Deschutes River Reintroduction

Transcription

1 Deschutes River Reintroduction The rebirth of a world-class steelhead and salmon fishery in the Upper Deschutes faces many challenges. Tom Davis and Russell Bassett, Northwest Steelheaders For more than 40 years, Deschutes River steelhead and salmon were stopped cold at Pelton Round Butte Dam. Since the 1960s more than 35,000 square miles of historic habitat have been closed to Deschutes steelhead, spring chinook and sockeye. The once thriving anadromous fishery of the Upper Deschutes has been reduced to a thing of memory and legend for more than half a generation but that could change in the near future. Starting this summer, the first adult salmon of one of the most ambitious reintroduction efforts in U.S. history are returning to spawn above the dam and, in our lifetime, we could once again seeing a thriving salmon and steelhead fishery in the Upper Deschutes. After 19 months of discussions, 22 organizations, including the owners Portland General Electric and the Warm Springs Tribes signed a relicensing agreement for the Pelton Round Butte dam complex on July 13, The agreement addressed the reintroduction of anadromous salmonids and included a temperature-management release and fish collection/passage structure at the dam complex, which started functioning in The total construction cost to PGE and the WST was over $115 million for The Lower Crooked River and many tributaries are water-quality limited, so adult steelhead passage could be poor or fail. 34 I Salmon-Trout-Steelheader

2 the structure. The total cost associated with reintroduction is expected to exceed $300 million. But there are many threats to a successful reintroduction, including low flows, high water temperatures, and a recent bill in the U.S. House that would further reduce flows. If anglers are not vigilant and active against these threats, the reintroduction could fail. Starting in 2007 more than 1.3 million steelhead fry have been released into Whychus Creek. The Middle Deschutes below Big Falls received 152,000 steelhead fry beginning in 2009, and beginning in 2008 over 660,000 steelhead fry have been released in the Crooked River mainstem, along with more than 270,000 in Ochoco Creek and over 495,000 in McKay Creek. The total chinook fry released above the dam (2008 and 2009) equaled 742,244. The total steelhead fry released above the dam (2007 through 2009) equaled 1,630,287. Native sockeye salmon that were isolated and reverted to kokanee are now able to migrate downstream and return as adult sockeye. The steelhead fry releases were 2.2 times the number of chinook fry released above the dam through The chinook smolts that arrived in 2010 at the Round Butte Dam fish-collection facility were 5.7 times the number of steelhead smolts. This is a warning that successful steelhead reintroduction faces challenges. The good news is that chinook typically smolt in their first year, while steelhead may smolt in their first, second or third year. Therefore, we really haven t seen the outmigration potential for steelhead. Recent Oregon State University research on Whychus Creek concludes that an estimated four steelhead trout adults would be expected to return to Whychus. This quantitative conclusion has and will continue to be debated, but inadequate existing flows, warm stream temperatures and inadequate State of Oregon flow targets in Whychus Creek mean low potential for success of steelhead reintroduction in the Whychus Creek upper and middle reaches. So the Crooked watershed is of critical importance for steelhead reintroduction success. The minimum flows currently released from storage in Prineville Reservoir by the US Bureau of Reclamation are inadequate regarding the flows needed during spawning and juvenile stages of steelhead and chinook salmon. These anadromous salmonids may return for access to the Crooked River as early as 2012 and want to spawn in The Lower Crooked River and many tributaries are water-quality limited, so adult advertisement Guide Tip of the Month Salmon Plug If you re looking to test out a new salmon lure, might as well do it on the world s premier king salmon river, Alaska s legendary Kenai. And that s just what Scott Miller, owner of Trust Worthy Hardware in Soldotna, did during the 2011 season on the Kenai. We asked Brad s to develop a salmon plug that would have the right action that they would be willing to supply in a variety of custom colors, and their answer was the new KillerFish, which we tested extensively this past season on Kenai Kings, says Scott. We ran the Brad s KillerFish side-byside next to other salmon plugs, and the Brad s out-fished the old plugs two to one, continues Scott. During our early No Bait season, when you take the bait-wraps out of the equation, the color of the plug becomes more critical, and Brad s finishes are phenomenal. After one particularly awesome day of fishing out of the Trust Worthy Company Boat, says Scott, we had a local fisherman come in the store and ask us what the heck we were using, and we turned him on to the KillerFish. Mind you, this is a guy who has fished other plugs on the Kenai for over twenty years, and now he has switched over completely to the Brad s. Last time I saw him, he had a KF-16 with 21 notches on it, meaning he had landed 21 Kenai Kings on that one Brad s KillerFish pretty amazing stuff! The other thing that was apparent to our customers and local fishing guides was that the Brad s fished better right out of the box and required less tuning. The Brad s comes equipped with a little bigger eyelet than other plugs, which I feel gives it a better action and makes it run cleaner, continues Scott. Our local guides and anglers are some of the very best salmon anglers on the planet, and when they tell me that the Brad s KillerFish are out-producing the old plugs, I believe them! While Scott and his crew were testing the Brad s in Alaska, anglers further south were having exceptional results on the KillerFish, too. Sacramento River guide Dave Jacobs, for instance, put a lucky client onto a 40-pound king on this year s opener, while Columbia River anglers had excellent results on this year s strong return of Upriver Brights. Wherever you fish for salmon, now there s a plug that not only has the right action, but also comes in all the right colors for your local river, and many are even available with a UV finish. So tie on a Brad s and get your chinook on, and if you re ever in Soldotna, Alaska, be sure to stop in at Trust Worthy Hardware for a great selection of Brad s lures at reasonable prices. (Trust Worthy Hardware: ) October-November 2011 I 35

