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