North Saskatchewan River Drainage, Fish Sustainability Index Data Gaps Project, 2017

Transcription

1 North Saskatchewan River Drainage, Fish Sustainability Index Data Gaps Project, 2017

2 North Saskatchewan River Drainage, Fish Sustainability Index Data Gaps Project, 2017 Chad Judd, Mike Rodtka, and Zachary Spence Alberta Conservation Association Chippewa Road Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada T8A 6J7

3 Report Editors PETER AKU GLENDA SAMUELSON Alberta Conservation Association R.R. # Chippewa Rd. Craven, SK S0G 0W0 Sherwood Park, AB T8A 6J7 Conservation Report Series Type Data ISBN: Reproduction and Availability: This report and its contents may be reproduced in whole, or in part, provided that this title page is included with such reproduction and/or appropriate acknowledgements are provided to the authors and sponsors of this project. Suggested Citation: Judd, C., M. Rodtka, and Z. Spence North Saskatchewan River drainage, fish sustainability index data gaps project, Data Report, produced by Alberta Conservation Association, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. 18 pp + App. Cover photo credit: David Fairless Digital copies of conservation reports can be obtained from: Alberta Conservation Association Chippewa Rd. Sherwood Park, AB T8A 6J7 Toll Free: Tel: (780) Fax: (780) info@ab-conservation.com Website: i

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fishery inventories provide resource managers with information on fish species abundance, distribution, and habitat. This information is a key component of responsible land use planning. Alberta Environment and Park s (AEP) Fish Sustainability Index (FSI), is a standardized process of assessment that provides the framework within which fishery inventories must occur for greatest relevance to government managers and planners. Our objective was to describe bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) distribution and abundance in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed to address data deficiencies for these FSI priority species. Bull trout are particularly sensitive to habitat change and are classed as Threatened in Alberta (Saskatchewan and Nelson rivers populations). Priority areas for fishery inventories in 2017 were identified in consultation with project partners and included the Blackstone River, its tributaries and tributaries of the Brazeau River. From July 7 to August 24, we sampled 52 sites randomly distributed throughout six watersheds classed as hydrologic unit code (HUC) 10. West Fraser Mills Ltd s forest management area encompasses at least portions of four of the six watersheds and 26 of the 52 sites. Sites were sampled using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear. We captured 308 bull trout, and 235 mountain whitefish. Bull trout were detected in all the HUC 10 watersheds and at 33 of the 52 sites. The Thistle Creek watershed had the highest relative abundance of bull trout at 5.68 bull trout per 100 m, while the Devil Forks watershed had the lowest, at 0.42 bull trout per 100 m. Mountain whitefish were detected in all watersheds except Chungo Creek and Thistle Creek. Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and cutthroat trout (Onchorynchus clarkii) were detected in all watersheds, except Thistle Creek and Devil Forks, respectively. We measured stream temperature (hourly) at 13 stations in the HUC 10 watersheds to assess thermal suitability for bull trout habitat. Results indicated that highly suitable thermal habitat for bull trout existed in the Thistle Creek and upper Blackstone River watersheds in the summer months of Our study provides current information on stream habitats, and the abundance and distribution of FSI priority species within the Blackstone River, its tributaries and tributaries of the Brazeau River. This information is useful to land managers when attempting to balance the diverse values of the landbase upon which they operate and critical for the conservation of native fish species particularly sensitive to habitat degradation including bull trout. Key words: Alberta, North Saskatchewan River watershed, FSI, bull trout, mountain whitefish, distribution, abundance. ii

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Jessica Reilly and Steve Herman of Alberta Environment and Parks for their assistance with project design and development. Alberta Conservation Association employees Andrew Clough and Bryce O Connor assisted with data collection and summary. The financial support of Hinton Wood Products, a division of West Fraser Mills Ltd., is greatly appreciated as is employee Laura Trout s assistance with funding and study design considerations. iii

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS... iv LIST OF FIGURES... v LIST OF TABLES... vi LIST OF APPENDICES... vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION STUDY AREA MATERIALS AND METHODS Fish distribution and abundance Stream habitat measurement RESULTS Fish distribution and abundance Stream habitat measurement SUMMARY LITERATURE CITED APPENDICES iv

7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Map of the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed and the fishery inventory watersheds, Inset map shows the location within the province of Alberta Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing sites, Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of stream temperature stations in each watershed and the Blackstone River, Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the distribution of fish species captured using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, v

