Lower Klamath River Tributary Juvenile Salmonid Assessment

This project consisted of monitoring salmonid smolt outmigration in two Lower Klamath Tributaries in 2019-20. Crews operated outmigrant traps in Blue Creek and McGarvey Creek to estimate the number of smolts outmigrating during spring - fall. This project provided valuable information regarding annual trends in abundance of outmigrant salmonids from these Lower Klamath tributaries, assessing the overall status of the unique Lower Klamath late-fall run chinook and ESA listed Coho salmon, as well as steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout.

PCSRF Goals, Objectives and Priorities addressed:

The goals of this project include answering questions concerning the annual trends in outmigrant numbers for the Blue Creek and McGarvey Creek anadromous salmonid runs, including ESA (Federal and State) listed coho salmon, potentially listed steelhead, sea-run cutthroat, and the unique Lower Klamath late-fall Chinook, which are all trust species that the Tribe has federally reserved fishing rights to harvest. The data collected will also be used to determine the contribution of Lower Klamath tributary stocks to the overall population of natural stocks in the Klamath River basin.
• Quantitatively determine the production of juvenile chinook and coho through the sampling of downstream migrants in both drainages during 2019. We will also trap steelhead and coastal cutthroat trout. We will assess emigration timing and species and size composition for all fish species sampled, as well as an assessment of age composition for all juvenile steelhead and cutthroat sampled.
• In McGarvey Creek, juvenile coho will be PIT tagged to assess growth, movement, and survival through the use of trapping and SPI data.
• Information collected from Blue Creek chinook abundance will be used to assess long-term monitoring at the watershed scale, assess trends over time, carrying capacity, and maximum sustainable yield to assist with establishing Tribal harvest management objectives.
• Provide the Tribe with the necessary data to provide informed input into Lower Klamath resource management planning, habitat restoration planning and implementation, treaty fishing rights, and ESA-related issues.
• Improve skills and knowledge of YTFP employees/Yurok Tribal members through hands-on experience conducting a diversity of fisheries monitoring projects.

This project is intended to improve the status of ESA-listed salmon and steelhead by providing information to address habitat limiting factors for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead in the McGarvey and Blue Creek watersheds. This will be accomplished by understanding the population dynamics of these species. Through this understanding, managers can improve management practices, focus restoration efforts, and work to maintain healthy salmon populations, prevent decline of ESA-listed salmon; and ensure overall sustainability of naturally-spawning salmon and steelhead.

Outcomes & Benefits

Provide data so that management actions (timber harvest, road maintenance, restoration efforts, harvest management of late-run fall Chinook, etc.) can be improved with respect to their effect on anadromous fish in general, and particularly with respect to ESA-listed SONCC coho salmon and late fall run Chinook salmon.