Creel Survey of the 1980Thompson River Steelhead Fishery

and Results of Marked Fish Returns

by:

Alan Caverly

Fisheries Technician

Submitted to:

John CartwrightRegional Fisheries Biologist

Fish and Wildlife Branch

1981

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank several people that contributed to the

completion of this report. Bryan Hebden and Ian McGregor as~3isted in

the field for collection of the creel data. John Cartwright l'evie\·wd

and commented on the draft report. Moe Hanley typed the intial rlraft

and Cherie White prepared the final copy.

List

List

TABLE OF CONTENTS

of Figures.

of Tables.

Abstract. .•.•

Introduction.

Materials and Methods •.

Results •••.

Discussion.

Conclusions .•.••

Recommendations.

3

4

6

8

26

30

List of References. 31

I\ppendix I G •• '" •• !II • It (J • '" • oft •••• 0 • ~ It III It ... oft 't " III

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 1·1

LIST OF FIGURES

Location map of the Thompson River and theCr'eel Censu.s At~ea ...•.............• '.. , . , , ... , . ,

Thompson River Creel Census Zones 10

Comparison of Angler Effort, Catch and.succe;33 by \rJeek 11 " '" " $ 0 '" l) '" l1' ~ G' <1' \I' " " II f!' '" '" " w. ~ ..... " .. " " " ~, 'I 1

CUfl111lative Steelhead Catcll by vleek .. o".". 0"',''

Table I

LIST OF TABLES

- Dates, Size, Location of Catch and JuvenileMarking Dates, Sizes and Locations for MarkedSteelhead Caught................................... 10

2

Table II Angler Effort and Area of Residence................ 11

Table III - Catch, Angler Success and Area of Residence........ 12

Table IV - Reported Numbers of Steelhead Killed by Anglersin 1980 13

Table V - Reported Numbers of Steelhead Released byAnglers............................................ 14

Table VI - Numbers of lUlled and Released Steelhead byAngler Residence................................... 15

Table VII - Comparison of Estimates from Questionnaire andand Creel Census•..............•..........•........ 17

Table VIII - Number of Steelhead Caught per 3 krn FishingZone by Month ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Il< ,. • • • • •• •• • 18

Table IX - Weekly Breakdown of Angler Days, Catch on CensusDays, Success and Total Reported Catch 20

Table X - Reported Number of Angler Days, Catch, FishPer Angler Day and Total Catch for FlyFishermen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Table XI - Age Class Structure of Thompson River Steelhead

Caugh t in 1980..................................... 25

Table XII - Saltwater Age Groups 25

ABSTRACT

In 1980 the Thompson River steelhead fishery heads were recovered

from wild steelhead juveniles marked in the Deadman River in 1976 and

1977 (Starr, 1978). A total of 9 adipose clipped adults were caught

containing coded head tags. These made up 1.3% of the total I~epor>tecl

catch (kills and releases) of 702 steelhead •

At total of 898 anglers fished an estimated 3,517 angler days and

caught an estimated 842 steelhead for a catch per angler day of 0.24

steelhead. 31. 2% of the reported catch was released.

B. C. Anglers, mainly Lower Mainland residents, made up 77.5% of

the angling effort. The area of river just above and belovl ,Spence I s

Bridge accounted for' 50% of the catch. Peak effort and catche~) occlwecl

during the last paTt of October and the beginning of November. The mo,s t

comnon age of sampled fish was 2.2+ (72.5%).

Enforcement of regulations per>taining to the Thompson t~e:3ulted in 5

charges being laid for angling violations.

Creel census time ~"as most intensive in the Spence 's Bl~idge area

due to the concentration of angler:) in that cH'8.1. An increa,1e in

angling pressure was noted on the upper 40 km of rivet' between Savona

and t1artel. Cl~eel covemge in 1980 was incomplete requiring some

estimates. A standard should be established for expected covemgr: in

the future.

Anglers were generally not aware of the marked steelhead head

recovery program or expressed concern about establhihing more location::;

for heads to be dropped off. Informing angler's through news med Lamd

posting more signs with complete information is advisable. Arrangements

for leaving steelhead heads at Lytton is a priority.

3

INTRODUCTION

The Thompson River, located in South Central British Columbia 13

widely knOlm for its sport fishery for trophy size summer stel'lhe~\d

(Fig. l). About 90 km of river is ava:Llable to the angler beg_innlnf; at

the confluence of the Thompson and the Fraser River at Lytton. The 32

kms. of river upstream of Lytton is highly accessible to anglers wLth

the focal point for angling pressure being Spences B)~idge. In ,the

Thompson River attracted anglers from the Lower Mainland, the Cf"mtral

and Southern Interior of B. C., Alberta, ~,rashington, Oregon ,lIi even

Japan.

The Salmonic! Enhancement Program has made Lt pO~3~3ible: to obt'1Jn

several yeal"s of creel census data from the Thompson Hi vel~ fi~3hery; to

carry out a melio tracking progroam of steelhe3d adult::,; to ::itudy

juveniles and rearing habitat requirements; and to initiate enhancement

projects to r'estore runs to their former levels. Some causes ot' the

decline in adult numbers have also been identified by S. E. P. The~3e

include commercial interception , native fisheries, water an,! lOci,S

through irrigation in major tributaries and the SPOI"t fishery.

