FY 2019 Makah Tribe Regional Salmonid Monitoring

The focus of this project was to continue research, monitoring and evaluation components of the Lake Ozette Sockeye population, and to track and evaluate the performance of the overall status of this population of ESA-listed salmon. Each of the three components of this project provides a different and essential focus. The major components are:



Task A) Lake Ozette Sockeye smolt trapping in the Ozette River during outmigration provides an estimate of total sockeye smolt production. Hatchery and natural origin smolts are enumerated separately, as are all other salmonid species encountered. These smolt abundance estimates are necessary to measure marine and freshwater survival and productivity and relative contribution by hatchery-origin sockeye. The smolt trap is installed in the Ozette River as early as April, as conditions permit, and tended through the end of the sockeye smolt outmigration, typically in mid-June.



Task B) Spawner surveys and sample collections will be conducted on Lake Ozette beaches and in many of the Ozette tributaries. Surveys for spawning sockeye in Lake Ozette tributaries and on the beaches are conducted between October and January. Sonar imagery may be used to provide supplemental surveys for the beach spawners. Otoliths are collected from carcasses, during beach carcass counts to determine age and release group. The WDFW laboratory in Olympia, WA will read otoliths for age and thermal marks, although this work is not funded through this project. Tissue samples will also be collected from recovered carcasses and archived for future genetic evaluation of the integrity of the spawning aggregations, potential interbreeding with kokanee, and possible effects of hatchery practices.





Task C) Unfortunately, financial assistance to address Lake Ozette Sockeye recovery was essentially non-existent in comparison to other ESA-listed salmon stocks. Funding has continued to decline, impacting capacity to properly monitor, as well as address recovery needs. It is hoped that we will be able to achieve monitoring goals with the limited resources that are being allocated.

This project will allow Makah Fisheries Management to:

• Estimate the total number of adult sockeye entering Lake Ozette and separate the total into different spawning aggregation estimates.

• Determine the relative contribution of hatchery origin spawners in tributaries and monitor stray rates at all spawning locations.

• Estimate total sockeye smolt outmigration and relative hatchery contribution and survival in freshwater.

• Monitor smolt outmigration of other resident Lake Ozette salmonid populations.

• Identify all hatchery returns by release group and thus facilitate evaluation of performance and impacts of various hatchery programs.

• Collect and archive genetic samples for future monitoring and comparison.



This project provides all components of data that determine estimates of the Lake Ozette Sockeye population size for outmigrating smolts and returning adults, of both hatchery and natural origin. It further facilitates the evaluation of the hatchery program’s release strategy investigation (i.e. which release stage is most effective in producing adult returns to the Ozette system). Accurate status information for both hatchery and natural components of the Lake Ozette Sockeye Recovery Strategy will lead to more effective recovery planning to assist this ESA-listed stock in regaining healthy VSP characteristics.



All of these components contribute to the overall monitoring of Lake Ozette Sockeye recovery efforts, per Hatchery Genetic Management Plan (HGMP) protocols and Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG) recommendations. Monitoring populations and performance of both hatchery and natural origin sockeye is vital to planning restoration projects and evaluating overall population status. This information will allow adaptive management of programs to enhance recovery, detect and address possible negative effects, and ultimately contribute to delisting of Lake Ozette Sockeye as an ESA listed threatened species.