Control of Invasive, Predatory Sacramento Pikeminnow in the Eel River

This project received a no-cost extension (1.5 year), which was needed mostly due to delays related to the coronavirus pandemic and was executed as proposed and included the following outcomes;



1) Immediate removal of large numbers of predatory pikeminnow from the 120 km Project Area, thereby increasing

juvenile salmonid survival and providing immediate increases in smolt production and adult returns.

2) Removal of large numbers of smaller pikeminnow that compete directly with native salmonids for food and space,

resulting in increased growth due to lower densities of pikeminnow.

3) Collection and dissemination of crucial information necessary to evaluate and refine future pikeminnow suppression

strategies, including evaluation of methods and filling basic gaps in understanding of pikeminnow diet, growth, and

age structure. Not all data isotope data was able to be analyzed before the end of the grant period.

4) Increased coordination amongst watershed stakeholders and dissemination of information needed to more effectively

address this key limiting factor into the future. The Tribe helped organize the first Eel River Pikeminnow Symposium as

part of this project.

5) Development of a wholistic, adaptive, and expert-consensus driven Eel River Pikeminnow Management Plan that will

provide a framework for efficiently controlling and monitoring pikeminnow moving forward. This outcome will

provide sustained benefits to addressing this key limiting factor beyond the life of the project and was a major

deliverable of the project consolidating present and past efforts.

6) Implementation of this project and developing partnerships with academic, State, and Federal scientists and fisheries

co-managers greatly augmented the Wiyot Tribe’s Natural Resources Department capacity to implement additional

research, monitoring, and restoration projects in Eel River watershed.

This project is intended to directly addresses a critical factor limiting the productivity of three federally listed anadromous salmonids that were historically important for native subsistence fisheries in the Eel River basin and currently contribute to recreational and commercial ocean fisheries in northern California. Key anticipated benefits and outcomes of the project include:

• Two years of intensive removal of non-native Sacramento Pikeminnow in the 120 km Project Area, which by reducing impacts from predation and competition will increase growth and survival of juvenile salmonids, thereby increasing smolt production and adult returns.

• Removal of large numbers of smaller pikeminnow that competed directly with native salmonids for food and space, resulting in increased growth due to lower densities of pikeminnow.

• Collection and dissemination of crucial information necessary to evaluate and refine future pikeminnow suppression strategies

• Filling basic gaps in understanding of pikeminnow diet, growth, and age structure.

• Increased coordination amongst watershed stakeholders and dissemination of information needed to more effectively address this key limiting factor.

• Development of a wholistic, adaptive, and expert-consensus driven Eel River Pikeminnow Management Plan that will provide a framework for efficiently controlling and monitoring pikeminnow moving forward. This outcome will provide sustained benefits to addressing this key limiting factor beyond the life of the project.

• Increased tribal capacity for fisheries management and restoration. Implementation of this project and developing partnerships with academic, State, and Federal scientists and fisheries co-managers will greatly augment the Wiyot Tribe’s Natural Resources Department ability to implement additional research, monitoring, and restoration projects in Eel River watershed.

To ensure the above benefits are achieved and measured in a scientifically robust manner, the WNRD PI will work closely, with field staff, the Stillwater Sciences team, a Technical Advisory Committee, and other stakeholders throughout the project.