This report discusses the 1980 sport fishery and creel 88n:311::3

results from that fishery. The steelhead catch in 1980 al,:,:,() includr·cj

several adult steelhead that were marked as outmigrant juvenile8 in th~

Deadman and Nicola Rivers from July to October in 1976 and The

marked adults were identified by a missing ad Lpose fin Clncl conte) Lned ;\

coded wire head pm.

LI

Fig. 1 Location map uf Tl101J1PSOJ) River alldCreel Census Area

I--~----'-~-

II

_~~----1savona ...

• Ashcroft

\(\,J

• Lyt ton--J

Location of

------- Thompson !\ i vcrL~~~-,-_~_-----..L~__~ --L__ ~ ~ ~~~~----l

o 10 20 30 40 km

SCR1e 1:600,000

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Personal contact was made with as many anglers as possible from

October 1, 1980 to December 31, 1980. Anglers were informed of the

possibility of catching a marked steelhead and were requested to turn in

the heads of r~rked fish to the census person or le8ve them at the

General Store in Spences Bridge. The owner of the Gener'al store fr'(JD~

the heads until they were picked up. Signs were posted in as many

locations as possible, informing the anglers of madced steolhead in the

river and requesting that marked fish heads be tumed in.

All anglers were assigned a reference number which ,va:,; r'oeol'cled on

a census sheet with their name and also on the top of their steelhead

punch car'd. Number'S were requested on each ~3ubsequent check to sep:wa to

each angler. Anglel's would usually memorize their number's\Ilc! Ipl1 the

census person the nwnber before describing their angling success since

the last check.

Anglers wer'e separated into four residence categode:c;:

Local - B.C. resident living within IOO krn of Thomp.',on River',

B. C. - B.C. resident other than a local.

C - Canadian resident not living in B. C.

U.S. - United States resident.

Angler effort was calculated from the number of :lngler's ch(cckecJ on

census days. A.n angler fishing for any part of a creel censu,s cl ciY ~iJa,s

recorded as one angler day. Anglet' success H:l:3 ealcu1.:1tecJ 3:3 tlv' number'

of steelhead (kept or released) per angler day. Estimates were ~lso

made for ,total angler days, effort and succe;:;,s, anowing fOl' angler','; not

checked on census days and days not censused. Days not ehe(;ked vJet'C

compared to census days just pr'ior to or after' the unchecked day:') to

provide an estimate of effort. Weekday eff'ol~t WEl.:3 ,simi.1.::tI~ fcorn to

day each week and weekend effort was similar Satut'day an ;;,md~jY. The

estimates for anglers not checked on census days wel'e calculated from

comparisons of effort in different river' zone~j on eli rfe/'enL d:1y:" The

actual data recorded was used for most compari:30ns. Bffor't~ltld (~] teh

estimates were compared to the Harvest Analysis Questionnaire.

Punch cards were checked and records of steelhead kept \ven~

recorded since the last day the anglel' was checked,

Successful anglers were usually asked to descr'ibe details of their'

cateh including date, location of capture, size of the fish and presence

or absence of the adipose fin. Scale samples were collected from all

steelhead obset~ved. The weight, fork length, sex, 10cati on of captut'e,

and presence or absence of an adipose fin was recorded.

Scale samples from 92 steelhead were taken from the c,wea bf?twcf'll

the insertion of the dorsal fin and origin of the ana] fin, tvlO to n va

scale roVlS above the lateral line. Two scales with no !'('getlCt':Jtion in

their freshwater zones were selected from each sample. These WCN~

cleaned in a water/detergent mix and then mounted on numbered SG~lp

booklets. The samples were forwarded to U. B. c. Technical Servicf" I'l1lCn~

they were heat pressed to make an impression on acetate card:3. ,'-',1m!) Ie:::

were read at a rnaPTLification of 70X on a Bell ~( Hm.Iell SH-IV

microfiche.

'1'h(; scale reading method used is as de:,ct~ibed by NarvcI' (\~ 11Hldet'

(1974) whe I'e a fish aged 2.2+ is in its fifth year' of gr'ovlth and h:I.:'

spent two winters in freshwater (2.) before migrating to sea where jt

spent tHO additional winters (.2), retur'ning to sp:J\rln in C('(;(;hlrlater'

dUt'Lng its third scllt\r1ater summer (+). An S de3 tos :1 "p'1vm iilg I'\If'C\(

and one fun year of' ocean gr'owth.

As part of the 1980 creel census, enforcement of the sport fishing

regulations pertaining to the Thompson Ri ver \vet~e carric;r] out. The:;e

are:

'7

(1)

(2)

0)( 4)

Steelhead daily limit - 1*

Steelhead possession limit - 2*

Seasonal steelhead limit - 10

No angling from boats downstream of n point l" 5 km up,3tn,clnJ

of the Nicola River.

Special River - Special rivers licence required by non­

resident of Canada.

(6) Angling closure downs trearn of Epsom, ,JamklTy 1 i~() Hay 31.

(7) Steelhead closure ft~om Highway #1 ]wiclge at Savon;J, to Ep,'mrn,

January 1 to Hay 31.

(8) F'ly fishing only from High\r1ay Itl bl'iclge at Savona tn F:p,';()II1,

January 1 to May 31.

-rAn angler who has caught the daily steelhcc]c] limU, mu,',\. ce;'I,SC angLine:for steelhe:ld that day. Anglers must record, on their punch Ci3I'(j:;,

all steelhead kept.

