Olympic National Park

Migration Across Borders: An Overview of the Olympic Peninsula & Salvelinus

Sam J. BrenkmanNPS-Olympic National Park

Port Angeles, WAScCS

August 15, 2012

R. Tabor

1) Peninsula Watersheds & Fish Diversity

2) Overview of Olympic Peninsula Char Complex & Recent Findings

3) Challenges in Conservation & FutureResearch Needs

Topics

Pink salmon, Elwha River, J. McMillan

Olympic National Park of Regional Significance in Conservation of Native Fish

-30 rivers-~8,000 mi of streams-ONP 922,000 acres

Land Ownership

Diverse Aquatic Habitats

Major Watersheds that Originate in ONPWatersheds Length

inMiles

Linear Creek Miles ~Percent ofWatershed inOLYM

Bogachiel 46.5 130 64%

Calawah 31.1 196 19%

Dosewallips 28.3 170 79%

Duckabush 24.1 119 67%

Dungeness/Greywolf 32 255 36%

Elwha 44.8 488 85%

Hamma Hamma 17.8 110 8%

Hoh 56.1 312 65%

Skokomish 41.9 340 28%

Sol Duc 65.2 260 28%

Queets 51.4 541 50%

Quinault 68.8 559 64%

Total 508 miles 3,480 miles

Variable Hydrology

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The frequency of peak flows equal or greater than the 2yr flood has doubled in the last 23 yrs compared to the previous 53 yrs.

From: Tim Abbe

Hoh River

Fish Resources in ONP

Photo credits: Steve Clark, John Gussman, John McMillan

• Comprised of wild, natural, hatchery, and non-native fish.

• 31 native freshwater fish spp.; 70 populations of

Pacific salmonids.

• 5 federally threatened & 6 non-native fish spp.

• Bull trout, Dolly Varden, & brook trout.

Variability in Olympic Peninsula Char-Big, small, bright, dark -Diverse in size, morphology, & life histories-Anadromous, adfluvial, fluvial, & resident-Landlocked above waterfalls & dams

-Char distribution (purple)-Spawning areas (yellow)

PRESENCE & DISTRIBUTION:-“Speckled beauties” (O’Neil Expedition, 1890).-“Dolly Varden” identified in streams (Fishing Guide to the NW 1935).-Landlocked southern Dolly Varden (Cavendar1978). -Distribution & stock assessments (Mongillo1992/93; WDFW 1997/98). -USFWS Draft Recovery Plan 2004.

LIFE HISTORIES & MIGRATIONS:-Timing & abundance (Brenkman1998; Brenkman, Larson, & Gresswell2001).-Movement studies via telemetry (Ogg2002; ONP).-Anadromy & interbasin migrations (Brenkman & Corbett 2005).-Incidentally caught in commercial fisheries (Brenkman et al. 2007).-Riverscape perspectives 2007-2009 (Brenkman et al. 2012).

Evolution of Key Information on Olympic Peninsula Char

GENETICS:-Sympatric bull trout & Dolly Varden; no hybridization (Leary & Allendorf 1997).-Genetic variation within/among populations (Spruell 2003, 2006; DeHaan et al. 2011).

OTHER:-Effects of bedload scour (Shellberg et al. 2010).-Brook trout/bull trout interactions in Elwha (Dunham et al. in prep).

Evolution of Information (Cont.)

=5 km reference sites.=Each site is visited every 7-14 d.

Goal. Determine seasonal & annual trends in fish assemblages from June to September.

Seasonal Trends, N. Fk. Skokomish River

Management Trigger

Spawn Timing=Sept. to late Dec.

Biological hotspots; guide monitoring;

Spatially Continuous Riverscape Surveys

2007 200826 0

687 316215 118

7,312 3,218

Spatially

Continuous

View of

Quinault

River

Bull trout

Rainbow/cutthroat trout

Chinook salmon

Mountain whitefish

Summer steelhead

Anadromy as a Primary Life History Form

n=1

n=3

n=7

n=1

n=3

n=27

42 of 76 (55%) entered Pacific Ocean

20% of tagged adults relocated in other watersheds

?

