Regional salmonid research and monitoring

Project A) Lake Ozette Sockeye smolt monitoring:
The 2007 Ozette Sockeye smolt outmigration monitoring effort was not successful. Due to very high water levels, we were unable to safely install the picket weir in time to intercept the sockeye smolt outmigration. The screw trap was assembled and positioned in the Ozette River independently of the weir on 5/18/07 and fished until 5/30/07, but without the picket weir, smolts easily and actively avoid the trap; only four coho smolts were caught during this time. We have no reasonable estimate of sockeye smolt outmigration for 2007.
Project B) Adult sockeye run size monitoring:
The picket weir was installed across the Ozette River on 5/30/07 to monitor the 2007 escapement of Ozette Sockeye into the lake. The installation which made conditions unsafe for earlier work in the river. Due to the timing of installation, which was later than usual due to high water flows, the weir was installed without the screw trap as the majority of the smolt outmigration window had passed. This allowed direct installation of the viewing chamber in the deepest channel of the river right, instead of moving it at a later time once the smolt trap was removed. The underwater camera feed was attached to both time-lapse VCR recorder and a computer hard drive. Fish passage observations will continue through mid-August. Tapes are being reviewed to obtain population estimates and timing as well as ad-mark and predation scaring ratios.
Project C) Adult sockeye escapement to Umbrella Creek
50 broodstock were collected and 94 adults were Petersen disk tagged and released as part of the mark-recapture run size estimation. Use of the Petersen tags to generate mark recapture escapement estimations was unsuccessful during RY06-07. While all available fish that were not retained for broodstocking needs were tagged and released, the survey conditions were poor due to frequent high water events and resulting unsafe and unproductive conditions resulting in very few sightings of tagged fish. Escapement calculations were unrealistically high and not supported either hatchery staff, survey crews, nor by the video monitoring data collected at the Ozette River weir. We have thus concluded that the Petersen-Schnabel estimate for RY06 escapement is likely incorrect. The RY06 VCR data tapes will be used to generate a total escapement estimate for RY06 and to assess hatchery returns from ad-mark status of observations.
Project D) Spawner surveys and sample collection
Surveys for spawning sockeye in Lake Ozette tributaries and on the beaches were severely hampered by the persistent bad weather during the 2007 season. Conditions made it both unsafe and unproductive to be in the field much of the time, and the frequent high water also resulted in a very short recovery window for what carcasses there were. Five sockeye carcass samples were obtained from Umbrella Creek sockeye, while four were obtained from Big River. An additional 17 samples were collected from Kokanee in Crooked and Siwash Creeks. Surveys of the Ozette spawning beaches are being done by boat as conditions allowed, with four surveys being done between 10/4/06 and 12/30/06. A total of 8 live fish were observed on 12/5/06 and two carcasses were recovered for sampling. Redd observation was extremely difficult due to the depth and color of the water. It is hoped that a snorkel survey can be done this summer to look for signs of redds from this past winter.
Project E) Sockeye otolith thermal marking
The RY06 sockeye egg take was successfully incubated and thermal marked at the isolation incubation facility at Makah National Fish Hatchery before transfer to the Stony Creek RSI on Big River. A total of 95,830 sockeye progeny were released in the spring of 2007 from the RY06 egg take. 48,773 of these were calcein marked fry. PCSR funds supported efforts to obtain a Hatchery Reform grant for further work with calcein marking.

This project will allow Makah Fisheries Management to:
· Estimate the total number of adult sockeye entering Lake Ozette and divide that into different spawning aggregations.
· 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.
· Increase ability to non-lethally identify unclipped hatchery origin sockeye smolts during outmigration.
· 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.
· Capture a representative segment of returning adults for broodstock to both maintain genetic integration with natural spawners and stay within allowed collection limits.

All of these components contribute to the overall monitoring of Lake Ozette Sockeye recovery efforts, per HGMP protocols. 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 lead to delisting of Lake Ozette Sockeye as an ESA listed threatened species.

Program components supporting monitoring of Hoko Fall Chinook and Western Straits Coho will allow collection and analyses of accurate information on the population status of these salmonid groups, evaluation of effects of recovery strategies and hatchery programs, as well as providing accurate information to harvest management groups, supporting integrated management for preservation and recovery of these salmonids.