RESULTS

A. Marked Fish Captures - (Table I)

A total of nine marked steelhead were reported caugh L in Fl80 on the

Thompson River between late September and mid Nove!11be!~, TIle::.>" Ci.sh nFl"jc~

up 1. 3% of the total repot~ted catch. One of the nine Ha:3 CYl11f':ht t,

prior to the beginning of the census and one was l~eleased. H',:!(b\~en?

obtained from the remaining seven, the coded Hire tags indicating

juvenile marking dates and locations. The majority (5) Here tagged in

the Deadman in 19'(7. One was tagged in the Nicola in 1976; the

remaining nsh had no Hire tag.

Five of' the !rnrked fish Her'e caught in the area from Bighorn to Uw

Nicola mouth.

The toteJ.l number' of juveni.1e fish marked in 1977 Ha,'3 ,07}j. A

recapture of nine adult steelhead means a mi.nimum retLwn of 0.11%.

B. !ngler Effort by Residence Area - (Table 1)

Thompson River stee1head anglers fished ;In estimated toti11 of 3,517

angler days in 1980. A total of 1,996 angler days Here actually checked

during the census. October accounted for 5". ,2% 0 f the cen,su:,(:l1 (:rt'Ot~t,

folloHed by November Hith 44.0%.

B. C residents, not including locals, contributed 711. of the j-1)1;11

angling effort. U. S. residents foUoHed with l5.5~t local :'lngliTs I;/LUl

7.6% and Canadian residents residing outside 8. C., 3.5%.

A total of 85 trout fishing angler days were recor'decl fl~()rn ()ctober'

to December' but October received 68 of these (80%). HO~3 t Lr'(mt 1¥)1'f;

caught in October.

C. Angler Catch, Success and Su~.cess by Resid~£e_~,=-p::,:~ - ('f.1hle II)

The total estimated catch of steelhead [or 19RO was Total

reported catch was seven hundred and tHO. It \"a~) assurned :'1.1"1 ;l'!cli.tionoll

20% (140 steelhe8d) Here caught and not included in the ('en:;;ll".

Angler succe:):] estimated 3,517 angler days; Ha~) 0024 fL:;h pcr' r'

day for B78 steelhead. For the actual r'ecOl~ded 1 1 996 clay::; ;mc!

steelhead knmm to be caught those days, the success \"as 0. 1 ti~)h !JC~10

angler.

9

December had the highest success of 0.23 fish per dngler" day.

B. C. residents and U. S. residents had equal success during the census

days for a season total of 0.1 fish per angler day, followed by Local

residents and Canadian residents with 0.09 and 0.04 fish per angler day

respectively. Overall success for' all arC':ls of residence frw October

was 0.09 fish per angler' day and for November, 0.13 fish P(~I" :lngh;r day

(based on known fish caught on census days).

D. Numbers of Steelhead Kept and Released - (Tables III, IV, V, VI)

The estimated total catch in 1980 was 8LJ2 steelh?i1cL A tOI:l1 1)1 (U?

stedhead reported caught in the Thompson. Of the~3e, 11133 (

were kept and 219 (31.2%) were released.

TABLE I Dates, Size, Location of Catch and Juvenile Marking Dates, Sizes, and Locationsfor Marked Steelhead Caught in the Ynompson River in 1980.

Date ofAdult Capture

1. Sept. /80(last week)

i2. Oct.15/80

3. Oct.20/80

4. Oct. 23/80

5. Oct. 23/80

6. Nov. 4/80

7. iTov lJ 11/80

Q n(y,/ c 15/30'.) ~

20/

A D U L T S J U V E N I L E SLength at Location SizeCapture of l'larking Fish Brood t1arking

(em) Capture Date No. ( gm) Yc.~ .~ Location,..... d.i

IIII

? ? I

85.0 Zone a Aug. /77 2080 17.7 1976 DeadmanI

-' Rii

75.0 Zone 9 Sept./Oct. 1593 17.7 1976 Deadman R11977 I

83.8 2476 1976I

? Aug. 177 17.7 Deadman R·I

75-85 Zone 8 II

II

86.4 ? Sept./Oct. 2080 17 .7 1976 Deadman R.I1977 I

I

35.0 344 1976i

Zone 10 tJo Pin DeadIllan R·II

99. 1 7,'iY"'c r\ Sept./Oct. 360 ? 1975 Nicola R. I-,'~!l'-' 'J

1976 II!

Zone ' .:< 1593 i '7 '7 DeadInan R·I-'-..; ...l.. { ~ f

Ii

.~

D~~J.':_~J.2n 3..d:ll t:3.nd r~?l2;j_sed in l'j7 ',133 8, Starr, J..

'3t~elr_e,~:id" HinirJ1J.ill rs 'lin frorn ce eS.3-9S is therefore o

.::'r:gler '2:ffort and Area .):~ Resijence for :he lrj,30 Thcm;::.scn ?i:/::!p St-2el:e-teaj5eascn

Est l'Jtal Local Res. B. C, Ses .. u. s. ::'2.5 .. :a.n .. :ies .. C;ther Res.7Jtal C:r,=",l ~ JfAn51er • of .~....:g::'er S2ason ;..'1g12r

,Jf A:-:gl~r :f J,:r:gl,=r' ,:;f 1_~>5J..~r

, r:,f j,~.g12(, .:f0 ,0

Month :cays Total says 7:,:~1 [:a'..,r3 7stal Cays -,:·ta 1 :ay3 :-:ta1 I::'~'{s TGtal :ays Tc·_~<?.l