8 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Number of sites where fish were detected in each HUC 10 watershed and total catch of fish species using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Table 2. Relative abundance of bull trout and mountain whitefish in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Table 3. Table 4. Table 5. Size distribution of fish species captured in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Summary of stream habitat measurements in each HUC 10 watershed collected while backpack and tote-barge electrofish sampling, July 7 to August 24, Summary of stream temperature measurements from 13 stations in the Blackstone and Brazeau watersheds, July 1 to August 31, vi

9 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix 1. Appendix 2. Appendix 3. Appendix 4. Appendix 5. Appendix 6. Appendix 7. Summary of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing site locations (NAD 83, Zone 11) and fish capture by species in the Upper Blackstone River (BS, BL = tote sites), Brown Creek (B), Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) watersheds, Bootstrapped mean relative abundance (10,000 replicates) of fish captured in each HUC 10 watershed, using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, Length frequency histograms of bull trout, mountain whitefish, cutthroat trout, and brook trout, captured using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear in the North Saskatchewan River watershed, Length frequency histograms of bull trout and cutthroat trout captured using angling gear in the Blackstone River, Stream hydrographs for Brown Creek and Brazeau River generated by Alberta Environment and Parks stream gauging stations, April to October, Summary of habitat measurements at backpack and tote-barge electrofishing sites in the Upper Blackstone River (BS, BL = tote sites), Brown Creek (B), Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) watersheds, Two-day moving average stream temperature at 13 stations in the Blackstone River, Brown Creek, Chungo Creek, Devil Forks, Thistle Creek, and Wapiabi Creek watersheds, vii

10 1.0 INTRODUCTION Fishery inventories provide resource managers with information on fish species abundance, distribution, and habitat. This information is a key component of responsible land use planning. Alberta Environment and Park s (AEP) Fish Sustainability Index (FSI), is a standardized process of assessment, that provides a landscape-level overview of fish sustainability within Alberta and enables broad-scale evaluation of management actions and land use planning (MacPherson et al. 2014). The FSI evaluates fish species on four groups of metrics: population integrity, population productivity, threats, and data reliability (MacPherson et al. 2014). Fishery inventory data are particularly suited to evaluation of the population integrity (adult and immature density) and productive potential (geographic extent) metrics. When conducting fishery inventories in Alberta, watersheds are scaled using a hydrological unit code (HUC), appropriate for the focal fish species, with HUC 2 being the coarsest level and HUC 10 being the finest level. Priority species, as identified by AEP, for FSI assessment that are known to occur in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed include bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) and mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) (MacPherson et al. 2014). Mountain whitefish are classed as Secure in Alberta (Government of Alberta 2017) whereas bull trout are classed as Threatened (Saskatchewan Nelson rivers populations) (COSEWIC 2012). Bull trout are particularly sensitive to habitat change and are thought to reflect general ecosystem health (COSEWIC 2012). This sensitivity, coupled with their relatively wide distribution, make bull trout a suitable species for monitoring sustainability in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed. Bull trout populations are being assessed at a HUC 10 scale. Our objectives for this study were to: 1. Describe bull trout and mountain whitefish distribution and abundance to address FSI data deficiencies in the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed. 2. Describe fish inventory and stream habitat in priority HUC 10 watersheds as identified by project partners. 1

11 2.0 STUDY AREA The North Saskatchewan River originates in Banff National Park. Major headwater tributaries include the Ram, Clearwater and Brazeau rivers (Figure 1). Cold water habitat suitable for bull trout and other salmonids is located mainly upstream of the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan rivers, and in the Brazeau watershed above the Brazeau Reservoir. Land use activities outside of the national parks include forestry, oil and gas exploration, and recreation. Land use within the national parks is restricted and primarily recreational (North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance 2005). Priority areas for sampling HUC 10 watersheds were identified in consultation with project partners with highest priority given to areas in the bull trout range where current fishery inventory data are absent or dated. Our 2017 study area consists of the Blackstone and Brazeau river watersheds (HUC 8) upstream of the Brazeau dam and include the following HUC 10 watersheds: Upper Blackstone River (BS), Brown Creek (B) Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) (Figure 2). West Fraser Mills Ltd s forest management area includes portions of the Chungo Creek, Brown Creek, Thistle Creek, and Devil Forks watersheds. 2

12 Figure 1. Map of the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River watershed and the fishery inventory watersheds, Inset map shows the location within the province of Alberta. 3

