Tributary Confluence Fish Passage Restoration and Enhancement

The Yurok Tribe conducted instream observation and monitoring of six tributary confluences that enter the Klamath River on or near the Yurok Indian Reservation. This monitoring continues a 15 year effort that helps fish managers to understand real-time conditions in the river and influences management actions. For example, monitoring in Klamath River tributary confluences conducted as part of this project indicated that extremely high mainstem Klamath River temperatures had caused hundreds of adult migrating salmon and steelhead to become crowded together at several confluences in low water conditions. Due to concern of adult fish disease, the Bureau of Reclamation increased water releases from Trinity Dam and narrowly averted a fish kill event in the Klamath River. The Yurok Tribe provides near real-time data to the Bureau of Reclamation and other federal and state agencies on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers in this regard.

In addition to monitoring of juvenile and adult fish use of these areas, the Yurok Tribe improved juvenile fish passage conditions at the mouths of Cappell, Pecwan, Tully, and Blue Creeks. Improvement consisted of using hand tools to concentrate cold water flow into a single passage. Other studies done by the Yurok Tribe indicate that juvenile fish are then able to move upstream into these colder tributaries to find refuge from excessively high water temperatures in the mainstem Klamath River.

Finally, a cultural component was added to this project. We collaborated with our Cultural Resources Department to design a poster that is designed to teach students and other interested people Yurok language words for various animals, plant and physical objects that can be found in these areas. The intent is that by raising awareness of the importance of these areas, community members will take better care of these areas when they are being used by salmonids of all life stages. The poster has been designed and is in production with additional funding.

Project Goal: Increase the effectiveness at approximately six tributary confluence locations to enhance their ecological connective functionality. The Yurok language and cultural outreach component will enhance the use of Traditional Environmental Knowledge in Yurok Tribal Science programs and help build applicable technical skills that are balanced with Yurok cultural perspectives.

Expected Outcomes: Increased use of these refugial areas, increased use of off-channel rearing sites by coho salmon and decreased predation of these fish (due to cover). We are also hoping to spark community interest in the cultural aspects of salmon recovery by involving them with hands-on work that incorporates aspects of traditional culture and language of the Yurok Tribe.