Oct. • 1475 41.9 1022 51 .2 52 5 .1 765 74 9 153 .5 •5 ~6 :..)..5 o.1

~Iel'l • 1549 44.0 379 Ij~.O 83 '? .4 7;']7 30 4 54 3 23 ~.6 2 'J. -

:;''2c. 493 14.0 '95 -. 3 LD :6 3 75 73 9 4 4.2

TCT.~.L 3517 1996 151 -.6 1547 77.5 226 Ll. 3 69 3.5 0.2

~'2:~''':1.':·'?S ~~-:-~,:~ ,,':,,~:...:r --:f' ~r.~~~; ~3./3 ",'n2n .:i,-.o.e~ :-=~:S.lS ;1.3 :,:::-: ..:~e ~:-:,= :-.:;:":':;"::3.~':-:: ....:....:."J:·~r2~.;:,:;r.3 .,'-'~ :-"'-~':':"'~'': :'.;;:'r;~ ~ -;r-:,-:::",:a.l.

,C2LS III

;).02

0.03

RESID8.frFishA:-:'31er/'DaY

I.:

~ of-:',~tal

2

IF of

J.13

~i3"l

Arj3::"er!eay

6.B

Rep,..c 'd TOTAL L'2CAL ~ESIDENT B. - ~E5IDE:rI '] • .3 • .'"'- ~

Total ::'hecked Fish Fish i3hCatc...'1 .)f I! Jf ..L;gler/ # Jf % of :1.ngler/ ii :)f % 'Jf .:l_"'!.:3: 1er/ Ii )f

~~cnth SH Fish ::cay Fish ~:)tal Day ish Ictal )ay "ish

-J<:1:,. 252 j3 O. )9 'l :l .1 0.07 34 ~5 7,

10 ; 3

:iov. 269 1 19 J. 13 7 5.9 o. 09 102 35 7 J. 14 3

:;€c. 30 22 ').23 2 ? .1 O. i 3 L7 72 3 ,j .22

rC''I'.:l.L 551rate U/K= 151

239 D.11 13 5.5 0.09 203 54.9 10.1. J.1 0.04

T:Jt3.1;~2

i\)

13

TABLE IV Reported Numbers of Steelhead Killed by Angle!': :'1 tl)l~

Thompson River from October 1980 to December 1(Data frnm Steelhead Punchcarcl~::;).

.T;-l---j

i0

I1 I

II

I

iI,

I

;~? '1

i

'-i II

\()

I.~ I

I~-J

O -)" ~)

LO

2.6

1.1

5.9

0.1

0.7

73.2

14.7

3

3

9

o

6

1

10

53

23

1]2

898

656o

2

8

3

9

7I

5

6

TOTALS

10

-No-.()fF'i-'sh--------------------c1"'o-o-['l'c)Cir --.-~--

_K_ih:1e_d__ ~l~,,-_of Anglers A_ngCLrl.(:Y:::<3_~ ._~__

T~B_LE V - RepOl~ted Numbers of Stee1head Released by f\.ngler:J ()11

the Thompson River in 1980.

0 815 91.0 ()

1 38 11.2

2 '17 1.9 )11

3 11 l-

11 G 0.7 ;»1

5 I~ (), ~) ;)()

6 3 o. ~

7 0 0

8 1 00]

9 1 0.1 r)j

10 0 I)

11 0 0

12 0 0

13 1 0.1 n'14 0 0

15 0 0

16 0 0

17 0 (]

18 0 Cl

19 0 I)

20 0 II

21 0 ()

22 (] .1

------,.-. --_.------_._--'---_._._~-

TOTAL 898 Iq

TABLE VI NT-lInbers of Kj_lled and Released Stee1head by Angler Residence fOt~ the 1980 ThompsonRiver Steelhead Season.

207

22

155

167

TOT..liL ?7? 33 11 1J (_ i -,' '-r J..---

at ,Q'7 ? 12 .8 60 '7 39 -, ~'7~ .7 80 0 20.0 67 3-<;fJ v! , ! .-.l Ji . . .

LC2al B. C. Resident U.S. Resident Canadian Ro~.c,-,U ""

Date Killed Released Killed Released Killed Released Killed Released

Oct. " 4 126 78 20 ' ~ 1u ..L.~

Nov~ 21 ]. 130 94 13 r'

3 10 J..

Dec. 5 17 5 3

TotalKilled Released

I97 I

II102I

8 I

Ji

38.1 I

============================================--====J

Of 898 anglers, 240 (26.7%) caught and kept at least one 8teelhead.

No anglers were recorded that took the seasonal Hmit of 10 steelhead

although 23 anglers (2.6%) kept five or more steelhead.

Of the same 898 anglers, 38 caught and released at least one

steelhead. One anpler reported releasing 22 steelhead and 10 released

five or more fish.

U. S. residents released the highest pOl'tion of' theil~ cnLcll

(40.7%). B. C residents also released a large pel~centage of' L11pil~

catch (39.3%). Canadian residents released and Local residents

released 12.8%.

E. Compar"tso~ __C2£_9'eE:J_~~nsu s with Harves tJ\rl§]~'0~~_9,tl~~'2~)~))~~;~j~:~;

(Table vn)The questionnaire for 1980 reported an estimated 10,449 l~r

for the Thompson, cornpat"ed to the creel estimate of 3,!,)17, a

difference. The questionnaire estimate of ki l1(~d st8elhc".'lc! \,fa:i L, 1 (-)

compared to a creel estimate of 842 steelhead, 33. different.