13 Figure 2. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing sites,

14 3.0 MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1 Fish distribution and abundance From July 7 to August 24, 2017, we sampled 52 randomly distributed sites to describe bull trout, mountain whitefish, and other fish species distribution and relative abundance in six HUC 10 watersheds (Figure 2). We distributed prospective sample sites at 1,200 m intervals in an upstream progression along the length of third- to fifth-order streams (> 400 m; 1:20,000 scale) (Strahler 1952) within each HUC 10 watershed using a geographical information system (GIS) (ArcGIS version 10.4) and the Government of Alberta Resource Management Information Branch hydro line data layer. Sample sites were randomly selected without replacement using a Generalized Random Tessellation Stratified (GRTS) design (Stevens and Olsen 2004). We used a conservative target of eight sample sites per HUC 10 watershed based on past evaluations of our power to detect immature bull trout (Rodtka and Judd 2015; Rodtka et al. 2015). Additional sites were added to the Wapiabi Creek watershed (sites WA1 and WA2) to ensure sampling was completed on the mainstem portion of the creek. To accommodate non-response sites we drew a total of 11 sites per sample frame. Sites were assessed in the order in which they were drawn. In total, seven sites were considered non-response and alternates were chosen. The nonresponse sites included five dry sites and two inaccessible sites. The GRTS sampling design allowed us to adjust our sample size to accommodate these nonresponse sites while maintaining a spatially balanced sample (Stevens and Olsen 2004). A handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to locate sample sites. All site sampling commenced at the head of riffle habitat. Our sample protocol for backpack electrofishing required sample sites be 300 m long (measured with a hip chain). Two sites were less than 300 m due to unsuitable electrofishing conditions (mean site length ± SD; 296 m ± 21 m). Sites were sampled using a Smith-Root LR-20B backpack electrofisher with pulsed DC (voltage V, frequency Hz and duration ms). The mainstem of the Blackstone River downstream of the Blackstone Gap (Figure 2, site BL1) was excluded from our initial draw of sample sites as we had originally planned to sample the lower river using float electrofishing gear. However, flow conditions in this section of the Blackstone River were inadequate for float electrofishing gear at the time of sampling and required sampling to be completed by tote-barge. We sampled two sites (sites BL1 and BL6) on the Blackstone River using a Smith-Root SR-6 tote-barge electrofisher with a 2.5 GPP (typical 5

15 settings were 60 Hz at 40% 50% of high range). We sampled moving downstream from the start of the site with a three-person crew consisting of one tote-barge operator, one anode pole operator, and one netter. The tote-barge sites were 500 m long (measured with a range finder). We angled the Blackstone River while scouting sample site access locations and water conditions prior to tote-barge electrofishing. Angling was conducted in teams of two using jigs and spinners on baited hooks. Angling effort was measured by the individual angler using a stopwatch. We returned our angling catch to the river at the point of capture after sampling. Electrofishing effort (seconds) was recorded at 50 m and 100 m intervals for backpack and totebarge sites, respectively. Fish were identified to species, enumerated, and measured (fork length, FL, mm). Bull trout were visually inspected upon capture for morphological features of hybridization with brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) based on criteria in Popowich et al. (2011). Immature bull trout and immature mountain whitefish were defined as 150 mm FL (ASRD and ACA 2009) and < 230 mm FL (Jason Cooper, AEP Fisheries Biologist, personal communication), respectively when reporting abundances. 3.2 Stream habitat measurement At all sample sites, we measured stream temperature (1 C) and ambient stream conductivity (1 μs/cm) prior to electrofishing. Ambient stream conductivity has been demonstrated to significantly impact detection of immature bull trout using electrofishing gear (Rodtka et al. 2015). We measured stream depth (0.01 m), wetted width (0.1 m), and rooted width (0.1 m) at transects spaced at 50 m and 100 m intervals for backpack and tote-barge sites, respectively. Habitat type and dominant substrate type were assessed between transects. We visually estimated the percentage (nearest 5%) of pool habitat (reduced current velocity, little surface turbulence, water deeper than surrounding areas), riffle habitat (swift flow of water over bed materials producing surface turbulence), and run habitat (uniform but swift flow of water without surface waves). Dominant substrate type was scored based on a modified Wentworth (1922) scale and included: fines (< 2 mm; score 0), small gravel (2 16 mm; score 1), large gravel (17 64 mm; score 2), cobble ( mm; score 3), boulder (>256 mm; score 4), and bedrock (score 5). Stream temperature plays an important role in aquatic community processes and has been correlated to specific fish species distribution and abundance (Isaac et al. 2012; Rieman et al. 6

