Documenting O. mykiss life histories in the White Salmon River prior to the reintroduction of anadromous fish above Co

1. 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. Connolly U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Discipline Western Fisheries Research Center Columbia River Research Laboratory

2. Big Brother Falls Buck Ck. Falls Trout Lake Creek White Salmon River BZ Falls Falls Husum Falls Rattlesnake Creek Falls Condit Dam Columbia River

3. 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 open 33 miles for steelhead 14 miles for chinook

4. Overview • White Salmon Working Group • Focal species • Options identified • Options recommended • Science guided plans

5. 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 White Salmon Working Group

6. Species considered: • summer and winter steelhead • fall Chinook salmon • spring Chinook salmon • coho salmon • chum salmon • bull trout • pacific lamprey

7. Options considered: • No action, natural colonization, re-evaluate in 5-10 yrs • Salvage wild fish and outplant above Condit Dam, prior to removal • Salvage wild adults, spawn in hatchery, release juveniles in White Salmon River after removal • Use adjacent hatchery/wild stock, release juveniles/adults in White Salmon River after removal

8. Options recommended by the White Salmon Workgroup • Summer and winter steelhead, and spring Chinook salmon - monitor natural escapement, re-evaluate options in 5 years

9. 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

10. Two types of tags for tracking fish in the White Salmon subbasin: Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags & Radio Tags PIT Tags Radio Tags Uniquely identify individuals. Cannot be read from long distances. Can be put in small fish. Tags are not expensive. No battery, lasts the life of the fish, or longer. Uniquely identify individuals. Can be read from long distances. Cannot be put in small fish. Tags are expensive. Battery life is limited.

11. BZ Falls White Salmon River Connectivity within the White Salmon watershed _________ How do fish use the system? Upper Buck Cr. Falls Falls Lower Buck Cr. Falls Rattlesnake Creek Buck Creek Husum Falls Mill Creek Northwestern Lake Condit Dam White Salmon River Columbia River

12. Habitat use and life history characteristics of rainbow trout in the White Salmon River above Condit Dam Objective Assess connectivity of Northwestern Lake with mainstem White Salmon River and its tributaries Funded by: Condit Dam, White Salmon River Basin (WA)

13. Fish collection: hook and line Data collected: location, length, weight, scale sample, and genetic sample PIT tagging surgery if radio tagged

15. BZ Falls Radio Tagging: • 2001: 44 tags • 12 above Husum • 9 below Husum • 23 in reservoir • 2002: 20 tags • 10 above Husum • 10 below Husum Waterfall Husum Falls Remote PIT tag interrogator Condit Dam

16. 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

17. Assess Current and PotentialSalmonid Production in Rattlesnake Creek Associated with Restoration efforts Objectives 1.) Characterize fish populations, isotopes, water quality/quantity, and habitat prior to re-introduction 2.) Identify restoration needs Funded by: Bonneville Power Administration

18. Falls Instream PIT-tag interrogation system Rattlesnake Creek • Fish sampled and tagged (n=4,813) • Species, abundance, movement, growth, disease Falls White Salmon River Husum Falls Indian Creek Indian Creek Condit Dam

19. Rattlesnake Creek antenna system To AC Power and Data Storage Flow Multiplexing transceiver

20. Falls Connectivity to the White Salmon watershed _________ How do fish use the system? 1% (289) Instream PIT-tag interrogation system Rattlesnake Creek White Salmon River 0.1% (1,184) Falls Husum Falls 0.7% (1,329) 22% (1,102) 12% (438) 21% (116) Indian Creek 12% (355) Indian Creek Condit Dam

21. Flow and downstream fish movement

22. 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 East Sand Island 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 Bonneville Dam

23. 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

24. Now. Future?