F. _~n~E?~Ca~~_~en.2,--~sZone - (Table VIII, Fig. ~2)

Angler' catch by census zone was recordeci fOI~ ;:l11 fi8h ob;1crvcd on

census days in 1980. The greatest number of fish wer'e Llken in '?onc~ ()

(24.2%) and Zone 10 (2,:).8%) which includes the al~ea jw,;t; up:, IT''JITJ ;mel

16

downstream of Spences Bridge. Zone 6, dmmc3trearn of

accounted for 13.6% ~nd Zone 7, 11.6% of the catch.

rki

G. _Week~:LAnf!J-ing Effg}·~_~~~tc~and St~C_c::0!3:3 - (Tal)r(~ IX, P'i~~:3. ~ 1', )1)

The IX;;lk angling efTort occurred dlH'lll!,~ mid (Jel,n!>('!', {'o!lo\.J(,d I\V1

slight decline with another peak during the ~Lrst two weeks of Novemb 0 r.

Peak catches occurred durlng the same time per'tod 0

Vleekly angler ,3ucce::lS varied from 0.05 ['ish pel" an!eIcl' ['I'eHT]

October 5 - 11 to 0.31.\ fish per angler day f'nJm De(~emhcr 7 - 1~,

H. Gear Success - (Table X)An eX,Jet t811y of tackle and balts used \\1;:18 not j n 1 !;lv

fisher'men vIere l"ecorded separately and all bait and lur'c angl ",I'

were combined. Fly fishermen contrlbuted 7.3% of the LotH] an~lillG

effor'L They caught 4.3% of the reported catch, Their :;w;ce:i,,; \01:1:,

calculated at 0.15 fish per angler day.

TABLE VIr Comparison of Estimates from Questionnaire and Creel Census on theTnompson River,

Catch (Kill) Effort (Angler Days)

11. q":::' i'77: ' :.., (U/ ; ,

hq'7C) 18n..1-./ { ..... v

naireEstimate

~j 127

1345

1050

1806

':::('eel *Estimate

832

924

781

530

%Diff,

26.2

31.3

25.6

naireEstimate

11038

10391

10041

9797

10449

Estimate

4058

4180

4216

3517

Diff.

59.8

58.0

----- --------------_.

, Total

J J

2 3117 33,6 41919 15971 61.9

* " ,-..; -i 1 -. --, ....., .... ,-', ~,'" >'--"-.~r'~ .l.... ..l... -:.... ~ ,../.~ .~ ....:--l ~ '-::;' '.:;)+ '.1.

/-:::2" }-j \!

TABLE VIII - Numbc;r of Steelhead Caught per 3 KL lometr'8 Fi:::,h ing ?,)nt;for ~1onthly Intervals in the Thomp:30n Rivcr c!W'LtI,P ti)ilO.(Not all fish captured are included).

-----------._------------------- .--- -- ----- ------.

Zone Oct. Nov. Dec. Total

1

2

34

5

6

78

910

11

12

13

'S 8 13 () J)

4 2 7 30 r)

16 8 3 27 '13.6

8 1)~ 1 IJ.G

9 W 19 9Jl

21:: 19 4 )18-J

20 23 8 [51 QI" I)

3 1 11 2. i)

2 3 I, "

3 3 -,I

1--------_._-------------------- ---------.- ------------------.----- -------- ----- --

TOTAL go 90 18 ICJ8

FIGURE 2 - Thompson RLvet' Cl1eel Census :3urvey Area LncHcatinf; tht'ee kilom(~tr'e

f . , (' 7 " --, ~l I) . I" \ . t 'longlshlng zones. uon8 11 - l~ompson 11ver alove tllS n~).

12

19

13

8

7 ," Goldpan Parkv

~ Shaw Spr:tngs

6~

Kilometres

5(~l,~

o 5

:-"3.'J;h:',:>3~3:"l5 ~_·~:,s

~-Jeek1y Bn::_3.i:jcwTl 'Jf .l.r:gler ::ays, C2.tch en Census :-i~iS, ?i..sh per Angler Day 1 3.ndTJta:. Reported :~'e~kly ~3tc..l-t :"'Gr" the Thompson Riv-=:" L"1 19,9O ..

- 0 B E: i1 ,'1 0' . ,<...J :J i:- R,

.'1 B ??.:... ~ - ~ - - -_4 5-1 1 1 1 d 19-2~ 26-3 1 1-8 9-15 1b- 22 23-2b 2'j-o 7- 1, 1 I, 2 ;':-31 TC':')·.L- ---:::"-'

32 l ]5 JGD ';'J 1: ? r"-l 230 36 c 36 4 , 35 ; ~ - 7 - ::6-

?j J , -J SO 13 ) ) iJ ~'S6

.- , J :'5, :3 '. - - ~J

.-.L -. .. ". -0

--' ~Q 20 iJ 34 .- :>~ - :3- - -

ijtal~epor":~d

'.Je~',{:'y

::3.tch f

9 J2 102 66 23 ~3 L5

FIGURE 3 Cornpar'lson of Angler' Effort, Catch and Success on Census DaysWeekly for the 1980 Thompson River Steelhead Season.

Number of Anglers Checked.

400

300

200

100

4 8 15

~

, ·_-~--_··_-"'----~·----··r-··-~~~-··-r--

20

60

50

40

Number of Steelhead on Cen:,u[:3 Day.

!'/30

20 \

4 11.-----,--- -'I-~--'---'---'---'-i------,-----T-~

18 ?5 815 22 29 61 ~ ~)O

--- Oct. ---~----~

Anglers Success"

-----~-Nov <------.

