Use of Macroinvertebrates as an Indicator of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Spawning Habitat Quality in the Lower Mokelumne River, California

Use of Macroinvertebrates as an Indicator of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Spawning Habitat Quality in the Lower Mokelumne River, California PDF Author: Leigh K. Ochikubo Chan
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Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Spawning Habitat Studies of Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha), Final Report

Spawning Habitat Studies of Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha), Final Report PDF Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted this study for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) with funding provided through the Northwest Power and Conservation Council(a) and the BPA Fish and Wildlife Program. The study was conducted in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. The goal of study was to determine the physical habitat factors necessary to define the redd capacity of fall Chinook salmon that spawn in large mainstem rivers like the Hanford Reach and Snake River. The study was originally commissioned in FY 1994 and then recommissioned in FY 2000 through the Fish and Wildlife Program rolling review of the Columbia River Basin projects. The work described in this report covers the period from 1994 through 2004; however, the majority of the information comes from the last four years of the study (2000 through 2004). Results from the work conducted from 1994 to 2000 were covered in an earlier report. More than any other stock of Pacific salmon, fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) have suffered severe impacts from the hydroelectric development in the Columbia River Basin. Fall Chinook salmon rely heavily on mainstem habitats for all phases of their life cycle, and mainstem hydroelectric dams have inundated or blocked areas that were historically used for spawning and rearing. The natural flow pattern that existed in the historic period has been altered by the dams, which in turn have affected the physical and biological template upon which fall Chinook salmon depend upon for successful reproduction. Operation of the dams to produce power to meet short-term needs in electricity (termed power peaking) produces unnatural fluctuations in flow over a 24-hour cycle. These flow fluctuations alter the physical habitat and disrupt the cues that salmon use to select spawning sites, as well as strand fish in near-shore habitat that becomes dewatered. The quality of spawning gravels has been affected by dam construction, flood protection, and agricultural and industrial development. In some cases, the riverbed is armored such that it is more difficult for spawners to move, while in other cases the intrusion of fine sediment into spawning gravels has reduced water flow to sensitive eggs and young fry. Recovery of fall Chinook salmon populations may involve habitat restoration through such actions as dam removal and reservoir drawdown. In addition, habitat protection will be accomplished through set-asides of existing high-quality habitat. A key component to evaluating these actions is quantifying the salmon spawning habitat potential of a given river reach so that realistic recovery goals for salmon abundance can be developed. Quantifying salmon spawning habitat potential requires an understanding of the spawning behavior of Chinook salmon, as well as an understanding of the physical habitat where these fish spawn. Increasingly, fish biologists are recognizing that assessing the physical habitat of riverine systems where salmon spawn goes beyond measuring microhabitat like water depth, velocity, and substrate size. Geomorphic features of the river measured over a range of spatial scales set up the physical template upon which the microhabitat develops, and successful assessments of spawning habitat potential incorporate these geomorphic features. We had three primary objectives for this study. The first objective was to determine the relationship between physical habitats at different spatial scales and fall Chinook salmon spawning locations. The second objective was to estimate the fall Chinook salmon redd capacity for the Reach. The third objective was to suggest a protocol for determining preferable spawning reaches of fall Chinook salmon. To ensure that we collected physical data within habitat that was representative of the full range of potential spawning habitat, the study area was stratified based on geomorphic features of the river using a two-dimensional river channel index that classified the river cross section into one of four shapes based on channel symmetry, depth, and width. We found that this river channel classification system was a good predictor at the scale of a river reach ((almost equal to)1 km) of where fall Chinook salmon would spawn. Using this two-dimensional river channel index, we selected study areas that were representative of the geomorphic classes. A total of nine study sites distributed throughout the middle 27 km of the Reach (study area) were investigated. Four of the study sites were located between river kilometer 575 and 580 in a section of the river where fall Chinook salmon have not spawned since aerial surveys were initiated in the 1940s; four sites were located in the spawning reach (river kilometer [rkm] 590 to 603); and one site was located upstream of the spawning reach (rkm 605).

