U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey
Documenting O. mykiss life histories in the White Salmon River prior to the
reintroduction of anadromous fish above Condit Dam.
Brady Allen and Patrick J. ConnollyU.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Discipline
Western Fisheries Research Center
Columbia River Research Laboratory
Rattlesn
ake Cre
ek
BZFalls
Wh
ite Salm
on R
iver
Trout Lake Creek
BigBrotherFalls
Columbia River
Falls
Falls
Condit Dam
Husum Falls
Buck Ck. Falls
Condit Dam Facts• Built in 1913• 92 acre reservoir• 2.4 million cubic yards (1.8 m3) sediment• Watershed = 390 square miles• Average flow of 1000 cfs• Draining will take 6 hrs at 11,000 cfs (~ 100 yr flood event)• Highest flow recorded was 45,000 cfs in 1996•Much of the river is in a narrow basalt canyon• Once passable for fish it will open33 miles for steelhead 14 miles for chinook
Overview White Salmon
Working Group
Focal species
Options identified
Options recommended
Science guided plans
White Salmon Working Group An update of fish salvage and reintroduction plan was
necessary
Working group was formed and first met in February 2007
Information sharing and identification of reintroduction options
Coordination of fish salvage prior to removal
Pre and post removal monitoring and evaluation
Opportunities to work with partners on fisheries and habitat restoration in the basin
Species considered: summer and winter
steelhead fall Chinook salmon spring Chinook salmon coho salmon chum salmon bull trout pacific lamprey
Options considered:1) No action, natural
colonization, re-evaluate in 5-10 yrs
2) Salvage wild fish and outplant above Condit Dam, prior to removal
3) Salvage wild adults, spawn in hatchery, release juveniles in White Salmon River after removal
4) Use adjacent hatchery/wild stock, release juveniles/adults in White Salmon River after removal
Options recommended by the White Salmon Workgroup
Summer and winter steelhead, and spring Chinook salmon - monitor natural escapement, re-evaluate options in 5 years
Conclusions Options incorporated into NOAA’s Endangered Species Act
recovery plans for Middle Columbia River steelhead and Lower Columbia River Chinook, coho, and chum salmon
The existing datasets and findings provide some information prior to reintroduction, much more could be learned
Two types of tags for tracking fish in theWhite Salmon subbasin:
Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags&
Radio TagsRadio Tags
Uniquely identify individuals.
Can be read from longdistances.
Cannot be put in smallfish.
Tags are expensive.
Battery life is limited.
PIT Tags
Uniquely identify individuals.
Cannot be read fromlong distances.
Can be put in small fish.
Tags are not expensive.
No battery, lasts the life of the fish, or longer.
Condit Dam Northwestern Lake
Buck C
reekMill Creek
Rattlesnake Creek
White Salm
on River
Lower Buck Cr. Falls
Columbia River
Falls
BZ Falls
Connectivity within theWhite Salmon watershed_________
How do fish use the system?
Upper Buck Cr. Falls
White Salm
on River
Husum Falls
Condit Dam, White Salmon River Basin (WA)
Habitat use and life history characteristics of rainbow trout in the White Salmon River above Condit Dam
ObjectiveAssess connectivity of Northwestern Lake with mainstem White Salmon River and its tributaries
Funded by:
Fish collection: hook and line
Data collected: location, length, weight, scale sample, and genetic sample
PIT tagging
surgery if radio tagged
Radio Tagging:
2001: 44 tags 12 above Husum 9 below Husum 23 in reservoir
2002: 20 tags 10 above Husum 10 below Husum Remote PIT
tag interrogator
Husum Falls
BZ Falls
Waterfall
Condit Dam
Date
Feb May Aug Nov Feb May
Riv
er k
ilom
eter
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
Husum Falls
NW Lake
Condit Dam
1.12.34.15.25.36.16.47.39.5 r
2002 2001
BZ Falls
Condit Dam
Date
Feb May Aug Nov Feb May
Riv
er k
ilom
eter
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
Husum Falls
NW Lake
Condit Dam
2001 2002
BZ FallsRainbow trout "8.5"Fork Length = 406 mmTracked in Buck Creekon 29 Mar. 2001 and 16 Apr. 2001
Riv
er k
ilom
eter
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
Husum Falls
NW Lake
BZ FallsRainbow trout "8.2"Fork Length = 350 mm
Buck Creek
Conclusions:
Most fish moved less than 3 km
Rattlesnake and Buck creek are used as spawning tributaries
Resident trout can pass above Husum Falls
Behavior of trout in the White Salmon River watershed is diverse
Assess Current and PotentialSalmonid Production in
Rattlesnake Creek Associated with Restoration efforts
Funded by:
Bonneville Power Administration
Objectives
1.) Characterize fish populations, isotopes, water quality/quantity, and habitat prior to re-introduction
2.) Identify restoration needs
Indian Creek
White Salm
on River
Rattle
snak
e Cre
ekInstream PIT-tag interrogation system
Falls
Condit Dam
Husum Falls
Falls
Fish sampled and tagged (n=4,813)
Species, abundance, movement, growth, disease
Indian Creek
Flow
Multiplexing
transceiver
Rattlesnake Creek antenna system
To AC Power and Data Storage
Indian Creek
White Salm
on River Rat
tlesn
ake C
reek
Instream PIT-tag interrogation system
Falls
Condit Dam
Husum Falls
1% (289)
12% (438) 22% (1,102)
21% (116)
12% (355)
0.1% (1,184)
0.7% (1,329)
Connectivity to theWhite
Salmon watershed_________
How do fish use the
system?
Falls
Indian Creek
Date
Jan/03 Jul/03 Jan/04 Jul/04 Jan/05 Jul/05 Jan/06 Jul/06 Jan/07
log
Flo
w (
cfs)
0.1
1
10
100
1000
10000
Downstream
Flow and downstream fish movement
Bonneville Dam
16 Sept 2004: Tagged at 98 mm in Indian Creek (tributary)
29 March 2005: Detected leaving Rattlesnake Creek
22 July 2006: Detected moving up through Bonneville adult fish ladder as a one-salt summer steelhead
East Sand Island 27 Oct 2004: Tagged at 156 mm in lower Rattlesnake Creek
27 April 2005: Detected leaving Rattlesnake Creek
15 Nov 2005: Tag found at East Sand Island Caspian tern colony
Bonneville Dam
Summary of findings
Fish Behavior in Rattlesnake Creek:
• Husum Falls was not a barrier to larger resident trout
• Little connection between trout above and below lower Rattlesnake Creek waterfall at RKM 2.4
• Spawning resident trout from the White Salmon River use Rattlesnake and Buck creeks
• Some White Salmon trout over-winter in Rattlesnake Creek
• Many Rattlesnake and Indian creek trout emigrate to the White Salmon River, during spring, smolt like – some continue to express anadromy
Now.
Future?