Chinook Salmon Productivity and Escapement Monitoring in the John Day River Basin - Annual Technical Report 2014

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Bare, C. M., J. J. Rogers, I. A. Tattam, J. R. Ruzycki, R. W. Carmichael

Publish Date: 2015

Online Link: None

BPA Project #:

Contact Information

Agency: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Name: Ian Tattam

Job Position: Project Leader

Telephone: 541-962-3027

E-Mail Address: Ian.A.Tattam@odfw.oregon.gov

Description

Abstract: The John Day River basin supports three wild populations of spring Chinook salmon. Distinct populations are present in the upper Mainstem, Middle Fork, and North Fork of the John Day River. These populations remain depressed relative to historic levels. Spring Chinook spawning ground surveys, which have included all known reaches of spawning activity, have been conducted in the John Day River basin from 2000 through present. Numerous habitat protection and rehabilitation projects have been implemented in the basin to improve salmonid freshwater production and survival, and often, these projects lack effectiveness monitoring. Our continued monitoring efforts to estimate salmonid abundance, age structure, smolts per redd, freshwater habitat use, and distribution of critical life stages allow managers to assess the long-term effectiveness of habitat improvement projects. Spawning ground survey effort has gone from limited ‘Index’ surveys that occurred at the peak of spawning and in higher density spawning areas, to ‘Census’ surveys that include all known spawning reaches and are surveyed multiple times to capture a complete representation over the spawning period. This data is used to estimate spawning escapement to each population. In years when a sufficient number of John Day origin PIT tagged smolts returned to the system and were subsequently detected during spawning surveys, we were able to corroborate those escapement estimates using a mark-recapture technique. Extensive surveying has also provided more opportunities to encounter carcasses and gather valuable data, such as age, origin, and disease presence. A freshwater productivity measure of smolts-per-redd is also obtained using redd counts and age data. Originator: ODFW, Eastern Oregon Fish Research (EOFR). Funded by Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)

Purpose: 1. Estimate number and distribution of Chinook salmon redds and spawners for the John Day River subbasin populations. 2. Estimate age composition and hatchery stray fraction of the John Day River subbasin spring Chinook salmon populations. 3. Estimate productivity metrics including smolts/spawner for the John Day River spring Chinook populations.

Time Period of Content: July 2014 - June 2015

Geographic Extent: John Day River Basin including the mainstem and Middle, North and South Forks of the John Day River.

Status: Final

Use Constraints:

Format: pdf

Data Quality Information

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Data Information

No data information was supplied.

Entity and Attribute Information

Attributes Description: Field attribute information is available in the attached file(s).

Is a physical copy maintained for reference at Headquarters? Unknown