16 2007). We measured summer (July 1 August 31) stream temperature (1 C) every hour at 13 stations located throughout the six HUC 10 watersheds to describe the thermal habitats available (Figure 3). All fish and habitat information acquired in the field was submitted for inclusion into the AEP Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS) database. 7

17 Figure 3. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the location of stream temperature stations in each watershed and the Blackstone River,

18 4.0 RESULTS 4.1 Fish distribution and abundance Electrofishing We sampled 52 sites with backpack electrofishing (n = 50) and tote-barge electofishing (n = 2) gear resulting in over 53,000 seconds of effort over 15.8 km of stream. In addition to bull trout, our catch included: brook trout, cutthroat trout (Onchorynchus clarki), longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae), longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus), mountain whitefish, and spoonhead sculpin (Cottus ricei). Bull trout were captured in all six HUC 10 watersheds and at 33 of the 40 sites where fish were detected. Twelve sites had 0 fish captures (Figure 4). None of the bull trout captured showed evidence of hybridization with brook trout. Mountain whitefish were captured in four of the six HUC 10 watersheds, they were not captured in the Chungo Creek or Thistle Creek watersheds (Table 1). Non-native brook trout were most widely distributed in the Brown Creek and Devil Forks watersheds. Site specific catch information is provided in Appendix 1. The relative abundance (mean catch per 100 m) of bull trout ranged from 5.68 to 0.42 and was highest in the Thistle Creek watershed (Table 2). Relative abundance of mountain whitefish was highest in the Upper Blackstone River watershed. Bootstrapped mean relative abundance (10,000 replicates) of bull trout, mountain whitefish, brook trout, and cutthroat trout for each HUC 10 watershed is provided in Appendix 2. 9

19 Figure 4. Map of the HUC 10 watersheds showing the distribution of fish species captured using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Species codes: BKTR = brook trout, BLTR = bull trout, CTTR = cutthroat trout, MNWH = mountain whitefish. 10

20 Table 1. Number of sites where fish were detected in each HUC 10 watershed and total catch of fish species using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Species codes: BKTR = brook trout, BLTR = bull trout, CTTR = cutthroat trout, LNDC = longnose dace, LNSC = longnose sucker, MNWH = mountain whitefish, SPSC = spoonhead sculpin. Species Upper Blackstone River Number of sites where fish were detected (n) Brown Creek Chungo Creek Devil Forks Thistle Creek Wapiabi Creek Total catch (n) (%) BKTR (11) BLTR (44) CTTR (9) LNDC (< 1) LNSC (1) MNWH (34) SPSC (< 1) Table 2. Relative abundance of bull trout and mountain whitefish in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, HUC 10 watershed Bull trout Mean catch/100 m (95% CI) Mountain whitefish Upper Blackstone River 1.08 ( ) 4.38 ( ) Brown Creek 1.88 ( ) 0.17 (0 0.50) Chungo Creek 1.75 ( ) Devil Forks 0.42 ( ) 0.04 (0 0.13) Thistle Creek 5.68 ( ) Wapiabi Creek 1.17 ( ) 1.36 (0 3.23) Our bull trout catch ranged in size from 43 mm FL to 428 mm FL and mainly consisted of immature fish (n = 176). Mountain whitefish size ranged from 65 mm FL to 359 mm FL. Immature mountain whitefish were most abundant at site BL6 (n = 59). Immature bull trout and immature mountain whitefish were detected in all of the HUC 10 watersheds where both species occurred (Table 3). The size range of brook trout and cutthroat trout was 33 mm FL to 232 mm FL and 28 mm FL to 370 mm FL, respectively. Length frequency histograms of our brook trout, bull trout, cutthroat trout, and mountain whitefish catch are contained in Appendix 3. 11

21 Table 3. Size distribution of fish species captured in each HUC 10 watershed using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, July 7 to August 24, Species codes: BKTR = brook trout, BLTR = bull trout, CTTR = cutthroat trout, LNDC = longnose dace, LNSC = longnose sucker, MNWH = mountain whitefish, SPSC = spoonhead sculpin. HUC 10 Watershed Fork length (mm) Fish species BKTR BLTR CTTR LNDC LNSC MNWH SPSC Upper Blackstone River n Mean ± SD 153 ± ± ± ± ± Range Brown Creek n Mean ± SD 147 ± ± ± ± 49 Range Chungo Creek n Mean ± SD 147 ± ± ± 55 Range Devil Forks n Mean ± SD 152 ± ± ± Range Thistle Creek n Mean ± SD 129 ± Range Wapiabi Creek n Mean ± SD 147 ± ± ± ± Range

