U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey

Documenting O. mykiss life histories in the White Salmon River prior to the

reintroduction of anadromous fish above Condit Dam.

Brady Allen and Patrick J. ConnollyU.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources DisciplineWestern Fisheries Research CenterColumbia River Research Laboratory

Rattlesnake C

reek

BZFalls

Wh ite Salm

on Ri ver

Trout Lake Creek

BigBrotherFalls

Columbia River

Falls

Falls

Condit Dam

Husum Falls

Buck Ck. Falls

Condit Dam Facts• Built in 1913• 92 acre reservoir• 2.4 million cubic yards (1.8 m3) sediment• Watershed = 390 square miles• Average flow of 1000 cfs• Draining will take 6 hrs at 11,000 cfs (~ 100 yr flood event)• Highest flow recorded was 45,000 cfs in 1996•Much of the river is in a narrow basalt canyon• Once passable for fish it will open33 miles for steelhead 14 miles for chinook

Overview White Salmon Working

Group Focal species Options identified Options recommended Science guided plans

White Salmon Working Group An update of fish salvage and reintroduction plan was

necessary Working group was formed and first met in February 2007 Information sharing and identification of reintroduction

options Coordination of fish salvage prior to removal Pre and post removal monitoring and evaluation Opportunities to work with partners on fisheries and

habitat restoration in the basin

Species considered: summer and winter

steelhead fall Chinook salmon spring Chinook salmon coho salmon chum salmon bull trout pacific lamprey

Options considered:1) No action, natural

colonization, re-evaluate in 5-10 yrs

2) Salvage wild fish and outplant above Condit Dam, prior to removal

3) Salvage wild adults, spawn in hatchery, release juveniles in White Salmon River after removal

4) Use adjacent hatchery/wild stock, release juveniles/adults in White Salmon River after removal

Options recommended by the White Salmon Workgroup

Summer and winter steelhead, and spring Chinook salmon - monitor natural escapement, re-evaluate options in 5 years

Conclusions Options incorporated into NOAA’s Endangered Species Act

recovery plans for Middle Columbia River steelhead and Lower Columbia River Chinook, coho, and chum salmon

The existing datasets and findings provide some information prior to reintroduction, much more could be learned

Two types of tags for tracking fish in theWhite Salmon subbasin:

Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags&

Radio TagsRadio Tags

Uniquely identify individuals.

Can be read from longdistances.

Cannot be put in smallfish.

Tags are expensive.

Battery life is limited.

PIT Tags

Uniquely identify individuals.

Cannot be read fromlong distances.

Can be put in small fish.

Tags are not expensive.

No battery, lasts the life of the fish, or longer.

Condit Dam Northwestern Lake

Buck CreekMill Creek

Rattlesnake Creek

White Salm

on River

Lower Buck Cr. Falls

Columbia River

Falls

BZ Falls

Connectivity within theWhite Salmon watershed_________

How do fish use the system?

Upper Buck Cr. Falls

White Salm

on River

Husum Falls

Condit Dam, White Salmon River Basin (WA)

Habitat use and life history characteristics of rainbow trout in the White Salmon River above Condit Dam

ObjectiveAssess connectivity of Northwestern Lake with mainstem White Salmon River and its tributaries

Funded by:

Fish collection: hook and line

Data collected: location, length, weight, scale sample, and genetic sample

PIT tagging

surgery if radio tagged

Radio Tagging:

2001: 44 tags 12 above Husum 9 below Husum 23 in reservoir

2002: 20 tags 10 above Husum 10 below Husum Remote PIT

tag interrogator

Husum Falls

BZ Falls

Waterfall

Condit Dam

Date

Feb May Aug Nov Feb May

Riv

er k

ilom

eter

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Husum Falls

NW Lake

Condit Dam

1.12.34.15.25.36.16.47.39.5 r

2002 2001

BZ Falls

Condit Dam

Date

Feb May Aug Nov Feb May

Riv

er k

ilom

eter

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Husum Falls

NW Lake

Condit Dam

2001 2002

BZ FallsRainbow trout "8.5"Fork Length = 406 mmTracked in Buck Creekon 29 Mar. 2001 and 16 Apr. 2001

Riv

er k

ilom

eter

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Husum Falls

NW Lake

BZ FallsRainbow trout "8.2"Fork Length = 350 mm

Buck Creek

Conclusions:

Most fish moved less than 3 km

Rattlesnake and Buck creek are used as spawning tributaries

Resident trout can pass above Husum Falls

Behavior of trout in the White Salmon River watershed is diverse

Assess Current and PotentialSalmonid Production in

Rattlesnake Creek Associated with Restoration efforts

Funded by:

Bonneville Power Administration

Objectives1.) Characterize fish populations, isotopes, water quality/quantity, and habitat prior to re-introduction

2.) Identify restoration needs

Indian Creek

White Salm

on River

Rattles

nake C

reek

Instream PIT-tag interrogation system

Falls

Condit Dam

Husum Falls

Falls

Fish sampled and tagged (n=4,813)

Species, abundance, movement, growth, disease

Indian Creek

FlowMultiplexingtransceiver

Rattlesnake Creek antenna system

To AC Power and Data Storage

Indian Creek

White Salm

on River Rattles

nake C

reek

Instream PIT-tag interrogation system

Falls

Condit Dam

Husum Falls

1% (289)

12% (438) 22% (1,102)

21% (116)

12% (355)

0.1% (1,184)

0.7% (1,329)

Connectivity to theWhite

Salmon watershed_________

How do fish use the

system?

Falls

Indian Creek

DateJan/03 Jul/03 Jan/04 Jul/04 Jan/05 Jul/05 Jan/06 Jul/06 Jan/07

log

Flow

(cfs

)

0.1

1

10

100

1000

10000

Downstream

Flow and downstream fish movement

Bonneville Dam

16 Sept 2004: Tagged at 98 mm in Indian Creek (tributary)

29 March 2005: Detected leaving Rattlesnake Creek

22 July 2006: Detected moving up through Bonneville adult fish ladder as a one-salt summer steelhead

East Sand Island 27 Oct 2004: Tagged at 156 mm in lower Rattlesnake Creek

27 April 2005: Detected leaving Rattlesnake Creek

15 Nov 2005: Tag found at East Sand Island Caspian tern colony

Bonneville Dam

Summary of findings

Fish Behavior in Rattlesnake Creek:

• Husum Falls was not a barrier to larger resident trout

• Little connection between trout above and below lower Rattlesnake Creek waterfall at RKM 2.4

• Spawning resident trout from the White Salmon River use Rattlesnake and Buck creeks

• Some White Salmon trout over-winter in Rattlesnake Creek

• Many Rattlesnake and Indian creek trout emigrate to the White Salmon River, during spring, smolt like – some continue to express anadromy

Now.

Future?