CRITFC: Stock Assessment and Research Plan for Mid-Columbia River Summer Chinook Part 2

Salmonid Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RM&E)

Project ID	AK45289
Recovery Domains	Upper Columbia River
Start Date	05/01/2005
End Date	06/30/2006
Year	2002
Status	Completed
Last Edited	01/26/2024

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Description

This project collected data on smolt and spawner abundances on the Columbia River, tracked spawner distribution via passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and, analyzed temporal genetic variability to discriminate between Chinook stocks or races (spring versus summer).

Project Benefit

This project will facilitate the collection of accurate stock assessment data for the Columbia River summer chinook. Allows completion of project 45060 by moving funds to subsequent years funding source, in agreement with existing contract.

Accomplishments

Metric

Completed

Originally
Proposed

Research and Monitoring

Stream Miles Monitored

56.00

Source

Funds

PCSRF

$110,000

Report Total:

$110,000

Worksites

20025532

Worksite Identifier: 20025532
Start Date:
End Date:

Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

Basin: Upper Columbia (170200)
Subbasin: Methow
Watershed:
Subwatershed:

State: Washington
Recovery Domain: Upper Columbia River
Latitude: 48.048955
Longitude: -119.903914

ESU

Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon ESU
Mid-Columbia River Spring-run Chinook Salmon ESU
Upper Columbia River Spring-run Chinook Salmon ESU
Upper Columbia River Summer- and Fall-run Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

E.0 Salmonid Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation (RM&E)Y (Y/N)

. . E.0.a RM&E Funding 110,000.00
. . E.0.b
Complement habitat restoration project

None
. . E.0.c
Project identified in a plan or watershed assessment.

None
. . E.0.d.1 Number of Cooperating Organizations 2
. . E.0.d.2
Name Of Cooperating Organizations.

Yakama Nation Fisheries (YN), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
. . E.0.e.1 Number of reports prepared 1

. . E.0.e.2

Name Of Report
Peter F. Galbreath, Peter E. Barber, Shawn R. Narum, Dani Evenson, and Saang-Yoon Hyun; Summer Chinook Juvenile Sampling and Adult Monitoring in the Mid-Columbia; October 24, 2006; CRITFC Technical Report 06-5

. . E.1 MonitoringY (Y/N)

. . . . E.1.a Monitoring funding 110,000.00
. . . . E.1.b.1 Stream Miles Monitored 56.00
. . . . E.1.b.2 Acres of Watershed Area Monitored .0
. . . . E.1.c.1 Adult salmonid population monitoringY (Y/N)
- . . . . . . E.1.c.1.a # miles (to nearest 0.01 mile) monitored for adult salmonids 56.00

. . . . E.1.c.2 Salmonid smolt or fry monitoringY (Y/N)

. . . . . . E.1.c.2.a # miles (to nearest 0.01 mile) monitored for Salmonid smolt or fry 56.00
. . . . E.1.d
Name Of Comprehensive Monitoring Strategy/Program

None

. . . . E.1.e

Description of monitoring

Project activities were designed to describe characteristics of adult escapement, juvenile production and out-migration, and ocean migration of the summer (summer/fall ocean-type) Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Methow River, Okanogan County, Washington. In 2004, tower counting was tested as a means to obtain data with which to estimate adult escapement. However, extended periods of poor water visibility precluded obtaining reliable counts. Tower counting was deemed unreliable, and the technique was abandoned. In lieu of tower counting, in 2005, project researchers collaborated with WDFW on a radio telemetry study to describe migration patterns of summer Chinook upstream of Wells Dam (12 km downstream of the confluence with the Methow River). Of 280 radio tagged adults, 35 (12.5%) were identified as having returned to the Methow River. Based on a total count of 34,075 adult summer/fall Chinook passing Wells dam in 2005, total escapement to the Methow River is estimated to have been 4,259 ± 1,320. In 2005, CRITFC and YN researchers also collaborated on a Pacific Salmon Commission Southern Boundary Fund Project to test the capabilities of a long range model of a Dual Identification Sonar (DIDSON-LR) to provide escapement counts of returning adult salmon in an open river. Results indicated that properly positioned, the instrument can yield accurate counts of migrating fish at a distance of 42m and more. Beyond counts of passing fish, however, resolution of the images was insufficient to make more than rough qualitative estimates of fish size; observation of characters by which to differentiate between species was not possible (see Galbreath and Barber 2005, www.critfc.org/didson-lr). In both 2004 and 2005, a rotary screw trap (rkm 15.6) operated during May to July. A total of 40,783 and 16,230 juvenile Chinook salmon, were captured in each year, respectively. Mark-recapture trials were conducted to obtain estimates of trap efficiency. These estimates were used to expand the capture numbers and provide an estimate of total smolt out-migration: 2004 = 526,385 and 2005 = 504,908. Peak out-migration occurred during the first week of June in 2004, and during the second week of June in 2005. During smolt-trapping, tissue samples were collected and analyzed for a suite of 13 microsatellite DNA loci to distinguish summer versus spring stock. In 2004, 85% of the smolts were determined to be summer Chinook, and 86% in 2005. Reducing the total smolt abundance estimates to discount for the proportion of spring Chinook provided estimates for total out-migration of summer Chinook smolts; 2004 = 444,269, and 2005 = 433,312. In both years, there was a generally negative correlation between length and percent summer Chinook within size groups. However, because of the considerable overlap, size was not a reliable menas to identify a juvenile to stock. Samples of smolts were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Data for detections of these fish at downstream Columbia River mainstem dams were used to estimate out-migration survival and travel time. In 2004, 2,825 smolts were PIT tagged, with 65 detected at McNary Dam, 7 at John Day Dam, and none at Bonneville Dam. In 2005, 3,117 smolts were tagged, with 32 detected at McNary Dam, 14 at John Day dam, and 2 at Bonneville Dam. The geometric mean travel time to McNary Dam was 31.1 days in 2004, and 30.9 days in 2005. Survival and abundance estimates at McNary dam were 8.08% and 35,881 in 2004, and 7.17% and 31,139 in 2005. In 2004, 1,132 out-migrating wild juvenile Chinook were coded-wire tagged (CWT) for eventual identification in ocean and lower Columbia River fisheries. However, collection of CWT data will not be finalized until following submission of this report, and data analysis will have to be accomplished in a future project.