Lower Umatilla River

1
Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Outmigration and
Survival in the Lower Umatilla River
Project No. 1989-024-01
Tara White, Shannon Jewett, Josh Hanson, and
Richard Carmichael ODFW, NE Fish Research and
Development Hermiston, OR
Funded by
Presented by Tara White Research Project Leader
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Umatilla River Location
Study Site
McNary Dam
Umatilla
WA
MT
ID
OR
CA
NV
UT
3
Management Issues
Natural Production Success
Hatchery Effectiveness
Flow Enhancement Effectiveness
Passage Conditions
4
Association with Key Project Elements

• Hatchery Effectiveness survival, outmigration
• performance health
• Natural Production Successabundance,
• outmigration performance health
• Flow Enhancement effects of river operations
• on fish migration survival
• Passage Conditions Strategies effectiveness
• of fish passage transport

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Project Goals
Migration
Abundance

Survival
Life History
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Relationship With Umatilla Basin Projects
Lamprey Res.
Hatchery ME
Migrant Data
Natural Production ME
Migration Monitoring In-basin Survival
via PIT-tag data
Migrant Abundance Timing
OS
Biological Data
Umatilla Basin Proj.
Test fish/ Survival
Hatchery OM
Coho Monitor
Passage OM
Mods.
Migrant Data
Passage Ops.
Satellite Fac.
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Project Objectives

• Determine migration parameters and survival
• of hatchery migrants
• Determine abundance and timing of natural
• migrants monitor trends in natural production
• Assess condition, health, size, growth, and
• smolt status of migrants
• Investigate effects of river, canal, and fishway
• operations and environ. variables on migrants

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Project Objectives
Evaluate survival between transported and
in-river migrants Document temporal
distribution and diversity of resident
fish Operate the PIT-tag interrogation system
at West Extension Canal Design and install
adult PIT-tag interrogation at Three Mile Falls
Dam Participate in basin planning and
coordination
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Methods
Remote PIT tag Interrogation Trapping
Recovery Tank
Sample Tank
Computer
Fish Transfer Flume
River Return Pipe Antennas
Bypass Pipe
Transceiver Enclosure
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Migration Patterns Hatchery vs. Natural Summer
Steelhead
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Migration PatternsSubyearling Fall Chinook Salmon
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In-basin Survival of Hatchery Migrants(1999-2003
)
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In-Basin Survival of Hatchery Spring Chinook
Salmon
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In-basin Survival of Hatchery Subyearling Fall
Chinook Salmon


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Reach Survival Index for Hatchery Summer
Steelhead
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Natural Smolt Abundance
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Natural Steelhead Abundance1995-2003

RST
Year
18
Smolt Yield per Spawner1998-2003
Smolts / Spawner
Year
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Annual Migration Timing of Natural-reared Spring
Chinook Salmon
Date
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Mean Fork Length at Emigrationof Natural
Salmonids
173.2 mm
101.2 mm
Mean Fork Length (mm)
75.3 mm
Year
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Age at Emigration of Natural Steelhead
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Subyearling Fall Chinook Migrants and River Flow
Temp
gt17.5 C
Flow
lt 300 cfs
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Transport EvaluationSubyearling Fall Chinook
Salmon
Percent Detection
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Juvenile Bypass EfficiencySpring Chinook Salmon
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PIT Tag Equipment Upgrades at West Extension
Canal
Paddle-style Antennas
Before
Before
Stationary Transceivers
Hand wrapped Antennas
Temporary Transceivers
After
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PIT Tag Detection SystemThree Mile Falls Dam East

•  

Current
Proposed
Flow
Weir walls
Antenna
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Summary

• Hatchery Production Groups

• Natural Production Success and Life Histories

• Flow Enhancement

• Passage Conditions Strategies

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Conclusions

• Migration patterns of hatchery fish were similar
  to patterns of natural fish, except in CHF0.

• In-basin performance of hatchery migrants has
  been poor and highly variable from year to year.

• No consistent pattern of in-basin survival of
  std-transferred vs. fall-transferred fish.

• CHF0 direct-released at RM 48.5 displayed
  improved survival over fish acclimated released
  upstream (RM 73.5).

• Fish released lower in the river survived at a
  much higher rate.

• Average annual NSTS smolt production is 49,488.

• Smolt/spawner ratios as in-basin measures of
  productivity have been relatively low.

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Conclusions

• Migration timing of natural migrants varied
  between species and years.

• Fall chinook salmon are leaving as subyearlings
  and steelhead at a broad distribution of ages.

• Subyearling fall chinook are emigrating during
  the critical low flow high temperature period
  (June July).

• The relationship btw environmental variables and
  passage timing has also been variable.

• The efficiency of the juvenile bypass is
  influenced by water temperature, river flow and
  canal diversion rate.

• PIT tag equipment at West Extension Canal was
  upgraded in 2003.

• Funding is currently being pursued to support
  installation of PIT tag equipment at Three Mile
  Falls Dam east.

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Recommendations

• Continue monitoring hatchery production
  strategies via remote PIT tag interrogation.

• Release steelhead as low down in the system as
  possible while meeting other management
  objectives.

• Continue to monitor trends in natural abundance
  changes in life history expression for natural
  species.

• Provide enhanced mid-summer flows in an effort to
  benefit natural CHF0 migrants reduce fish
  transport.

• Monitor the relationship btw environmental
  variables river, canal and fishway operations on
  migrants.

• Implement improved PIT tag detection equipment at
  the east bank of Three Mile Falls Dam.