0.4

0.3

0.2

O. 1

4~--,.---_··-r----r------r---"'-·_·_----'----'-----l------r--l_

'11 1e (3 15 ;)2 29 hi j )!

----~--- --- ()(' I '\

FIGURE 4 - CumulaUve Catch of Steelhead during the 19PO T!KJrnpson RiverSteelhead Season.

Number of Stec31hcad

600

500

400

300

200

100

---- "'--". t·····_--·_- I

}~ 11 18 8 15 22 29 6 I) ;;0

---- Oct, ------ ---l\!ov. -----.-..------,- r)r:~\ c "

TA.BLE X Reported Number of Angler Days, C~tch Fish Year. jlJ1g1et~ Day and TotalC,:itch for Fly' Fishermen Dtu'-'ing th·s 19 Th(Jmpson Ri\ler' Steelhead Season"

II: Date~--

October

lTJvember

Decernber

AnglerDays

108

35

2

# Steelhead Caughton Census Day

11

8

2

Fish/A.nglerDay

0.1

0.23

Total No.Steelhead

Reported

12

16

2

___"_0 " " . _

)1

10 Ltfe.Hi~st~y ,- (Table XI & XII)

The most common age class for 91 steelhead sampled in 1980 vla:3 2.2+

(72,5%) followed by 3.2+ (9.9%). Only 2.2% of the f13h iJ!?r'" y'er,(\Jt

spawnECl]"sl all ~{ged 2.1,s1+, The most common salbJ,'lLi?r' >'plc iF)'; )+

(94.5%) 1 followed by .3+ (3.3%). All, 3+ fj~3h vJere ma ]":3, I.

spavmer's we]"e females.

J. Enfor'cement

In 1980 ~) cha]"ges we]"e laid pe]"taining to violations of rislwr'i

regulations on the Thompson Rivel~. Two anglel~s wer'!? ch:lriJ;lc:d HUh

[ailul'8 to record their' catch on their' punchc;lrrl:; :lnd t~JC) rOI' cnl1;, In1 lilw

to angle aftel~ catch:lng the daily limit Of'3tC)C iheld. One :uw; t' ill:

TABLE XI - Age Class Structure of Thompson River Steelhead Caught in 1980

,---------------------------_.-._---------------------------- .. ----------

Sex

M

2.2+

29

2+.2+

2 2

.2+ 2.131+ R.

F 37 )~ 8 2 f) -;

J-------------------- . -- ------------------------------- ----- -------- - ----.-- ---

TOTAL 66 6 'J 9 r) 5L L

%ofTotal 72,5 6.6 2.2 9.9 2.2 Sf' i) t ~ 1

<)1

1===_-==__-_._-_-__ --==-===-_--_-_==_=-=---.__=--_-._-_-=__ -

TABLE XII - SaltlAJ;Jter' rIga Groups

'J '() 1-.-:1 J

3M

Sex .3+1----·----------------------------------------- ------.--- -

F 51

1====--=-=__=-=-_-:-===-_~_-_-_-__ -:~::=====-====----=___-__-__:=_:=__=_=------- - - -- .. --- -- -- -- ----- -- ---

Total

Total %

86 3

3.3

,)c

DISCUSSION

The 1980 creel census varied from past years in that r'p,turns of

marked steelhead, identified by a missing adipose fLn, hH;!'tj l;l(!Jec\l?dln

the angler" s catch. The.se fish were marked as outmigr'mt juvcni le3 in

the Deadman and Nicola Rivers in 1976 and 1977 by Federal Fi~herie~

personnel. Coded wil~e tags indicat:Lng the mar'king date and locdlun

were imlf?l~ted into the nose of the fish.

A total of 8,0)-17 rainbow trout aged 1+ \<lel'C madwj ill~iudLn.l~ buth

resident rainbow and stee1head as both have becm ob::;el~ved Ln

26

the Deadman during May (pers. obs.). The total of

s tee1head of fleadman origin indicates a minimum pan' tOl:! III :':111''1 Lv:11

of 0,10'1,. It can be assumed that only a pod:ion of t1l8)1I\ln L I"J 11\.:'. vler'(;

steelhead; between )\0% and 60;'" (3,214 - 11,F)213)(Hcr;l~egol' P"(':. ,'I!imn.),

This gives a survivial l~ange of 0.25% to 0.1'7% but i3till ,k", IlO\

account for n1i:wked adult::; not caught by anglel~s.

The total esUmated number of ang1el~ day,) in 19[>,0 In ~ j ?, Th ~

is 10wet~ than vJas reported for 1976/77 (11,0 158), 1977/ (1/ ) ) and

1978/79 (4,216) (Antifeau, 1976/77i Dolighan, 19T717e, l'f7f3nQ. ') Thi:,

is probably due to a shorter angling Se;.l'30n the HI ni V':t'

beginning in 1979 \lJith a steelhead clo~3ur'e DecelTlhf~t' to rH")tIC'I~L

overwinter'ing adults. Heduced catch and pO~3se:JsLon limit:3 in 111)(1

1980 also may have r'educed effort, In contrast, I~he :3t i ;eJ}Y·;l.I1

questionnail~e results show a decline in effort fr'(lIl1 tc) L'H'l \1 j f11111

inCl'I;;JSe in 1980. Questionnair'e estimates aV(:?I"a,y,e 1.1 \.111 I'I'(;,?I

estimate,s fl~om 1976 to 19BO (Cat~twright, 1979). The dc;!, 1inc ill l'

effort to a third that of October and November' coulc] hel \', "~ll1 \ ,If' L!I

temperatures in early December, high wat,c;r' and I~();\(] e; lo',1l ell 'f

#1 between Lytton and Vancouver. InteC'()l~1'. 1V, Itwl ('I' gil

highest in Decembel~ during sui.table water' :Jnd v/elther';onil i iIJlI::.

