NF John Day tributary Smallmouth Bass Monitoring

The North Fork John Day Tributary Smallmouth Bass Monitoring Grant assessed the abundance, distribution, movement, and diet of smallmouth bass and steelhead in three tributaries of the NF John Day River (Cottonwood, Big Wall, and Rudio Creek) over four years from 2020 to 2023. Activities included a combination of snorkel surveys, mark-recapture monitoring with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, stomach content sampling, and stable isotope analysis. The data collected in the monitoring report will serve as a foundation for informing restoration and management strategies of steelhead rearing habitat that is currently, or predicted to be, accessible to smallmouth bass.
Because the project’s end date fell outside of the PSRF FFY 2019 award period, no funds were used as match to PCSRF funds.

This project will fill major knowledge gaps regarding status and trend of SM bass and their impacts on salmonids within spawning and rearing tributaries of the North Fork John Day River. Collecting baseline data on abundance, distribution and diet of SM bass in these critical habitats helps satisfy recommended actions and information needs outlined by the International Scientific Advisory Board (IASB) in the following areas: Exploratory Surveillance and Monitoring- Exploratory surveillance and monitoring of fish, plant, and invertebrate populations needs to be increased for early detection of invasive non-native species and tracking of their distribution and abundance in the future. In addition to informing immediate management actions, this monitoring will provide information to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and control measures. Research- 2) examining the impacts of non-native predators on native salmonids and other native species at regional scales and where many species co-occur 4) exploring the potential synergistic interactions of land use and non-native species spread. Furthermore, as restoration work continues to improve salmonid habitat quality and connectivity, the possibility that the improved habitat quality and connectivity may also expand the range of predators and thus a predator’s access to juvenile salmonids cannot be ignored. By quantifying the potential negative impacts of SM bass on salmonids in habitats where such monitoring has not previously been conducted, the information gained can serve as a valuable database/reference for natural resource managers to make informed, cost effective decisions on both invasive species mitigation/prevention and targeted restoration practices that bolster juvenile salmonid survival.