Resident Fish Above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams

Project No. 1997-004-00

Kalispel Tribe of IndiansWashington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Spokane Tribe of IndiansColville Confederated Tribes

Jason ConnorCharles Lee

January 18, 2012

Project Goals

1.Assess current fishery and habitat conditions in the Blocked Area using regionally standardized data collection methods.

2.Compile standardized fishery, habitat, and water quality data into publically accessible database to facilitate data sharing, transparency, and ensure policy makers and managers have access to the latest research with which to base decisions.

3.Recommend and implement management actions based on research results.

Major Accomplishments

1.Baseline tributary and lake fishery and habitat assessments.

2.Box Canyon Reservoir resident fishery and northern pike invasion.

3.Redband trout stock assessments on Spokane River, Lake Roosevelt, and upper Columbia River.

4.Westslope cutthroat trout movement and survival in the Priest/Pend Oreille rivers.

5.Burbot stock assessments in Bead and Sullivan lakes.

Objectives

1.Native redband trout stock assessment in lower Spokane River, Lake Roosevelt, and upper Columbia River.

2.Lake trout stock assessment in Priest and Upper Priest lakes.

3.Box Canyon Reservoir northern pike and resident fish monitoring.

4.Data management.

Box Canyon Reservoir northern pike and resident fish monitoring

Gill netting Survey•Abundance •Growth, size and age structure•Condition•Maturity, fecundity•Diet•Total annual mortality

Gill net, fyke net, electrofishing•Species composition•Relative abundance •Growth, size and age structure•Condition

WDFW Standardized warmwater surveys (3-5 yrs.)

Spring Pike Index Netting Surveys SPIN (annually)

Priest Lake and Upper Priest Lake lake trout stock assessment

1.Movement, behavior, and survival

2.Abundance

3.Population structure

IDFG methods developed at Lake Pend Oreille

Trap nets, gill netsAcoustic telemetry

Kettle River (WDFW)

Rotary Screw Trap

Blue Creek(STOI / JSAP,

LRFEP)Smolt Fence /

Box TrapPIT Tag Array

Adult Weir

Sanpoil River (CCT)

Rotary Screw Trap

PIT Tag ArrayResistance Board Weir

Lake Roosevelt

Grand Coulee Dam 1939Little Falls Dam 1910

243 km long33,490 hectares

Upper Columbia River(US – Canada Border)Additional ~ 26 km

Co-Managers

Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Spokane Tribe of Indians

Colville Confederated Tribes

Big Sheep Creek

(WDFW / JSAP)Rotary Screw

TrapSmolt Fence /

Box TrapPIT Tag Array

Resistance Board Weir

Native Redband Trout Stock Assessment in Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River

Genetic Composition

Recruitment

Harvest

Escapement

Interactions with hatchery stocks

Provide stock assessment data to managers to help in developing strategies to manage for recreational and subsistence harvest, while promoting healthy wild populations.

Big Sheep Creek Native Redband Trout Stock Assessment

2010•Installed Rotary Screw Trap (RST)

•Constructed and Tested PIT Tag Array

•Weekly Discharge

2011•Rotary Screw Trap (May-July)

Collected 137 Juvenile Redband

Genetics and Scale samples

•Modified Box Trap / Drift nets

Collected 32 YOY and 1 Juvenile

•Instream PIT tag detection

•Weekly Discharge Measurements

22 – 3,544 cfs

Kettle River Native Redband Trout Stock Assessment

2010 • Rotary screw trap installed October 18

• First redband trout collected November 4

2011• 1,840 fish and 13 species collected

• May 13 discharge >26,000 cfs

• 17 redband collected

• One redband tagged August 30

2012• Operate screw trap on Kettle River

• Juvenile trapping on Kettle River tributaries

Questions?