[PPT] - Preliminary Results Chehalis Basin Strategy Reducing Flood Damage PowerPoint Presentation

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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

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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

20000 40000 60000 80000 100000 120000 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Number of Spawners Return Year

Coho Fall Chinook Spring Chinook Steelhead

Other salmonids

Chum
Cutthroat

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Chehalis Basin Contribution to WA Coast

11/12/2013

10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 80000 90000 Willapa Chehalis Queets Hoh Quillayute Number of Spawners

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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200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Mean Monthly Flow (cfs)

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

11/12/2013

Data collection period July 15 – October 25, 2013

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Riverscape View: Patterns

f 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

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P8140008

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P8140174

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P8150197

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P8220200

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P9100054 (sand)

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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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500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Survey Kilometer

Salmon 0+

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Count

Summer Fish Distribution

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Summer Fish Distribution

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1000 2000 3000 4000 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Count Salmon 0+

500 1000 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Count Trout 0+

100 200 300 400

20 40 60

Count Trout 1+

20 40 60 80 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Pikeminnow

1000 2000 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Redside Shiner

1000 2000 3000

20 40 60

Count

Dace

20 40 60 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 69 72 75

Smallmouth Bass

2 4

20 40 60

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

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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