3 1701 4th Ave S., Seattle, WA Hours Mon-Fri 9-7 Sat-Sun th St. E., Fife, WA Hours Mon-Sat 9-7 Sun Shimano Scimitar Casting Rod 8'6" Medium Action Danco Crab Trap $12.88 $24.88 Safina Pro Spinning Reel 25a & 35a $15.88 Pautzkee Nectar All l Colors $ " Breakaway Flashers All Colors $8.88 Sportco and Outdoor Emporium Mambers Save Additional 5% on Non Sale Items Every Day! Sportco/Outdoor Emporium Membership Guarantee: Any item that our Everyday Member s Price is not equal to or better than Cabelas, Dick s and Wholesale Sports, we will always beat their price by 5% (and match ad items). Starting in 2007 more than 1.3 million steelhead fry have been released into Whychus Creek. steelhead passage could be poor or fail. The good news is that the problems appear to have feasible solutions. Flow releases specifically for steelhead or chinook are unnecessary for much of the year because of their critical life stages and the flows that are in the river for other reasons. Flow releases specifically for fish would usually be needed for less than half the year. If 82,000 acre-feet were released continuously for six months, the river flows would be 227 cfs. This is more than the minimum needed for steelhead and chinook. Ninety to 100 days may be realistic in many years; 82,000 acre-feet released over three months would equal 459 cfs. Three to six months and 227 to 459 cfs conservatively bracket the realistic range of time and flow that augmentation would be needed. This suggests that Crooked River flows can be adequate for the Endangered Species Act-listed steelhead, chinook and redbands without compromising irrigation or City of Prineville needs. In drought years, some small and proportional reduction of flows for fish and irrigation may be needed. The actual flow augmentation releases would depend on credible flow targets and adaptive management decisions made on an as-needed basis by the responsible fish managers. There are major political issues that reduce the likelihood of reintroduction success in the Crooked River. ODFW recently updated flow recommendations from a 2001 study and hosted a workshop on July 12 to present their findings. It was an interesting and valuable step forward, but with no new fish science. The fish science used was from the 2001 study. The ODFW update integrated bass fishing, water skiing and political science. Flat-water boating and fishing for non-native warm-water fish in Prineville The total construction cost to PGE and the WST was over $115 million for the structure. The total cost associated with reintroduction is expected to exceed $300 million. Reservoir were the reasons for concern. The impact of optimum, minimum flow releases on flat-water recreation in the infrequent low-water years would usually be minor and mitigation is possible. The launch areas at the docks can be extended/ lowered for drought year operation of the reservoir. For context, over 100 large reservoirs and lakes exist in Oregon for such recreation. There are four large reservoirs within a one-hour radius from Redmond that provide extensive flat-water recreation, and most include warm-water species like bass. At least six large lakes are also within the one-hour radius. Reintroducing ESA-listed steelhead into hundreds of miles of habitat is a rare opportunity and should be a top biologic, ESA, economic and jobs priority. Rep. Greg Walden released his U.S. House Bill 2060 on June 1. It moves the Deschutes Wild and Scenic River boundary downstream one-quarter of a mile to accommodate PGE s desire to construct a hydroelectric plant at the dam. Justification is not apparent for moving it that far, and it would affect an important redband spawning bed. 36 I Salmon-Trout-Steelheader