The Effects of Structural Enhancement on Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Spawning Habitat

The Effects of Structural Enhancement on Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) Spawning Habitat PDF Author: Robyn Louise Bilski
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Sediment Particle Sizes Used by Salmon for Spawning with Methods for Evaluation

Sediment Particle Sizes Used by Salmon for Spawning with Methods for Evaluation PDF Author: William S. Platts
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Category : Chinook salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Monitoring the Reproductive Success of Naturally Spawning Hatchery and Natural Spring Chinook Salmon in the Wenatchee River, 2008-2009 Progress Report

Monitoring the Reproductive Success of Naturally Spawning Hatchery and Natural Spring Chinook Salmon in the Wenatchee River, 2008-2009 Progress Report PDF Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 84

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We investigated differences in the statistical power to assign parentage between an artificially propagated and wild salmon population. The propagated fish were derived from the wild population, and are used to supplement its abundance. Levels of genetic variation were similar between the propagated and wild groups at 11 microsatellite loci, and exclusion probabilities were>0.999999 for both groups. The ability to unambiguously identify a pair of parents for each sampled progeny was much lower than expected, however. Simulations demonstrated that the proportion of cases the most likely pair of parents were the true parents was lower for propagated parents than for wild parents. There was a clear relationship between parentage assignment ability and the degree of linkage disequilibrium, the estimated effective number of breeders that produced the parents, and the size of the largest family within the potential parents. If a stringent threshold for parentage assignment was used, estimates of relative fitness were biased downward for the propagated fish. The bias appeared to be largely eliminated by either fractionally assigning progeny among parents in proportion to their likelihood of parentage, or by assigning progeny to the most likely set of parents without using a statistical threshold. We used a DNA-based parentage analysis to measure the relative reproductive success of hatchery- and natural-origin spring Chinook salmon in the natural environment. Both male and female hatchery-origin fish produced far fewer juvenile progeny per parent when spawning naturally than did natural origin fish. Differences in age structure, spawning location, weight and run timing were responsible for some of the difference in fitness. Male size and age had a large influence on fitness, with larger and older males producing more offspring than smaller or younger individuals. Female size had a significant effect on fitness, but the effect was much smaller than the effect of size on male fitness. For both sexes, run time had a smaller but still significant effect on fitness, with earlier returning fish favored. Spawning location within the river had a significant effect on fitness for both males and females, and for females explained most of the reduced fitness observed for hatchery fish in this population. While differences have been reported in the relative reproductive success of hatchery and naturally produced salmonids Oncorhynchus spp., factors explaining the differences are often confounded. We examined the spawning site habitat and redd structure variables of hatchery and naturally produced spring Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha of known size that spawned in two tributaries of the Wenatchee River. We controlled for variability in spawning habitat by limiting our analysis to redds found within four selected reaches. No difference in the instantaneous spawner density or location of the redd in the stream channel was detected between reaches. Within each reach, no difference in the fork length or weight of hatchery and naturally produced fish was detected. While most variables differed between reaches, we found no difference in redd characteristics within a reach between hatchery and naturally produced females. Correlation analysis of fish size and redd characteristics found several weak but significant relationships suggesting larger fish contract larger redds in deeper water. Spawner density was inversely related to several redd structure variables suggesting redd size may decrease as spawner density increases. Results should be considered preliminary until samples size and statistical power goals are reached in future years. Trends in relative reproductive success of hatchery and naturally produced spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Wenatchee Basins suggest females that spawn in the upper reaches of the tributaries produced a great number of offspring compared to females that spawn in the lower reaches of the tributaries. To better understand this trend, redd microhabitat data was collected from spring Chinook salmon that spawned in the Chiwawa River and Nason Creek, the primary spawning tributaries in the Wenatchee Basin. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of habitat and spawner density on spawning site and redd structure characteristics. We analyzed 27 variables of redd microhabitat data collected from the upper and lower most reaches of each study stream. In both streams, we found redds in the upper most reaches to be significantly larger (length and width) and deeper (bowl depth). Spawner density was significantly greater in the lower Chiwawa River compared to the upper reach. No difference in spawner density was detected between reaches in Nason Creek (P = 0.54). Data should be considered preliminary until sample size goals are achieved.

