Escapement and Productivity of Summer Steelhead and Spring Chinook Salmon in the John Day River - Annual Report 2017

Identification Information

Citation

Originator: Bare, C. M., K. B. DeHart, T. M. Jones, J. J. Rogers, I. A. Tattam and J. R. Ruzycki

Publish Date: 2018

Online Link: None

BPA Project #: 1998-016-00

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, located in northeastern Oregon, supports five wild populations of summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and three populations of wild spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) with no hatchery supplementation. However, these populations remain depressed relative to historic levels. In 1999, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) listed the Middle Columbia River summer steelhead Distinct Population Segment (DPS), which includes the John Day River Major Population Group (MPG), as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Although numerous habitat protection and rehabilitation projects have been implemented within the John Day River basin to improve steelhead and other salmonid freshwater production and survival, it has been difficult to estimate the effectiveness of these projects without a systematic program in place to collect information on the status, trends, and distribution of spawning activity, juvenile salmonids, and aquatic habitat conditions within the basin. This project provides information as directed by two measures of the Columbia River basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Measure 4.3C specifies that key indicator naturally spawning populations should be monitored to provide detailed stock status information. In addition, measure 7.1C identifies the need for collection of population status, life history, and other data on wild and naturally spawning populations. This project was developed in direct response to the recommendations and needs of regional modeling efforts, the ISRP, the Fish and Wildlife Program, the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, and the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority Multi-Year Implementation Plan. This approach incorporates the sampling strategy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). This research effort employs a statistically based and spatially explicit sampling design to answer key monitoring questions, integrate on-going sampling efforts, and improve agency coordination. The current program seeks to integrate project objectives focused on summer steelhead spawning metrics, juvenile salmonid metrics, and aquatic habitat conditions.

Purpose: Monitoring of the status and trend of anadromous salmonids in the John Day River basin. Specific metrics were: 1) spawning escapement of adult summer steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the South Fork John Day River population, 2) origin (hatchery or wild) of adult summer steelhead in the entire John Day River basin, 3) summer rearing density of O. mykiss in the South Fork and Middle Fork populations, 4) out-migrant abundance of summer steelhead and spring Chinook Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, 5) productivity (recruits per parental spawner) of select summer steelhead and spring Chinook populations, and 6) smolt-to-adult-ratios (SAR) for summer steelhead and spring Chinook describing survival through Columbia River and Pacific Ocean life history phases.

Time Period of Content: 2017

Geographic Extent: John Day River Basin

Status: Final

Use Constraints:

Format: pdf

Data Quality Information

Lineage-Source:

Data Information

Population	Indicators	Metrics
Middle Fork John Day Summer Steelhead	Natural origin spawner abundance; Juvenile outmigrant abundance	Total smolt outmigration; Total spawner abundance; Total spawners
South Fork John Day Summer Steelhead	Natural origin spawner abundance; Juvenile outmigrant abundance	Total smolt outmigration; Total spawner abundance; Total spawners

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