22 4.1.2 Angling We angled 12 km of the Blackstone River totaling 13.9 hours of effort. We captured 46 bull trout, 24 cutthroat trout, and one mountain whitefish. The mean ± SE catch-per-unit-effort of bull trout was 3.8 ± 1.1 fish/km. Bull trout ranged in size from 260 mm FL to 413 mm FL, with a mean ± SD of 348 ± 33 mm FL. The single mountain whitefish had a length of 326 mm FL. Length frequency histograms of our angling catch are provided in Appendix Stream habitat measurement The summer of 2017 was notably dry (Appendix 5) and resulted in low stream flows for much of the sampling period. Cobble substrate was predominately found throughout the sample sites with the exception of the Devil Forks and Wapiabi Creek watersheds which were dominated by fines and large gravel, respectively (Table 4). Ambient stream conductivity was lowest in the Chungo Creek watershed with four sites having conductivities below 150 µs/cm and highest in the Upper Blackstone River watershed. See Appendix 6 for site specific habitat measurements. 13

23 Table 4. Summary of stream habitat measurements in each HUC 10 watershed collected while backpack and tote-barge electrofish sampling, July 7 to August 24, Substrate codes: B = boulder, C = cobble, F = fines, LG = large gravel, SG = small gravel. Measurement Stream temperature ( C) Upper Blackstone River Brown Creek HUC 10 watershed Chungo Creek Devil Forks Thistle Creek Wapiabi Creek Mean ± SD 9 ± 3 10 ± 2 9 ± 2 10 ± 1 9 ± 2 9 ± 2 Range Ambient conductivity (µs/cm) Mean ± SD 356 ± ± ± ± ± ± 53 Range Wetted width (m) Mean ± SD 5.1 ± ± ± ± ± ± 4.5 Range Rooted width (m) Mean ± SD 14.8 ± ± ± ± ± ± 51.4 Range Maximum depth (m) Mean ± SD 0.24 ± ± ± ± ± ± 0.14 Range Modal stream stage Low Low Low Low Low Low Modal substrate Primary C C C F C LG Secondary LG SG LG SG LG LG Stream temperature measurements identified a range of temperatures in the Blackstone and Brazeau watersheds. For the HUC 10 watersheds with multiple stations, the general trend of higher stream temperatures located downstream in the watershed was observed (Table 5). Highly suitable thermal habitat for bull trout (i.e., mean summer stream temperature 10 C, maximum summer stream temperature 16 C; Isaak et al. 2009) was present only in the Thistle Creek and the Upper Blackstone River (i.e., Blackstone 4) watersheds. Mean summer temperatures at the other stations were above 10 C, however, bull trout were still found throughout the six HUC 10 watersheds. A two-day moving average of stream temperatures recorded at each station is presented in Appendix 7. 14

24 Table 5. Summary of stream temperature measurements from 13 stations in the Blackstone and Brazeau watersheds, July 1 to August 31, Station UTM Location NAD 83 Zone 11 Easting Northing Mean ± SD temperature ( C) Temperature range ( C) Blackstone ± Blackstone ± Blackstone ± Blackstone ± Brown ± Brown ± Chungo ± Chungo ± Devil Forks ± Thistle ± Wapiabi ± Wapiabi ± Wapiabi ± SUMMARY We sampled 52 sites located throughout six priority HUC 10 watersheds within the Blackstone River and Brazeau River HUC 8 watersheds using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear. A total of 26 sites were located within West Fraser Mills Ltd. s forest management area. Both immature and non-immature bull trout were detected in all six HUC 10 watersheds. The Thistle Creek watershed had the highest relative abundance of bull trout indicating its importance for spawning and rearing habitat. Mountain whitefish were observed in four of the six HUC 10 watersheds. Immature mountain whitefish had the highest relative abundance in the Upper Blackstone River watershed. Non-native brook trout and cutthroat trout were found in all of the HUC 10 watersheds, except Thistle Creek and Devil Forks, respectively. Stream temperature measurements indicate that summer temperatures were highly suitable for bull trout in the Thistle Creek and Upper Blackstone River watersheds. All of the watersheds, except Devil Forks and Wapiabi Creek, had cobble as the dominant substrate, a habitat quality preferred by immature bull trout (ASRD and ACA 2009). 15