Accessing Spawning Habitat Selection and Quantifying Straying Rates of Wild Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in a Wilderness Basin

Accessing Spawning Habitat Selection and Quantifying Straying Rates of Wild Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in a Wilderness Basin PDF Author: Ellen J. Hamann
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Category : Chinook salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Examining the Use of Lipid Analysis as an Indicator of Fish Habitat Condition and Overwinter Survival of Chinook Salmon in Large Rivers of Central British Columbia

Examining the Use of Lipid Analysis as an Indicator of Fish Habitat Condition and Overwinter Survival of Chinook Salmon in Large Rivers of Central British Columbia PDF Author: Jaclyn Cleary
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Category : Chinook salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Lipid and triglyceride levels have the potential to be indicators of the status of individuals and populations of fish because they may affect overwinter survival and energy allocation strategies. Identification of (1) seasonal lipid levels in juvenile fish, and (2) the relationship between fish lipid levels and fish habitat may provide managers with a tool for monitoring the quality of fish habitat in rivers. I assessed seasonal and spatial variation in lipid and triglyceride levels for young-of-the-year stream-type chilnook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) throughout central British Columbia, Canada. I found triglyceride levels were highest in fish from the Bridge River, a flow-regulated river, with maximum levels occurring in November. I related triglyceride levels to environmental variables, and found a significant positive relationship between triglyceride levels and food availability. My research supports the potential for using triglyceride analysis as an evaluative tool in freshwater monitoring programs.

Physicochemical Characteristics of the Hyporheic Zone Affect Redd Site Selection of Chum and Fall Chinook Salmon, Columbia River

Physicochemical Characteristics of the Hyporheic Zone Affect Redd Site Selection of Chum and Fall Chinook Salmon, Columbia River PDF Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) may historically have been the most abundant species of Columbia River salmon, contributing as much as 50% of the total biomass of all salmon in the Pacific Ocean prior to the 1940's (Neave 1961). By the 1950's, however, run sizes to the Columbia River dropped dramatically and in 1999 the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed Columbia River chum salmon as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; NMFS 1999). Habitat degradation, water diversions, harvest, and artificial propagation are the major human-induced factors that have contributed to the species decline (NMFS 1998). Columbia River chum salmon spawn exclusively in the lower river below Bonneville Dam, including an area near Ives Island. The Ives Island chum salmon are part of the Columbia River evolutionary significant unit (ESU) for this species, and are included in the ESA listing. In addition to chum salmon, fall chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) also spawn at Ives Island. Spawning surveys conducted at Ives Island over the last several years show that chum and fall chinook salmon spawned in clusters in different locations (US Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, unpublished data). The presence of redd clusters suggested that fish were selecting specific habitat features within the study area (Geist and Dauble 1998). Understanding the specific features of these spawning areas is needed to quantify the amount of habitat available to each species so that minimum flows can be set to protect fish and maintain high quality habitat.

Spawning Abundance of Chinook Salmon in the Taku River in 2003

Spawning Abundance of Chinook Salmon in the Taku River in 2003 PDF Author:
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Category : Chinook salmon
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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A cooperative study involving the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Taku River Tlingit First Nation was conducted to estimate the number of spawning Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Taku River in 2003 with a mark-recapture experiment. Fish were captured at Canyon Island on the lower Taku River with fish wheels from May through August and were individually marked with back-sewn, solid-core spaghetti tags. All tagged fish were also batch marked with an opercle punch plus removal of the left axillary appendage. Sampling on the spawning grounds in tributaries was used to estimate the fraction of the population that had been marked. The estimated spawning abundance of small Chinook salmon ( 400 mm long; mid-eye to fork of tail) was 3,489 (SE = 1,052). Spawning abundance of medium-size Chinook salmon (401-659 mm) was estimated to be 16,780 (SE = 2,274). Finally, spawning abundance of large-size fish (= 660 mm) was estimated to be 36,435 (SE = 6,705), and the estimated total of all fish was 56,704 (SE = 7,158). The sum of the peak aerial survey counts of large spawning Chinook salmon conducted at five index tributaries of the Taku River was 16% of the mark-recapture estimate. Age 1.3 fish (1998 brood year) constituted an estimated 40% of the spawning population, followed by age 1.2 fish (1999 brood year), which constituted an estimated 29% of the population

Spawning Areas and Abundance of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in the Columbia River Basin, Past and Present

Spawning Areas and Abundance of Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) in the Columbia River Basin, Past and Present PDF Author: Leonard A. Fulton
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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