Sep-Nov 03

Dec 03

May 04

Jun-Oct 04

Apr 03

Dec 03-May 04

Aug 03

Interbasin Migrations

Otolith Core

Laser Transect

1

23

4

1) First seaward migrations at ages 3 to 4.

2) Multiple movements to & from saltwater.

3) Both anadromous & non-anadromous females produced progeny that were anadromous.

Otolith Chemistry

760 mm female

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Otolith Edge

Freshwater Residence

Otolith Core

Rivers Inhabited by AnadromousBull Trout

Dungeness

Elwha

Skokomish

Hoh

QueetsQuinault

Non-natal Rivers Inhabited by Bull Trout

Kalaloch Creek

Raft River

Moclips River

Copalis RiverJoe Creek

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Hoh Gill Net n=91

Hoh Telemetry n=128

Elwha Telemetry n=95

Elwha Bull Trout (non-anadromous)

Hoh River Bull Trout (anadromous )

Comparing River & Ocean Life

Summary of Olympic Peninsula SalvelinusBULL TROUT:1) Diverse life history forms; anadromy a primary form. 2) Distributed from headwaters to sea in glacial/snowmelt rivers. 3) Spawn timing September thru December.4) Irregular periods of freshwater, estuarine, & marine residence consistent with

other Salvelinus spp.5) Interbasin migrations & use non-natal tributaries. 6) Hood Canal & Strait populations critically low.

DOLLY VARDEN:1) Southernmost portion of range & headwater isolation.2) Co-occur with bull trout; no evidence of hybridization albeit limited sampling.

BROOK TROUT:1) Brook trout occur throughout high lakes in Olympics. 2) Observed in some small streams & a few major rivers.

Conservation Challenges on Olympic Peninsula

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Total Gill Net Days in the Queets River from 11/1-4/26, 1980-

2011

Bull Trout Susceptible to Gill-Net Bycatch Based on:-Timing of river entry from ocean.-Size.-Repeat spawn with multiple migrations to ocean.-Interbasin migrations to other rivers with nets.-4d exemption for take.

Research & Management Needs for Olympic Peninsula Salvelinus

• Abundance & spawning distribution.

• Extent & effects of bull trout bycatch.

• Resumption of anadromy in Elwha.

• Effects of reintroduced salmonids in Lake Cushman.

• Further delineate Dolly Varden.

• Top down brook trout invasions.

“ONP may eventually be the means of saving a nucleus of all of our anadromous fishes on the Pacific Coast as present safeguards are entirely inadequate”.Arthur S. Einarsen, 1938, Oregon State College.

“The ONP presents the most involved and in many respects most difficult fish problem of any of our National Parks”. David Madsen, 1939, Preliminary Report of the Fish Resources in ONP.

NPS, OLYMKathy BeirneSteve CorbettPat CrainJosh GeffreChris GlenneyDick GoinMatt GroceMike HanksCat HoffmanRoger HoffmanEd HughesHeidi HuguninPhil KennedyLauren KerrDave ShrefflerIan SmithJames StarrAnna TorranceBrian Winter

USGSJeff DudaJason DunhamRobert HoffmanChris MagirlAudrey TaylorChristian TorgersenEthan Welty

Special Thanks to:NOAAKeith DentonKris KloehnJohn McMillanGeorge Pess

USFWSKate BenkertJeff ChanPat DeHaanDan LantzTracy LeavySedge NeilRoger PetersShelley SpaldingBrad Thompson

WDFWRandy CooperKent MayerTyler RitchieAndrew Simmons

Elwha TribeMatt BeirneMel ElofsonMike McHenryRay MosesRebecca ParadisSonny SamsonLarry Ward

Sol Duc Valley PackersLarry & Sheri Baysinger

Peninsula CollegeJack Ganzhorn

Photo CreditsSteve ClarkJohn GussmanJohn McMillanJeremy MonroeONP FilesJon PrestonRoger TaborWDOE

Quinault Indian NationBill ArmstrongJim HarrisonTyler Jurasin