25 Our study provides current information on stream habitats, and the abundance and distribution of FSI priority species within the Blackstone River, its tributaries and tributaries of the Brazeau River. This information is useful to land managers when attempting to balance the diverse values of the landbase upon which they operate and critical for the conservation of native fish species particularly sensitive to habitat degradation including bull trout. 16

26 6.0 LITERATURE CITED Alberta Sustainable Resource Development and Alberta Conservation Association Status of the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Alberta: Update Wildlife Status Report No. 39 produced by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 48 pp. COSEWIC COSEWIC assessment and status report on the bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in Canada. Report produced by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 103 pp. Government of Alberta Alberta wild species general status listing Report produced by the Government of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 24 pp. Isaak, D., B.E. Rieman, and D. Horan A watershed-scale monitoring protocol for bull trout. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-224 produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. 25 pp. Isaak, D.J., S. Wollrab, D. Horan, and G. Chandler Climate change effects on stream and river temperatures across the northwest U.S. from and implications for salmonid fishes. Climatic Change 113: MacPherson, L., M. Coombs, J. Reilly, M.G. Sullivan, and D.J. Park A generic rule set for applying the Alberta fish sustainability index, second edition. Report produced by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 51 pp. North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance State of the North Saskatchewan watershed report 2005 a foundation for collaborative watershed management. Produced by the North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 202 pp. Popowich, R.C., P.A. Venturelli, J.D. Stelfox, and E.B. Taylor Validation of morphological characteristics used for field identification of bull trout brook trout hybrids. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31:

27 Rieman, B.E., D.J. Isaak, S. Adams, D. Horan, D. Nagel, C. Luce, and D. Myers Anticipated climate warming effects on bull trout habitats and populations across the Interior Columbia River Basin. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136: Rodtka, M., and C. Judd Abundance and distribution of bull trout in the Muskeg River watershed, Data Report, D , produced by Alberta Conservation Association, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. 18 pp + App. Rodtka, M.C., C.S. Judd, P.K.M. Aku, and K.M. Fitzsimmons Estimating occupancy and detection probability of juvenile bull trout using backpack electrofishing gear in a westcentral Alberta watershed. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 72: Stevens Jr, D.L., and A.R. Olsen Spatially balanced sampling of natural resources. Journal of the American Statistical Association 99 (465): Strahler, A.N Hypsometric (area-altitude) analysis of erosional topography. Geological Society of America Bulletin 63: Wentworth, C.K A scale of grade and class terms for clastic sediments. The Journal of Geology 30:

28 7.0 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Summary of backpack and tote-barge electrofishing site locations (NAD 83, Zone 11) and fish capture by species in the Upper Blackstone River (BS, BL = tote sites), Brown Creek (B), Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) watersheds, Species codes: BKTR = brook trout, BLTR = bull trout, CTTR = cutthroat trout, LNDC = longnose dace, LNSC = longnose sucker, MNWH = mountain whitefish, SPSC = spoonhead sculpin. Site ID Date UTM Distance Effort Species (n) Easting Northing (m) (s) BKTR BLTR CTTR LNDC LNSC MNWH SPSC BS1 10/08/ BS3 10/08/ BS5 10/08/ BS6 31/07/ , BS7 09/08/ BS8 09/08/ , BS9 10/08/ BS10 10/08/ , BL1 29/07/ , BL6 31/07/ , B1 19/07/ , B2 20/07/ B3 11/07/ , B4 18/07/ , B5 18/07/ B6 11/07/ , B7 19/07/ B9 11/07/

29 Appendix 1. Cont. Site ID Date UTM Distance Effort Species (n) Easting Northing (m) (s) BKTR BLTR CTTR LNDC LNSC MNWH SPSC C1 08/07/ C2 09/07/ , C3 07/07/ C4 11/08/ C5 11/08/ C6 07/07/ , C7 08/07/ C8 09/07/ , DF2 12/08/ DF3 12/08/ , DF4 13/08/ DF5 13/08/ DF6 13/08/ DF7 14/08/ , DF8 14/08/ DF9 14/08/ , T1 23/08/ T2 23/08/ T3 24/08/ , T4 24/08/ , T5 23/08/ , T6 23/08/ , T7 23/08/ T9 24/08/ W1 01/08/ W3 09/08/ ,

30 Appendix 1. Cont. Site ID Date UTM Distance Effort Species (n) Easting Northing (m) (s) BKTR BLTR CTTR LNDC LNSC MNWH SPSC W4 09/08/ W5 09/08/ W7 30/07/ W8 09/08/ W9 09/08/ W10 09/08/ WA1 30/07/ , WA2 01/08/ ,

