Biological considerations at fish passage projects in the Missoula area

Pat SaffelFWP Fish Manager

Missoula

This Presentationsort of a “welcoming”

• Diverse examples of projects around Missoula– Biological considerations– Assessments

• One fish screen project– Complex up and downstream passage

• Three upstream fish passage projects– Hydro dam, low-head dam & diversion

• Wrap up with general themes, sneak in a video?

This Presentationsort of a “welcoming”

• Diverse examples of projects around Missoula– Biological considerations– Assessments

• One fish screen project– Complex up and downstream passage

• Three upstream fish passage projects– Hydro dam, low-head dam & diversion

• Wrap up with general themes, sneak in a video?

This Presentationsort of a “welcoming”

• Diverse examples of projects around Missoula– Biological considerations– Assessments

• One fish screen project– Complex up and downstream passage

• Three upstream fish passage projects– Hydro dam, low-head dam & diversion

• Wrap up with general themes, sneak in a video?

Questions with Fish Screens

• Is a fish in the stream better than one in the ditch?– Usually, but how much better?– Worth the cost?

EF Rock Creek Fish Screen

Irrigation season: May – SepOutflow: seepage - 200+ cfs

200 cfs capacity$700,000

Atrophied channel5 cfs summer flow

Biological Considerations

• Reservoir population

• Canal salvage history

• EF Rock Cr. fish populations & habitat

• Return spawners

Biological Considerations

• Reservoir population

• Canal salvage history

• EF Rock Cr. fish populations & habitat

• Return spawners

Biological Considerations

• Reservoir population

• Canal salvage history

• EF Rock Cr. fish populations & habitat

• Return spawners

Biological Considerations

• Reservoir population

• Canal salvage history

• EF Rock Cr. fish populations & habitat

• Return spawners

Monitoring at EF Rock Creek

• Hopefully answer how much better a fish in the creek is than one in the ditch – after the fact…

• Trap & mark fish that are screened– How many fish are put back into the creek?

• Trap returning adults– How many fish screened return as adults?– Move above dam?

Monitoring at EF Rock Creek

• Hopefully answer how much better a fish in the creek is than one in the ditch – after the fact…

• Trap & mark fish that are screened– How many fish are put back into the creek?

• Trap returning adults– How many fish screened return as adults?– Move above dam?

TrapsUpstreamDownstream

Questions with Upstream Passage

• How many fish are being impeded?

• Where do they want to go?– Are you passing fish to the correct location\population?– Will they survive?

• What kind of passage?– Volitional or selective– Passage structures

Questions with Upstream Passage

• How many fish are being impeded?

• Where do they want to go?– Are you passing fish to the correct location\population?– Will they survive?

• What kind of passage?– Volitional or selective– Passage structures

Questions with Upstream Passage

• How many fish are being impeded?

• Where do they want to go?– Are you passing fish to the correct location\population?– Will they survive?

• What kind of passage?– Volitional or selective– Passage structures

Milltown Dam

About 200,000 fish of 12 spp. blocked each year

Radial GateBlackfoot R.

Clark Fork R.

Two Ladders?

Silver Lake

Silver Lake System

DeHaan et al. 2009

DeHaan et al. 2009

DeHaan et al. 2009

Biological Considerations

• Both creeks could be contributing bull trout to Silver Lake, with adults wanting to return

• What is the origin of bull trout in Silver Lake?– Prioritize passage efforts between the two creeks

DeHaan et al. 2009

Silver Lake/Storm Lake Creek Bull Trout Passage Project

• In 2012: Tagged/ moved 8 adults (and 13 sub-adults)

• At least 7 adults moved upstream

• Large redds found

• Manual passage for now - hybridization concerns with rainbow

• West Fork Clearwater• Had ~ 30 redds

• Emily-A Dam• Migration route blocked

Lake Inez Fish Barrier (aka, Emily-A Dam)

Emily-A Dam

• Many radio-tagged fish went to WF Clearwater

Lake Inez Fish Barrier (aka, Emily-A Dam)

Emily-A Dam

Bull trout caught at dam, not in trap

Restoring Migration

VIDEO

General Themes• Many factors reduce numbers of fish (e.g., EF Rock Creek),

understanding the biology improves a project’s chance of success (e.g., Silver Lake)

• The fewer life-stages and habitat problems involved the more likely to succeed (e.g., upstream passage of adults vs. downstream passage of juveniles).

• Passage to suitable biological and physical habitat can be very successful (e.g., Emily-A Dam).

• More information is needed to understand what affects a project’s effectiveness (e.g., fish screen projects).