4 MONTANA The Iten Company (406) Featuring properties with access to Bitterroot River fly-fishing, near Hamilton jetport & Rocky Mountain recreational activities. Prices reduced; ranging from $160K-$8.2M. Also available: Alert Bay, British Columbia. Charming Oceanfront Home. Three bedrooms/two bathrooms. Great yachting & sport fi shing area. Near harbor, airstrip, hospital & village services. $295,000 The USBR could also construct a hydroelectric plant at the agency s Bowman Dam, so at this point, all options should be kept open until the flows-for-fish issue is resolved. A primary non-starter in HR 2060 is what s referred to as a First Fill provision. Simply stated, it means that during the occasional dry years, irrigation would get all the water it would in a normal year and steelhead, chinook and redbands would take all the loss of stored water. In most reservoir-release protocols, irrigation and downstream flow releases for fish both take reductions proportional to their space/water allocation. HR 2060 authorizes only 17 cfs for downstream flows as compared to what the 2001 study conclude that resident and anadromous native salmonids need. It adds acreage to the Ochoco Irrigation District and authorizes additional stored water for irrigating those lands from Prineville Reservoir. Legislation should allocate 70,000 acre-feet of the available 82,000 acre-feet of Prineville Reservoir space to downstream flows for salmonids and 5100 acre-feet for City of Prineville groundwater mitigation. Flow-release decisions must be by professionals and should vary by season, life stage, run characteristics and 38 I Salmon-Trout-Steelheader

5 other flows in the river at the time. The full 70,000 acre-feet would seldom be needed but it provides a safety net for downstream salmonids. After an adaptive management period of at least 10 years the allocation and operation protocol could be revisited and revised if justified. The potential biologic and economic values of an improved tailwater fishery for redbands and successful reintroduction of salmon and steelhead in the Upper Deschutes are high and definitely achievable, but not if there are not adequate flows. The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is working with several ally groups that include Trout Unlimited and Water- Watch of Oregon to try and ensure that the reintroduction is successful. Steelheaders would love to see the world-class steelhead and salmon fishery that was available to anglers 40 years ago restored, and we urge everyone who cares about the Deschutes River to take action to ensure adequate flows in the upper river for a successful reintroduction. We urge you to contact Gov. Kitzhaber and Senators Wyden and Merkley in support of adequate flows for fish in the Upper Deschutes. For more info, please visit COLUMBIA PACIFIC MARITIME LLC USCG APPROVED TRAINING SCHOOL Want to make some extra money? GET YOUR CAPTAIN S LICENSE Call now to book your class. OUPV 6-Pack Guide s License NE Thompson Ct. Portland, OR Direct (503) Cell (503) ColumbiaPacificMaritime.com BUILD A CUSTOM ROD CALL TOLL FREE: (866) 790-RODS October-November 2011 I 39