Lees Ferry Fish Monitoring

Lees Ferry Monitoring

• Annual sampling

• Electrofishing

• Abundance, Size

• Angler Surveys

• Catch rates

• How do Glen Canyon Dam operations influence the rainbow trout fishery?

Modified low fluctuating flows1991-2010

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

Mean peak discharge = 18,823 ± 2,518 cfsMean discharge = 12,816 ± 683 cfs

1996-HFE

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

Max-45,600 cfs Mean-15,235 ± 529 cfs

2000-LSSF

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

Max-30,900 cfsMean- 8,355 ± 22.4 cfs

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

7500

10000

12500

15000

2003-TSF

2004-TSF

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

7500

10000

12500

15000

2004-HFE

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Max-41,900 cfsMean- 11,789 ± 395 cfs

2005-TSF

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

7500

10000

12500

15000

2008-HFE

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Max-42,500 cfsMean- 12,830 ± 326 cfs

2011-EqF

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

22000

24000

26000

28000

Max-26,200 cfs2011 Mean- 19,326 ± 380 cfsMay-Aug Mean-24,280 ± 257 cfs

Year

1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

Cat

ch (

fish/

min

)

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

• 1991-2010 - 3.1 ± 0.52 fish/min• 2011 – 6.9 ± 1.35 fish/min

1996 HFE

2011 EqF2008HFE

2004 HFE

2003-2005TSF2000 LSSF

Year

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Rai

nb

ow

tro

ut

<15

2 m

m (

fish

/min

.)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14Lees Ferry Standardized Monitoring

Juveniles

Year

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Rai

nb

ow

tro

ut

305-

406

mm

(fi

sh/m

in.)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

Lees Ferry Standardized Monitoring306-405 mm

306-

405

Year

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Rai

nb

ow

tro

ut

>40

5 m

m (

fish

/min

.)

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4Lees Ferry Standardized Monitoring

>405 mm

2011-EqF2008-HFE

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

22000

24000

26000

28000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (

cfs)

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

45000

Sampling Date

1/07 7/07 1/08 7/08 1/09 7/09 1/10 7/10 1/11 7/11 1/12

Cat

ch (

fish

/min

)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16Rainbow trout <152 mm

2008 HFE2011 EQ

Sampling Date

1/07 7/07 1/08 7/08 1/09 7/09 1/10 7/10 1/11 7/11 1/12

Ca

tch

(fis

h/m

in)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

2008 Cohort

2008 HFE 2011 EQ

Rainbow trout <152 mm

Year

1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

To

tal

len

gth

(m

m)

100

150

200

250

300

350

400Average total length by year

Year

1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

An

gle

r C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

Lees Ferry Creel1991-2011

265 ± 5 mmn = 2,815

Pe

rce

nt

cat

ch

0

5

10

15

201992 1991-2011

241 ± 3 mmn = 3,805

1998 1991-2011

267 ± 5 mmn = 1,246

Length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Per

cen

t c

atc

h

0

5

10

15

202006 1991-2011

147 ± 3 mmn = 6,100

Length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

2011 1991-2011

Low Angler Catch Rate High Angler Catch Rate

1.4 fish/hr0.4 fish/hr

0.6 fish/hr 1.5 fish/hr

Total Captured Native Species

Flannelmouth sucker 334Bluehead sucker 4Speckled dace 1

Cold-water NonnativeBrown trout 43Brook trout 12

Warm-water NonnativeCommon carp 180Walleye 12Channel catfish 5Green sunfish 3Striped bass 2Smallmouth Bass 2

Red shiner 1

Additional species captured during sampling

Flannelmouth suckern = 334

Per

cent

cat

ch

0

5

10

15

20

Brown troutn = 43

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Per

cent

cat

ch

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Walleyen = 12

Common carpn = 180

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Native Fish in the Tailwater to Glen Canyon Dam

Mainstem Fish Monitoring

Rainbow trout

Year

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0

20

40

60

802011

N = 3,501

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Co

un

t

0

100

200

300

400

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

50

100

150

200

Rainbow trout

2000-2011

GCD

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

50

100

150

200

Rainbow trout

2000-2011

GCD

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Rainbow trout

6-fold decrease in CPUE from RM 58 63

GCD

Year

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

182011

N = 420

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Co

un

t

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Brown trout

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Brown trout

2000-2011

GCD

Common carp

Year

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

72011

N = 129

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Co

un

t

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

2

4

6

8

10

Common carp

GCD

2000-2011

Year

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

702011

N = 3,268

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Co

un

t

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Flannelmouth Sucker

Reach 3

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Flannelmouth Sucker

GCD

2000-2011

Bluehead Sucker

Year

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr)

0

1

2

3

4

52011

N = 160

Total length (mm)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

Co

un

t

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Bluehead Sucker

Reach 3

River Mile

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260

Mea

n C

PU

E (

fish

/hr;

MC

X10

00)

0

2

4

6

8

10

GCD

Fish Management?• Vision

– DFC… Desired Future Conditions– ORV… Outstanding and Remarkable Values

• Compromise– Do you want big fish or a lot of fish?– Fish are not the only resource being managed for downstream of GCD

• Feasibility– Fiscal– Legal– Logistical– Political

Fish Management?• Implementation (a few tools)

– Add fish• Translocation• Augmentation• Stocking

– Remove Fish• Mechanical Removal• Chemical Removal• Change in regulations

– Habitat manipulation• Advantageous or disadvantageous for certain species

– Flows– Temperature– Sediment– Food base

• Feasibility

Fish Management?• Uncertainty/Patience

– Adaptive management• Utilize best available information to design experiments to drive

resource towards desired condition• Experiment• Monitor resource/resources• Analyze data and compare current resource/resources to that of

desired condition• Go back to step 1 as necessary to reach desired conditions • Continue to monitor

• Feasibility

• Public Outreach– Throughout the process