Chehalis River Aquatic Species - Preliminary Results

Chehalis Basin Strategy “Reducing Flood Damage and Enhancing Aquatic Species”

Policy Workshop November 13, 2013

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Presentation Outline

• Aquatic species in the basin

• Data gaps relative to dam assessment

• Fish and habitat studies

• Information collected to date

11/12/2013

Map by Andrew Weiss, WDFW

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Native fishes in the Chehalis Basin

11/12/2013

Olympic Mudminnow

Redside Shiner

Northern Pikeminnow

Longnose Dace

Largescale Sucker

Sculpin (6 species)

• Mountain whitefish • Eulachon (?) • Pacific lamprey • River lamprey • Western brook lamprey • White Sturgeon • Green Sturgeon • Peamouth • Speckled Dace • 3-spine stickleback

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Exotic fishes in the Chehalis Basin

11/12/2013

Smallmouth bass

Largemouth bass

Rockbass

Brown bullhead

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Stillwater-Breeding Amphibians in Chehalis Basin

11/12/2013

Northern red legged Frog

Western Toad

Oregon Spotted Frog

Pacific Treefrog Northwestern Salamander

Photos by Marc Hayes, WDFW except where indicated.

Andrew O’Connor

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Salmon and steelhead in the Chehalis Basin

11/12/2013

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1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

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Coho

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Spring Chinook

Steelhead

Other salmonids • Chum • Cutthroat

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Chehalis Basin Contribution to WA Coast

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Winter Steelhead

Coho

Fall Chinook

Spring/Summer Chinook

Data are average spawner escapement, 1996-2012.

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Fish species in the Upper Chehalis Basin

• Limited information on all fish distribution, especially around and upstream of proposed dam site.

• Field studies in 2013 improve measure of salmon and steelhead above dam site (spawner and smolt). Will be compared to entire basin.

• Upper Chehalis is not in a steady state. Re-colonization occurring following flood events.

11/12/2013

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Presentation Outline

• Aquatic species in the basin

• Data gaps relative to dam assessment

• Fish and habitat studies to fill data gaps

• Information collected to date

11/12/2013

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Data Gaps Relative to Dam Assessment

• What will be lost in impoundment area?

• What will change in river below dam?

• What will the impact be to fish spawning and rearing above impoundment?

• What kind of fish passage allowances are needed?

• How would changes in river temperature affect fish?

11/12/2013

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Presentation Outline

• Aquatic species in the basin

• Data gaps relative to dam assessment and ASEP

• Fish and habitat studies to fill data gaps

• Information collected to date

11/12/2013

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Fish habitat influenced by river flows

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Rain Dominant Hydrology

Data souce: USGS 12020000 (Doty gage)

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Fish and habitat studies

11/12/2013

• Adult spawners

• Smolt abundance

• Riverscape fish & habitat

• Reach scale fish & habitat

• Fish movements (summer & winter)

Area above dam site

Area above Skookumchuk

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ADULT SPAWNER SURVEYS What is adult fish abundance, timing, and distribution?

• Spawner counts, timing, location, age composition

• Chinook (spring & fall), Coho, Steelhead

11/12/2013

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SMOLT TRAP What is outmigrant fish abundance, timing, and diversity?

• Abundance, migration timing

• All species moving downstream including salmonid smolts

11/12/2013

Chehalis River smolt trap is operated near river mile 108 (Picture is not

Chehalis).

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RIVERSCAPE SURVEYS Where does summer rearing occur for what species?

• Snorkel (fish) & foot (habitat) surveys

• Include species observable using snorkel methods

11/12/2013

Downstream snorkel surveys on the Chehalis River

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REACH SURVEYS Which habitats are associated with which fish species?

• Snorkel, electrofish, seine

• All fish species

11/12/2013

Seine collections of fish in the Chehalis River

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FISH MOVEMENTS (SUMMER & WINTER) Importance of cool water refugia for summer rearing and mainstem for overwinter rearing

• Juveniles tagged and released

• Tag detection arrays

• Chinook, Coho, Steelhead

11/12/2013

PIT antenna array near RM 108 on Chehalis River

Field crew tagging juvenile salmonids

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Presentation Outline

• Aquatic species in the basin

• Data gaps relative to dam assessment and ASEP

• Fish and habitat studies to fill data gaps

• Information collected to date

11/12/2013

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Fish-Habitat Studies During Summer Rearing Period

• Riverscape surveys

• Summer movements

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Data collection period July 15 – October 25, 2013

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Riverscape View: Patterns of Fish and their Habitat

Describes which fish and how many fish are using mainstem during summer flows above and below dam site.

11/12/2013

John Winkowski, WDFW Mara Zimmerman, WDFW

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Riverscape Survey Area

11/12/2013 Map by Andrew Weiss, WDFW

P8140008

P8140174

P8150197

P8220200

P9100054 (sand)

P9120024

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Summer Fish Distribution

• Counts by species and life stage

• Limited to pelagic species

11/12/2013

Photo by Pete Caster, The Chronicle

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Summer Fish Distribution

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Summer Fish Distribution

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Pikeminnow

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Redside Shiner

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Smallmouth Bass

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Bluegill

Survey Kilometer Survey Kilometer

Survey Kilometer

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Improved Understanding from Riverscape Study

• Continuous measure of fish and habitat above, within, and below impoundment area.

• Other aquatic species (amphibians, mussels).

• Numbers are relative to the Chehalis River. Can’t be directly compared to other systems.

11/12/2013

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Summer Movement of Juvenile Salmonids

Direction and distance of summer movements.

Applicable to fish passage needs at dam site and summer thermal refugia.

11/12/2013

John Winkowski , WDFW Mara Zimmerman, WDFW

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PIT Arrays Detect Tagged Fish

11/12/2013

Mainstem PIT Antenna Array near potential dam site

Rock Creek PIT Antenna Array

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Locations of PIT Arrays

11/12/2013

Coho = 405 Steelhead = 28

Coho = 670 Steelhead = 60

Coho = 539 Steelhead = 144

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Improved Understanding from Summer Movement Study

• Do fish move upstream through the dam site during summer months?

Summer fish movement observed upstream and downstream through the dam site

• What are the movement patterns?

• Is movement correlated with river temperature?

11/12/2013

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Summary to Date (Preliminary Results)

• Chehalis River supports a diverse assemblage of aquatic species.

• Different fish assemblages use different parts of the mainstem river for summer rearing.

• A high proportion of the salmon and steelhead summer rearing in the mainstem is confined to areas above the proposed dam site.

• Summer movements of coho and steelhead were documented through the proposed dam site.

11/12/2013