Escapement and Fishery Monitoring in the Quillayute Basin

The project supported the Quileute Tribes ongoing escapement surveys for summer and fall Chinook, summer and fall coho, steelhead, and Lake Pleasant sockeye (main sockeye run in the Quillayute Basin). All of these are found in all four rivers of the Quillayute: Dickey, Sol Duc, Calawah, and Bogachiel, except for the Sockeye, which (except for strays) only run in the Sol Duc River. The redd surveys were done to pre-selected index streams annually (except sockeye, surveyed in the lake in late fall). The supplemental streams were added on a rotational basis. The Chief of Fisheries and his crew of technicians progressed through the river systems to survey adult escapement according to the known salmon return times. (Schedule summary attached at end.) They accessed the spawning grounds by walking when feasible or by bicycle, ATV or truck). In some cases the streams were rafted or by drift boats.

For all but Lake Pleasant sockeye, redds were counted. The sockeye mass-spawn and the individual redds are not discernable, so the actual returning fish were counted. The escapement data are shared with the harvest management biologist, who used them in planning at PSC, PFMC, North of Falcon, and other tribal/state/federal/international meetings related to salmonids. He worked internally with staff at Quileute and policy leaders to draft and finalize the regulations for time, place, manner and number of harvest in the future. Regulations are shared, pursuant to US v WA, with state and tribes.

As fish runs returned into the Quillayute at La Push, the Fisheries Chief and crew sample returning adults to tribal gillnet fishery. This entailed taking scales, checking for and recovering coded wire tags, assessing fish health, and collecting other biological information.

This project will provide the necessary information for tribal harvest manager to develop escapement and subsequent productivity estimates for all salmonids that are of vital importance to the tribe. These estimates are used to develop adult forecasts, which are essential in developing annual fishing plans. A key aspect of these plans is an attempt to allow for a meaningful exercise of treaty fishing rights, while still allowing adequate escapement to promote the continued existence of populations being actively managed.
An ancillary benefit of doing the redd surveys is that it allows the field crew to observe potential future restoration projects and evaluate the successes of existing habitat projects. Observations might include the encroachment of noxious weeds, bank collapse from mass wasting, or log jams that may be failing. These issues can then be brought to the attention lead entities in the region for consideration in developing future habitat restoration projects.

Escapement data is also shared with the staff attorney/environmental lead/grant writer, who represents the tribe at WRIA 20 Watershed Council and North Pacific Coast Lead Entity (salmon restoration lead entities), under RCW 90.82 and RCW 77.85, respectively. These groups develop plans and strategies for water quantity and water quality grants, and salmon habitat restoration grants to be written by any participating government or stakeholder, including Quileute.