Adult Spawning and Out-migrant Monitoring of Juvenile Salmonids

During the FY2013 field season we successfully completed an adult spawner and juvenile mark-recapture study for the purpose of estimating anadromous salmon use of reservation tributary streams. To track adult spawners, each reservation stream was surveyed for salmon carcasses and redds. To track juveniles, fyke traps were installed in Reservation streams (Tish Tang, Campbell, Supply, Mill, Soctish, and Hostler creeks). Trapped fish were identified, measured (fork length), marked and released. This juvenile work provides trend data on juvenile production by supplementing out-migrant data collected each year since 1982 for the same streams. These data were referenced extensively during analysis of timber sales, water withdrawals, evaluations of restoration actions and other projects (including drafting of ESA documentation).

2005-2012 data collected and analyzed by HVTFD indicates a decline in coho populations in seven reservation tributaries monitored by PCSRF funding since 2000. This is of concern to HVTFD and justifies additional monitoring to further evaluate this trend. Meanwhile, populations of invasive brown trout have been increasing in these same creeks in the most recent years, with potential ramifications for salmon recovery. This project is an adult spawner and juvenile mark-recapture study for the purpose of estimating anadromous salmon use of reservation tributary streams for restoration effectiveness monitoring. To track adult spawners, each reservation stream is surveyed for salmon carcasses and redds. To track juveniles, fyke traps are installed in Reservation streams (Tish Tang, Campbell, Supply, Mill, Soctish, Hostler, and Pine creeks). Trapped fish are identified, measured (fork length), marked, and released. This juvenile work provides trend data on juvenile production by supplementing out-migrant data collected each year since 1982 for the same streams. These data are referenced extensively during analysis of timber sales, water withdrawals, evaluations of restoration actions, and other projects (including drafting of ESA documentation). Effectiveness monitoring of habitat restoration actions at the watershed or larger scales for ESA-listed anadromous salmonids, status monitoring projects that directly contribute to population viability assessments for ESA-listed anadromous salmonids, or monitoring necessary for the exercise of tribal-treaty fishing rights or native-subsistence fishing on anadromous salmonids.. To track adult spawners, each reservation stream is surveyed for salmon carcasses and redds. To track juveniles, fyke traps are installed in Reservation streams (Tish Tang, Campbell, Supply, Mill, Soctish, Hostler and Pine creeks). Trapped fish are identified, measured (fork length), marked and released. This juvenile work provides trend data on juvenile production by supplementing out-migrant data collected each year since 1982 for the same streams. These data are referenced extensively during analysis of timber sales, water withdrawals, evaluations of restoration actions and other projects (including drafting of ESA documentation).

Project objectives, activities and methods are: Track adult spawning on reservation streams. Utilize fyke traps to monitor the out-migration of juvenile salmonids from Reservation streams. Track impacts to anadromous salmonid populations from invasive brown trout in Reservation streams. Survey and map adult spawning on all reservation streams. Install and operate fyke traps in seven reservation streams (Tish Tang, Campbell, Supply, Mill, Soctish, Hostler and Pine Creeks). Collect numbers of marked and unmarked fish of each salmonid species which are caught each day. Abundance estimates will be generated using the modified Carlson-Peterson estimator method. Annual progress reports are written by HVTFD biologists, and these reports are available upon request to other tribal departments, State and Federal agencies, educational institutions and individuals.