31 Appendix 2. Bootstrapped mean relative abundance (10,000 replicates) of fish captured in each HUC 10 watershed, using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear, Species codes: BKTR = brook trout, BLTR = bull trout, CTTR = cutthroat trout, MNWH = mountain whitefish. Species Upper Blackstone River Mean (95% CI) catch per 100m Brown Creek Chungo Creek Devil Forks Thistle Creek Wapiabi Creek BKTR 0.07 (0 0.20) 1.04 ( ) 1.00 (0 2.42) 0.88 ( ) 0.29 (0 0.67) Immature BLTR (0 0.97) 0.92 ( ) 0.71 (0 1.79) 0.13 ( ) 4.38 ( ) 0.63 (0 1.77) BLTR (> 150 mm FL) 0.73 ( ) 0.96 ( ) 1.04 ( ) 0.38 ( ) 1.29 ( ) 0.53 ( ) CTTR 0.72 ( ) 0.42 (0 1.17) 0.58 (0 1.58) 0.04 (0 0.13) 0.37 (0 0.97) Immature MNWH ( ) 0.08 (0 0.25) 0.04 (0 0.13) 0.33 (0 0.80) MNWH (> 230 mm FL) 1.61 ( ) 0.08 (0 0.25) 1.03 (0 2.50) mm FL 2 < 230 mm FL 22

32 Appendix 3. Length frequency histograms of bull trout, mountain whitefish, cutthroat trout, and brook trout, captured using backpack and tote-barge electrofishing gear in the North Saskatchewan River watershed, Bull trout Mountain whitefish 23

33 Appendix 3. Cont. Cutthroat trout Brook trout 24

34 Appendix 4. Length frequency histograms of bull trout and cutthroat trout captured using angling gear in the Blackstone River, Bull trout Cutthroat trout 25

35 Appendix 5. Stream hydrographs for Brown Creek and Brazeau River generated by Alberta Environment and Parks stream gauging stations, April to October,

36 Appendix 6. Summary of habitat measurements at backpack and tote-barge electrofishing sites in the Upper Blackstone River (BS, BL = tote sites), Brown Creek (B), Chungo Creek (C), Devil Forks (DF), Thistle Creek (T), and Wapiabi Creek (W) watersheds, Substrate codes: B = boulder, C = cobble, F = fines, LG = large gravel, SG = small gravel. Site ID Temp ( C) Ambient cond. (µs/cm) Mean wetted width ± SD (m) Mean rooted width ± SD (m) Mean depth ± SD (m) Dominant/ secondary substrate Mean % pool (min-max) Mean % riffle (min-max) Mean % run (min-max) BS ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 11(0-30) 59(30-80) 30(20-65) BS ± ± ± 0.02 SG/C 1(0-5) 90(75-100) 9(0-25) BS ± ± ± 0.05 LG/SG 2(0-5) 61(30-80) 38(20-65) BS ± ± ± 0.08 LG/C 2(0-5) 70(60-80) 28(20-40) BS ± ± ± 0.03 LG/C 3(0-10) 55(40-70) 43(30-60) BS ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 3(0-10) 85(70-100) 13(0-30) BS ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 6(0-10) 70(65-80) 24(20-30) BS ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 0(0-0) 100( ) 0(0-0) BL ± ± ± 0.16 C/LG 0(0-0) 70(40-100) 30(0-60) BL ± ± ± 0.07 C/LG 8(0-25) 53(25-90) 39(10-55) B ± ± ± 0.08 C/LG 5(0-10) 76(60-100) 19(0-40) B ± ± ± 0.04 SG/C 2(0-5) 72(55-80) 27(20-40) B ± ± ± 0.18 F/SG 0(0-0) 3(0-5) 98(95-100) B ± ± ± 0.09 C/LG 0(0-0) 74(20-100) 26(0-80) B ± ± ± 0.23 LG,C/LG 3(0-5) 23(10-30) 74(65-85) B ± ± ± 0.16 C/LG 10(0-50) 43(0-85) 48(15-90) B ± ± ± 0.05 LG/SG 0(0-0) 74(60-90) 26(10-40) B ± ± ± 0.05 LG/SG 0(0-0) 79(10-100) 21(0-90) C ± ± ± 0.06 C/LG 4(0-10) 26(20-30) 70(65-80) C ± ± ± 0.14 LG,C/LG,C 3(0-15) 69(45-100) 28(0-40) C ± ± ± 0.11 LG/C 3(0-10) 52(35-75) 45(25-60) C ± ± ± 0.06 C/LG 6(0-20) 48(20-70) 47(30-70) 27

