Response of a spawning population of Spring Chinook salmon toflow alteration in a regulated system.
Steve Corbett, Mary Moser, Andrew Dittman, Darran May, Donald Larsen
Outline
• Introduction • Study area• Objectives• Methods- tagging and tracking• Results related to flow alteration• Activities in 2009
US Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Yakima Basin• 5 storage reservoirs • 9 diversion dams
Radio Telemetry Objectives
• Test homing to acclimation sites
• Determine holding sites and final spawning locations
• Estimate passage time at diversion dam
• Gain insight to pre-spawn mortality
• Compare final tag locations with results from carcass survey
• Measure behavioral response to annual flow alteration event
Radio Tagging
• Collected and tagged at Roza Dam
• May 30-June 11, 2008
• Transported 7 km upstream and released
• 4-5 years of age
• 60-93 mm total length
Wildn=30
Clark Flatn=29
Jack Creekn=31
Eastonn=29
119 Adult Spring Chinook
Radio Transmitter Characteristics
Length 6.0 cm
Diameter 1.6 cm
Antenna length 12.0 cm
Weight in air 29 g
Theoretical life 210 d
Battery type 3.7 V lithium
Frequencies9, 30.170 MHz to 30.250 Mhz
• Band of surgical tubing2 mm thickness
• Transmitter weight < 4% of total body weight
• Transmitter implanted intragastrically via esophogus
Cle Elum River
Teanaway River
Radio Telemetry Fixed Siten=9
Roza Dam
Release Site Big Pines Recreation Area
Upper Yakima River
EastonAcclimation Site
Jack CreekAcclimation Site
Clark FlatAcclimation Site
Cle Elum Research and SupplementationFacility
Radio Tracking
• Fixed sites operated June through October
• Bi-monthly mobile tracking surveys conducted between June and October
Study Area
Downstream
Forebay
Fallback
Radio Telemetry Fixed Siten=9
Roza Dam
Selah Bridge
Release Site Big Pines Recreation Area
119 ForebayN=21 (18%)
FallbackN=24 (20%)
Downstreamof Study AreaN=13 (11%)
Study AreaN=22 (18%)
Clark FlatN=5 (23%)
EastonN=5 (23%)
Jack CreekN=3 (14%)
WildN=9 (40%)
Not ContactedN=39 (33%)
Fate of Radio Tagged Fish
Female N=96Male N=21na N=2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
5/1/08 5/15/08 5/29/08 6/12/08 6/26/08 7/10/08 7/24/08 8/7/08 8/21/08 9/4/08 9/18/08
Date
Cu
mu
lati
ve
Pe
rce
nt
Fixed Site Passage - Cumulative Percent
Town DitchRkm 263.4
Rkm 293.1CERSFRkm 301
Big PinesRkm 210.8
• First entry to study area:9 days after tagging, Jack Creek• Last entry to study area: 27 days after tagging, Wild
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
16000
Apr-08 May-08 Jun-08 Jul-08 Aug-08 Sep-08 Oct-08
Date
CFS
Average Daily Computed Natural FlowAverage Daily Flow
US Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Altered vs. Natural Hydrographs
Yakima River @ Cle Elum
Fox et al. 2007• Implications of Flip-Flop for Spawning Adults
Hockersmith et al. 1994• Migratory Phase (Apr-Jun)• Pre-spawning holding phase (Jun-Aug)• Spawning phase (Aug-Oct)
Flow Alteration : “Flip Flop”
• Annual flow alteration event• Late August to early September• Result of court ruling Yakama Nation v. BOR, 1980• Purpose: Balance needs of irrigation with spawning salmon
Began in 1982
Strategy:• Flows out of Cle Elum Reservoir decreased• Flows out of Rimrock Reservoir increased• Spawning occurs lower in channel less flow required to cover redds• Prevent redds from being dewatered
296 cfsto234 cfs
3908 cfsto542 cfs
3619 cfsto241 cfs
Lake Cle Elum
Lake Kachess
Lake Keechelus
Upper Yakima Basin Flow Dynamics August 18 - September 12, 2008
N
Cle ElumRiver
Yakima River
215
235
255
275
295
315
335
5/15/08
5/22/08
5/29/08
6/5/08
6/12/08
6/19/08
6/26/08
7/3/08
7/10/08
7/17/08
7/24/08
7/31/08
8/7/08
8/14/08
8/21/08
8/28/08
9/4/08
9/11/08
9/18/08
9/25/08
10/2/08
10/9/08
Date
rKM
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Mea
n D
aily
Dis
char
ge
(cfs
)
Did not experience flow alteration, n=9
215
235
255
275
295
315
335
5/15/08
5/22/08
5/29/08
6/5/08
6/12/08
6/19/08
6/26/08
7/3/08
7/10/08
7/17/08
7/24/08
7/31/08
8/7/08
8/14/08
8/21/08
8/28/08
9/4/08
9/11/08
9/18/08
9/25/08
10/2/08
10/9/08
Date
rKM
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
Mea
n D
aily
Dis
char
ge
(cfs
)
Experienced flow alteration, n=5
May 30
June 19
June 25
June 27July 7July 21Aug 5Aug 18 Aug 29Sep 15*Sep 30
RA084Origin:WildFemale70 cm
Did not experience flow alteration
*Tag recovered with post-spawned carcass
Total distance of upstream migration = 103 km
# of relocations = 10
RA212Origin: Clark FlatFemale63 cm
July 2
June 6
July 21Aug 6Aug 18Aug 29
July 9
Sep 15*Oct 3
*Tag recovered with post-spawned carcass
June 4
Total distance of upstream migration = 85 km
# of relocations = 10
Experienced flow alteration
Effect of Release Date
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
1 2 3
Release Date
Perc
en
tag
e o
f ra
dio
-tag
ged
fish
th
at
reach
ed
stu
dy a
rea
5/30/08 6/4/08 6/11/08
Release Date
14 of 53
6 of 39
2 of 27
Per
cen
tage
of
rad
io-t
agge
d f
ish
th
at r
each
ed s
tud
y ar
ea
Study Area
Activities in 2009
• Test of tag attachment method
• Provide insight to 2008 results
• Guide actions in 2010
Esophogeal Implant
External Attachment
Untagged Control
Tag Retention, Survival
• Final locations of radio-tagged fish occurred where carcass/redd survey results show highest densities.
• Homing/straying assessment requires data from larger sample size.
• Evidence that flow reduction prompts fish to move upstream.
• Some fish migrate upstream of confluence with Cle Elum River and thus do not experience Flip-flop.
• Majority of spawners are migrating upstream during artificially low flows in June and artificially high flows in July and August.
• More research needed to determine best tag attachment method.
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
NOAA FisheriesMark Kaminski Byron IversonEric Hockersmith Kinsey FrickDeb Harstad Brian Burke
Yakama Nation FisheriesCharlie StromMark JohnstonJoe HoptowitGerald LewisVernon Bogar
Bureau of ReclamationScott Kline
Ellensburg WaterLarry Brown
FundingNOAANorthwest Fisheries Science Center
Passage at Town Ditch Diversion Dam
• Dual antenna array, ~1 km• Low 1 hr. 24 minutes• High 4 days 1 hour 17 minutes• Mean 1 day, 3 hours, 3 minutes
Clark Flat
Radio Telemetry Fixed Site
Easton
Jack Creek
Wild
Final Locations of Radio Tags as Determined by SurveysPost 9/15
KOACampground
Easton
CERSF
Clark Flat
Jack Creek
Origin