FY19 Dungeness and Strait of Juan de Fuca Streams Stock Assessments

The Tribe continued to collect and assess critical stock data in the Dungeness and other independent streams in the Eastern Straits region. Continuing tasks included: (a) monitoring for Coho, Steelhead and Cutthroat smolts or fry via targeted trapping efforts in the Dungeness River, Matriotti Creek, Bell Creek, Seibert Creek, Jimmycomelately Creek, and McDonald Creek; (b) tracking number of fin-clipped smolts out-migrating from Matriotti Creek, a tributary of the Dungeness River, to inform Dungeness wild salmonid production estimates (in partnership with WDFW’s Dungeness screw trap efforts); and, (c) conducting spawning ground surveys (redd, live and carcass counts of adult fish) in Dungeness River, for use in producing salmonid escapement estimates.

This project included the following worksites and [worktypes]:
Jimmycomelatey: [smolt monitoring];
Mattriotti: [smolt monitoring];
Siebert: [smolt monitoring];
McDonald: [smolt monitoring];
Bell: [smolt monitoring]; and
Dungeness: [Adult population monitoring (live counts), redd counts, carcass counts, and smolt monitoring].

The Tribe also completed a Smolt Trapping Report for 2021.

This work is an ongoing monitoring and evaluation priority for salmon recovery in order to track and measure salmon productivity and abundance in the Tribe’s priority streams for habitat management planning, restoration implementation planning and water quality program purposes. Data will also be used to assess trends and comparisons with previous years.
Stock assessments help co-managers and biologists better understand the status of salmonids in the Dungeness Watershed, and identify key riparian areas for protection, timing of out-migration related to other stocks, etc. Smolt trap monitoring efforts will allow us to continue assessing juvenile salmon production and migration patterns within these streams. Assessment of steelhead data is needed to understand recovery needs for this species. Redd surveys help assess number of spawners, as well as habitat conditions. All of these activities are important for accomplishing ESA-listed salmon recovery monitoring, particularly status/trend monitoring of VSP parameters via stock assessments, and other indicators like habitat quality. Assessing Dungeness spawning populations (escapement), depending on seasonal flows, visibility and access, is necessary for relating freshwater production to habitat condition, which is tied to our planning efforts. The work also provides information about wild and hatchery Chinook returns spawning naturally, and helps relate freshwater production to habitat condition, which is tied to our habitat restoration and recovery planning efforts.