B. C residents including locals IKide up 71)% of tilll!!. Lill! 'i'ril1'\.

on the Thompson in 1980. t·10i3t anglers re:;ided in tllc lovl'; i'j:linl.llid.

B. C. anglel~s had almost equal success e"mp;:wcd to U. ;111 lel'~" II. ,.

angler's genc:;t'a1ly resided in either 1r.Ja:3hington 01~

The total estima catch of 842 steelhead includes a reported 483

kept and 219 released plus 20%. The 20% was added to the reported total

to include fish caught in river zones that were not checked consistently

and to include fish caught by anglers that ceased fishing after catching

and keeping one :3teelhe8d and wel'e not checkec! again. The addl in 1

27

compares to a reported 791 (+20% :: 91~9) in 197i:j/7C); fl.''', (l­

in 197'7/713 and 586 in 1976/77. The 20% add ilion fOt 1 FIT(

based on an a~3sumed 80% cr'eel cover'age, T11e stc(?1head (]uestionna ire

reported an estimated kill of 1 1 170 steelhead compared to creel

estimate of 580 stee1head 1 a difference of 50.l~%. F't'om 1 6 to L q Uv'

difference averaged 28%. Of the total, l~ were reJeased jn

in 1978179; 17% in 1977/78 and 5% in 1976177. The incr(~,L;ed tr'C?nc!

tmvcwd,'3 ("eleasing steelhead iZCl pr'obably due to r'c3du , 'I'! r>dC'h :Hld

possession Limits and increased angler mv'lr~eness of the (} ner;t ", JI]

numbers of Thompson River' steelhead popula t ions. For (~X,J:np1c j n F

3, the tHO peaks of angley' catch and effol~t coin(;id': )Int (') 1,L i.l

effectiveness of angling on available stselhead.

Angler' ::mceess ItIaS c:::.Urn.'::lted at 0.2)\ fish pet~ Oln!'.

fOl1 3 1 517 angler' days and 8!~2 :;teelhead. Thi:; cornpar'I'" \-, (),?() [L,1l I'

angler day iJ1 1978/79; 0.21 in 1977/78 and 0.12 in 197 Thi:1]

comparison sugge:3ts the Thompson had an'llxl'rs :wer'rigs I' in!')

Estirnate.s WO\J ld be rnore accu ra te in thE:; eu tur'(=; i l~' ;'J (\:-~ ltj' 1 r'c i")(~l-F)(:':) t(~d

to report the number of days fished between checks.

SC3lc~ analysis of' 91 Thompson ::lteelllE:ad indic;;::tt,('11 Ul:iL ~).;)l- \vll', th~~

most common age group (72.5%), and only 2. !;Jere 1',) :=:p.l\Hj(~r'::. Thl:;

is very similar to U1e life histories of ,'3tecdflc:ndin 1

Net mar'ks were uncommon on steelhe.'id c8uf;ht in 1 C;j I Yjr':t:

fishery c1osur'es dUt~_Lng the:; :3ummel~ and c;n'ly f;111 in tlli' Fr':\')!)I' liilll.I'

were intended for pr'otection of salmon ,stocks but, unchul,t.f;C) Ly j'c!!UC'!'!

interceptLon of Thompson steelhead. Up 1.0 ?,OOO ;)\;(:,·1 11I1111111! i!y ;J

generally intercepteel in the Fraser Rive I', 60-30'1', 'tid !I)I'

l'cma'Lning Chilco :3tO(;I:;; (OgU:3:3 and 1~ndl'c~"'1:3, 19'/7), I]Uh1,,\!C!' I,ll

u.s. anglers in 1980 r'eported that the U.::;. 3(;jnc< ff n .1:1'11) k 1:

strait, eaptut~ed up to 2,000 stee1heaa one) Vlcek in ep']y O('! ul

t1arine Hesour'ces Branch s tuc!y has also Ldc;11 ti Lied till:; ;l!"I);\ ;'I;~

migration !'oute for Thomp:30n steelhp~ld and catch c,,;tim;':1l. r::3 in I

from 2,500 - 3,500 fish.

Enforcement of the spor>t fishing l~egulations \cra~i (')3.t~ried out on the

Thompson River"' in 1980. In general, most angler's abided by clwrenl,

regula t ions. Only five charges l,iere laLd elm'Lng 1980, ('i tllc'!" ['0('

failur"'e to recor'd a catch on punch cards or continuing to ,mgle ~] rl

28

catching the daily limit, The 13ttet~ l~egulatLon~i c:?tused ~:onli' [':L;Lc'lI

on the Thomp::lOn as many anglet~s believed they could sti Ll ri';11 COl' ,\Ilc!

release steelhead after catching and keepine; one fL,3h. '1'118 1"111 ;')11;

do allmv an angler to cont.i,nue angling fOf' other' specie::; of I'i

catching a ~.,teelhead Hhich caw:;(:;d confusion ov(~r' Leg:,] ICI'i'l! 'ii III'!: I,',

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Marked steelhead, caught in 1980, indicate a minimwn pre-smoll

survival of 0.17% to 0.25% in the Thompson River.

