Salmonid Productivity, Escapement, Trend, and Habitat Monitoring
in the Oregon Portion of the Columbia Plateau Province
Statement of Work and Budget FY2006

BPA Project Number:  1998-016-00
Contract Number:  
Performance/Budget Period: 1 Dec. 2005 to 30 Nov. 2006


The John Day River subbasin supports one of the last remaining intact wild populations of spring chinook salmon and summer steelhead in the Columbia River Basin. These populations, however, remain depressed relative to historic levels.  Between the completion of the life history and natural escapement study in 1984 and the start of this project in 1998, spring chinook spawning surveys have not provided adequate information to assess age structure, progeny-to-parent production values, smolt-to-adult survival (SAR), or natural spawning escapement. Further, only very limited information is available for steelhead life history, escapement, and productivity measures in the John Day subbasin. Numerous habitat protection and rehabilitation projects to improve salmonid freshwater production and survival have also been implemented in the basin and are in need of effectiveness monitoring. While our monitoring efforts outlined here will not specifically measure the effectiveness of any particular project, they will provide much needed background information for developing context for project-specific effectiveness monitoring efforts. To meet the data needs as index stocks, to assess the long-term effectiveness of habitat projects, and to differentiate freshwater and ocean survival, sufficient annual estimates of spawner escapement, age structure, SAR, and egg-to-smolt survival are needed. We have begun to meet this need through spawning ground surveys initiated for spring chinook salmon in 1998 and smolt PIT-tagging efforts initiated in 1999. Additional sampling and analyses to meet these goals include an estimate of smolt abundance and SAR rates. Columbia Basin managers have identified the John Day subbasin spring chinook population as an index population for assessing the effects of alternative future management actions on salmon stocks in the Columbia Basin.

This work is integrated with the current RM&E effort for the John Day River basin. Our efforts provide nearly all of the status and trend monitoring, and some of the effectiveness monitoring, for the RM&E projects. Coordination occurs through periodic meetings. Trap operations coincide with current research efforts and comanagers participate annually with spawning ground surveys.

References:

Hart, P.J.B. and T.J. Pitcher. 1969. Field trials of fish marking using a jet inoculator. Journal of Fish Biology. 1:383-385.

Keefe, M.L., and five co-authors. 1998. Investigations into the early life history of naturally produced spring chinook salmon in the Grande Ronde River basin. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, La Grande, OR. Annual Progress Report to Bonneville Power Administration. Project No. 92-026-04 (https://efw.bpa.gov/Environment/EW/EWP/DOCS/REPORTS/HABITAT/H33299-4.pdf).

Lindsay, R.B., and five co-authors. 1986. Study of wild spring chinook salmon in the John Day River System. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Portland, OR. Final Report to Bonneville Power Administration. Project No. 79-004-00.
https://efw.bpa.gov/Environment/EW/EWP/DOCS/REPORTS/HABITAT/H39796-1.pdf

Thedinga J.F., M.L. Murphy, S.W. Johnson, J.M. Lorenz, and K.V. Koski. 1994. Determination of salmonid smolt yield with rotary screw traps in the Situk River, Alaska, to predict effects of glacial flooding. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 14:837-851.

Wilson, W.A., J.R. Ruzycki, R.W. Carmichael, S. Onjukka, G. Claire, and J. Seals. 2001. John Day Spring Chinook Salmon Escapement and Productivity Monitoring. Annual Progress Report to Bonneville Power Administration. Project No. 98-016-00.