Sawtooth Fish Hatchery
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Blood chemistry results for plasma cortisol are shown in this figure. Results are color coded and adjusted to represent a percent change over 1hr values. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Springfield water returned to background levels after 24hrs. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Salmon River water at the Sawtooth Hatchery were elevated after 24hrs but likely not high enough to be problematic. On the other hand, cortisol levels for fish introduced to Redfish Lake Creek water continued to increase after 24hrs. Results supported our working Ho that water chemistry related stress was real and could possibly be causing observed low survival.
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2018 Release
adapted from Trushenski et al. (In Review)
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Acclimated RFLC release
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Blood chemistry results for plasma cortisol are shown in this figure. Results are color coded and adjusted to represent a percent change over 1hr values. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Springfield water returned to background levels after 24hrs. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Salmon River water at the Sawtooth Hatchery were elevated after 24hrs but likely not high enough to be problematic. On the other hand, cortisol levels for fish introduced to Redfish Lake Creek water continued to increase after 24hrs. Results supported our working Ho that water chemistry related stress was real and could possibly be causing observed low survival.
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2018 Release
adapted from Trushenski et al. (In Review)
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Acclimated RFLC release Acclimated SAWT release
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Presenter
Presentation Notes
Blood chemistry results for plasma cortisol are shown in this figure. Results are color coded and adjusted to represent a percent change over 1hr values. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Springfield water returned to background levels after 24hrs. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Salmon River water at the Sawtooth Hatchery were elevated after 24hrs but likely not high enough to be problematic. On the other hand, cortisol levels for fish introduced to Redfish Lake Creek water continued to increase after 24hrs. Results supported our working Ho that water chemistry related stress was real and could possibly be causing observed low survival.
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2018 Release
adapted from Trushenski et al. (In Review)
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Acclimated RFLC release Acclimated SAWT release Direct release (control)
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Presenter
Presentation Notes
Blood chemistry results for plasma cortisol are shown in this figure. Results are color coded and adjusted to represent a percent change over 1hr values. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Springfield water returned to background levels after 24hrs. Cortisol levels for fish introduced to Salmon River water at the Sawtooth Hatchery were elevated after 24hrs but likely not high enough to be problematic. On the other hand, cortisol levels for fish introduced to Redfish Lake Creek water continued to increase after 24hrs. Results supported our working Ho that water chemistry related stress was real and could possibly be causing observed low survival.
2018 Smolt Release Survival - LGR
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This slide shows survival to Lower Granite Dam for the pre-2018 releases.
2018 Smolt Release Survival - LGR
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This slide shows survival to Lower Granite Dam for the 2018 releases relative to past releases. The survival from the acclimated releases was the highest survival that we’ve seen for smolt releases for the program.
2018 Smolt Release Survival - LGR
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Critically, we observed similar survival in the control group to what was observed in 2017, indicating our acclimation resulted in increased smolt survival to Lower Granite Dam.
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2018 Smolt Release Survival - BON
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We saw similarly high survivals to Bonneville with the acclimated smolts in 2018. Unfortunately we were unable to estimate a survival to Bonneville with the direct release control group.
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2019 Release Plan
330K Sawtooth reared smolts released into Redfish Lake Creek
560K Springfield reared/Sawtooth acclimated smolts released into Redfish Lake Creek
3K Springfield reared smolts released directly into Redfish Lake Creek as a control
Continuation of cortisol and blood glucose sampling during acclimation and release transports
Presenter
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In release year 2019, what we learn in 2018 will be applied to guide the release plan. However, the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery had room to accept about 300KBY17 eyed eggs from the Eagle Broodstock station that would have normally gone to Springfield for incubation and rearing. These eggs will produce smolts that will be released in Redfish Lake Creek. Again, Sawtooth to Redfish Lake works. We are also experimenting with water softening media systems we have adapted to transport vehicles and will be conducting survival experiments with a limited number of smolts this year as well. And, as the slide says, we hope we have found the smoking gun and developed a solution that will allow the program to get back on track implementing the re-colonization phase of the recovery effort.
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Questions?
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Presentation Notes
I don’t know how much time you have but mentioning that if the longer acclimation appears to work again this year that we hope to concentrate efforts in the future to narrow down the time necessary for acclimation given constraints with the chinook program while also giving us flexibility to release fish when conditions are favorable. This looks good John, think folks will be excited after seeing these results. Thanks for your attention, any questions?