(2) The total number of angling days on the Thomp,30n Riv(~r' 11:1 bec!]

declining slowly since 1975/76, pr'imar'ily due to regulat LOll

changes.

(3) The Harvest Analysis Questionnaire estimates for number r

days were 06% higher than cn~e1 census I"sti!mte::; for 1

(4) B. C. r'e:3ident:~ made up 75% of the angl illg erCor'!:, 011 L! Ii' Thn:rm::i)!]

in 1980.

(5) The steelhead catch in 1980 is similar to three past

Thompson (mean 19T) - 19(\0 = 795 stee1head).

()!l : III;

(6) The Harvest Analysis Questionnaire e::;UJW3 tes for~ !lUITtI)(~r' nt' r'

lcUled differed from creel census result:] in 1980

(7) Increasing tr'ends in releasing steelhecrcl is reflect,:,:) ill I1 1)(

t I

t'elease in 1980, v.Jith a 26% increase in releaSe,:; :,:1 ne' L /'(""

(8)

(9)

Steelhead catches in the Thompson for 1Q80 were eli

proportJonal to angl ing ef Cort. Peak \"reekly C:1 tche,',

peak weekly efforts.

1980 was a slightly above average year' Cor angler'c;11 \' (,,} ,.

(10) Thompson steelheacl were generally aged 2.2+ in iii

(ll) For 896 anglers, five charges wer'e laid for' vioLattorn oC

fishery regulat ions. Several other vi oiat ions '\,]I"n' r','

(12) Creel census of anglers on the Thompson Rivet' 1:3 becoming mor',,,

difficult due to the incr'eased use of boats, angling on the Ui)per'

river and regulation changes that remove an cll'1gler' [I'om the !':.JIT

once he ha:) caught a fish.

RECOMJ'1ENDATIONS

(1) In the futut'e creel census forms should jnclude a column fot' the

number of days an angler has fished since he VIa:; Lu; t d1l:cked"

(2) Regulations regarding continued angUng fOI' other' ::;pecie:; :1 f't('I'

catching the daily :3teelhead Hmit should bc; changed ane!

clarified.

(3) Expected angling coverage by a creel census should be (':";'r:;d)ll~3he(j

for the Thompson River to aid in accut'atJ'! pr'('~s(;ntation 01' Ilnc!I,,:;r!

data.

(4) Prior' to the steelheac! SI~c130n, angling Iwganization:i;il()'11!1

informed of creel ceocJUs programs, mC1l°l(cc! fi,sh t'ecovC~('Y, ,;tc,

lettej0, and newspaper's could cart~y a br'il:~f' :wticle ,11;;;('r'[1> Lh"

program.

(5) A staUon at Lytton should be established fOl° dr'op ofT f' IWI

fish heads.

(6) The Kamloops Fish and Wildlife office phone number' :~hou Ld

to all posted signs describing marked fish.

30

LIST or RErERENCES

\. Starl~, P.

? Ndrver, D. and Withler, F.

3. Antifeau, T.

4. Dolighan, R.

5. Dolighan, R.

6. Cartwright, J.

7. Oguss, E. and Andrews, I.

Deadman River: Biological Assessmentof the Salmonid Population, July ­November, 1977

Steelhead of the Nanaimo River ­Aspects of their Biology and theFishery from 3 Year's of Anglers'Catches.

Fish and Mar. Service, Pac. Bio.Station Circa No. 99, 1974

Thompson River Steelhead Survey

Survey of the 1977-78 Thompson RiverSteelhead Fishery.

Unpub. Report, Region 3, F&W Branch,1978.

Survey of the 1978-79 Thompson RiverSteelhead Fishery.

Unpub. Report, Region 3, F&W Branch,1979.

Enhancement and Management of Mid­Fraser Summer Run Steelhead - ChilkolChilcotin and Thompson River Systems.

Unpub. Report, Region 3, F&\V Branch,1979.

Incidental Catches of Steelhead Troutin the Comnercial Salmon Fisheries ofthe Fraser River, Skeena River andJuan de Fuca Strait.

Fish Management Report No. 7 B. C.Marine Res. Branch, June, 1977.

30

B.C. - Outside of 100 kmL - ~ithin 100 kaU.S. - All U.s.C - Canadian Non-B.C.NR - Other

APPENDIX I Suggested new form for creel census data collectionincludes days f~shed since previous check, asteriskto sep3.rate fish caught, c~leck day and adijJos(:: fin

1981 THO~~SON RIVER CREEL CENSUS

DATE: CHECKER IN1TIALS:

1+! I.........:.-_...:-..----.:._-_--..:._-'----

I -S TEE L H E A 0 C A T C fl

FI

i I IDays

II ~ssign. No. Hshed F'I S H C AUG H T IAngler River iPun,:h Fish Sine" Adip. ~ L W Lure Sc&la

Checl< Clio F' (em) ( ~",) F'l ~ Lu No .. Killed R' I sd. REMARKSResid. Ar-otas ard , Rec"d. M~

--4 I I-I

1-----L--I - j ~

.__c._

Ll.---.. f -I

I II

I I-[ j

= =+ -..1 'I 1ft= .-

--l i I I I

I

~I I I - I q -<--I

Ir"

I!r

I.+

I

I

LI !

I.

I Ir--- I

I

I I Ir I

~I

iI

--I i I -

Ii

I ! J ! II I,

I I I]

-=1-l1---

I i I iI I I ._~ iI ! ---+ I f I II