37 Appendix 6. Cont. Site ID Temp ( C) Ambient cond. (µs/cm) Mean wetted width ± SD (m) Mean rooted width ± SD (m) Mean depth ± SD (m) Dominant/ secondary substrate Mean % pool (min-max) Mean % riffle (min-max) Mean % run (min-max) C ± ± ± 0.03 C/LG 1(0-5) 89(80-95) 10(5-20) C ± ± ± 0.12 LG/C 21(0-60) 49(10-80) 30(0-60) C ± ± ± 0.03 LG/SG 0(0-0) 59(40-75) 41(25-60) C ± ± ± 0.07 LG,C/LG,C 0(0-0) 73(40-100) 27(0-60) DF ± ± ± 0.03 C/SG,LG 5(0-10) 38(20-70) 58(25-80) DF ± ± ± 0.09 F/SG 30(5-60) 14(10-20) 56(30-75) DF ± ± ± 0.13 F/SG 1(0-5) 1(0-5) 98(95-100) DF ± ± ± 0.10 LG/C 5(0-15) 53(25-80) 42(20-70) DF ± ± ± 0.06 F/SG 18(10-25) 13(0-30) 68(50-80) DF ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 5(0-10) 27(20-35) 68(60-80) DF ± ± ± 0.09 F/SG 9(5-15) 6(5-10) 85(80-90) DF ± ± ± 0.18 F/LG 16(0-45) 33(10-80) 51(20-70) T ± ± ± 0.30 F/C 50(30-90) 33(0-60) 17(10-30) T ± ± ± 0.02 LG/C 0(0-0) 100( ) 0(0-0) T ± ± ± 0.05 C/LG 1(0-5) 97(90-100) 3(0-10) T ± ± ± 0.06 C/LG 12(0-30) 87(70-95) 2(0-10) T ± ± ± 0.08 C/LG 2(0-5) 95(85-100) 3(0-10) T ± ± ± 0.04 C/LG 0(0-0) 96(90-100) 4(0-10) T ± ± ± 0.05 LG/C 0(0-0) 83(70-100) 16(0-30) T ± ± ± 0.10 C/LG 0(0-0) 98(90-100) 2(0-10) W ± ± ± 0.25 LG/SG 4(0-10) 54(10-90) 43(10-90) W ± ± ± 0.02 LG,C/LG 1(0-5) 88(80-100) 11(0-20) W ± ± ± 0.06 LG/C 0(0-0) 100( ) 0(0-0) W ± ± ± 0.03 C/LG 0(0-0) 96(85-100) 4(0-15) W ± ± ± 0.06 LG/C 5(0-10) 86(65-100) 9(0-30) W ± ± ± 0.15 F/LG 43(0-70) 0(0-0) 57(30-100) 28

38 Appendix 6. Cont. Site ID Temp ( C) Ambient cond. (µs/cm) Mean wetted width ± SD (m) Mean rooted width ± SD (m) Mean depth ± SD (m) Dominant/ secondary substrate Mean % pool (min-max) Mean % riffle (min-max) Mean % run (min-max) W ± ± ± 0.02 LG/C 0(0-0) 91(85-100) 9(0-15) W ± ± ± 0.05 SG,LG/SG,LG 48(20-60) 0(0-0) 50(40-70) WA ± ± ± 0.06 C/B 1(0-5) 90(50-100) 9(0-50) WA ± ± ± 0.17 C/LG 0(0-2) 98(88-100) 2(0-10) 29

39 Appendix 7. Two-day moving average stream temperature at 13 stations in the Blackstone River, Brown Creek, Chungo Creek, Devil Forks, Thistle Creek, and Wapiabi Creek watersheds, Blackstone River Blackstone 1 Blackstone 3 Blackstone 4 Blackstone 5 Temperature C Date Brown Creek Brown 1 Brown 2 Temperature C Date 30

40 Appendix 7. Cont. Chungo Creek Chungo 1 Chungo 2 Temperature C Date Devil Forks and Thistle Creek Thistle 1 Devil Forks 1 Temperature C Date 31

41 Appendix 7. Cont. Wapiabi Creek Wapiabi 1 Wapiabi 2 Wapiabi 3 Temperature C Date 32

42 Alberta Conservation Association acknowledges the following partners for their generous support of this project: