Establishment of sampling protocols and reporting mechanisms for collection and identification of new non-native species.

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1 8.0 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING IN THE RED RIVER BASIN The International Red River Board (IRRB) and its predecessor, the International Red River Pollution Board, have been monitoring aquatic environmental conditions in the Red River basin for more than three decades. This long-term environmental monitoring has focused primarily on the chemical characteristics of the mainstem Red River, its tributaries, and Lake Winnipeg. The current Directive to the IRRB indicates the need for a more holistic, ecosystem-based, monitoring approach. To initially meet the requirements of the Directive, Chapter 8 presents a report on some aspects of aquatic biological conditions in the Red River basin. The data have been obtained from a number of agencies and have been collected for a variety of reasons. In the future, other monitoring programs that are more relevant to the mandate of the IRRB need to be implemented to supplement the monitoring activities and available data identified herein. These initiatives are being addressed through the IRRB work plan as discussed in Chapter Exotic Species in the Red River Basin The intent of the IRRB is to provide for each year a complete list of the exotic species that have been found in the Red River basin and Lake Winnipeg. A number of activities have been undertaken recently to begin this task. The IRRB Aquatic Ecosystem Committee (AEC) work plan recognizes the need to be proactive with regard to monitoring non-native species. In response to the original IRRB Directive to the AEC to develop recommendations and implementation details for monitoring non-native species in the watershed, the Committee recommendated two action strategies: Full cooperation between participating agencies, universities, and others to report presence of all known and documented foreign, exotic, and non-native species to the IRRB at each annual meeting, and Establishment of sampling protocols and reporting mechanisms for collection and identification of new non-native species. As a first step in meeting the recommended course of action, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is undertaking work designed to examine invasive species. At the request of the North Dakota Health Department, the Bureau of Reclamation is using internal funds to complete an extensive literature review of exotic, invasive, and non-native species in the basin. The original intent of this work was to complete the literature survey for the U.S. portion of the basin. However, during discussion at the July 2003 meeting of the AEHC in Winnipeg the Committee strongly recommended that the review cover both the U.S. and Canadian portions of the basin. The Bureau of Reclamation agreed to expand the scope of the work and increase the budget for the project and include the Canadian portion of the basin. Canadian members of the Committee agreed to provide relevant information from their respective agencies to the Bureau. The objective of this work is to use existing data sources and literature to determine the spatial distribution of exotic, non-native and invasive species in the basin. The results of this work will be used to develop specific short term and long term monitoring strategies for existing species and for new species known to exist in other watersheds that could impact the Red River basin. Work on the literature review is underway and is scheduled for completion in the spring of A number of exotic fish species have been recorded from the Red River and its tributaries in Manitoba and from Lake Winnipeg. Some of these fish species may not reproduce and therefore will or have become extinct. Two species, brook trout and lake trout, are native to the Nelson River and its tributaries in northern Manitoba. The list of exotic species include: 47

2 Goldfish (Carassius auratus) Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) Brown trout (Salmo trutta) Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) White bass (Morone chrysops) Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) White crappie (Pomoxis annularis) 8.02 Lake Winnipeg Commercial Fishery Lake Winnipeg has been commercially gillnetted since the 1880s. Sturgeon was the first species to collapse due to its biological inability to cope with excessive fishing effort. Annual yields (Figures 5A and B) of whitefish were highest in the 1920s and declined until the mercury closure in After the mercury closure, whitefish yields again increased until the mid-1980s and then declined erratically. The harvest of whitefish roe increased during the mid-1990s. Walleye and sauger yields were the highest after whitefish first began declining. Sauger yields declined from the mid-1980s to the present while walleye yields attained a historical maximum in Until 1970, yields were recorded as marketed weight. After 1970, yields were recorded as round equivalent weight by the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC). An annual quota of 6,400,000 kg is currently applied to the combined commercial fishery yield of walleye, sauger and whitefish. Walleye provide the greatest financial value and whitefish provide the least value. Quota entitlements were created in There are about 1649 quota entitlements for the summer, fall and winter commercial fisheries. Quotas can be rolled forward and backward. The current annual quota has never been attained. A temporally increasing number of special dealer permits allow fishers to sell their catch directly to consumers or retailers. Domestic and illegal fishing activities harvest unknown amounts of fish. Cotton and linen gillnets were replaced by multifilament nylon nets in the early 1950s. Nylon nets were replaced by monofilament nets in the early 1990s. This has quadrupled the efficiency of a typical gillnet. Both trap nets and gillnets were permitted during the late 1960s. Minimum commercial mesh sizes range from 3 inch (stretched measure) in the southern basin to 3.75 inches in the northern basin. The minimum mesh size in the northern basin was 4.25 inches until Since 1992, the summer fishery in the southern basin does not commence until 80% of the walleye have spawned. Whitefish spawning does not control the opening date of the fall fishery. -1 Walleye yield declined after each time that it surpassed 1 kg. ha. (1950 and 1985). This is thought to be the upper limit of sustainable walleye yield in Lake Winnipeg. The sustainable yield formula developed by Baccante and Colby (1996) estimates that Lake Winnipeg can sustain an annual walleye harvest of 0.66 kg. -1 ha. ( kg. ). Annual walleye yields are positively related to annual fishing effort. 48

3 Figures 5A and B. Annual yields of Lake Winnipeg commercial fishery 49

4 The extent of algal blooms in Lake Winnipeg can be monitored from satellite imagery. Figure 6 provides an example of a MODIS image taken on August 22, 2005 showing the algal blooms (dark) in the north basin and turbid, sediment rich waters (light) along the northern and eastern shores and in the south basin. This cloud-free image follows a day of strong southerly winds which have caused mixing of the water column, as well as erosion particularly along the north shore of the lake. Figure 6. MODIS Image of Lake Winnipeg - August 22,

5 8.03 Fisheries of the Red River in Manitoba A number of sampling programs and project specific biological collection activities are currently being conducted along the Manitoba portion of the Red River. As a requirement of environmental licencing for construction projects modifying shorelines and riparian areas within the limits of the City of Winnipeg, monitoring programs detecting and quantifying status of and changes to the benthic invertebrate communities and qualitative assessments of fish spawning activities have been initiated. In conjunction with the proposal to expand the Red River Floodway, two studies on fish movements and fish passage are being undertaken in the Red River upstream and downstream of the floodway inlet control structure. Obtaining information about seasonal fish movements in the Red River system is crucial to understanding the importance of fish movements past the control structure and ultimately in understanding the overall effects of the control structure on fish populations in the Red River. Under the direction of the Manitoba Floodway Authority, consultants are undertaking an acoustic telemetry study of fish movements in the Red River in relation to the Floodway Inlet Control Structure. It is expected that tracking of the tagged fish will continue until the transmitters expire in fall of Summer operation of the Red River Floodway requires raising of the South Floodway Inlet control gates on the Red River. While this is believed to create an impediment to upstream fish passage, it is uncertain how this impediment may affect fish in the Red River. To provide a better understanding of this issue, Manitoba and associated consultants are undertaking a study to examine fish abundance and condition immediately downstream of the inlet control structure in relation to floodway operation. The study will continue through the summer of There are a number of endangered or rare fish species in the Red River that require close monitoring. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Species in Canada (COSEWIC) has listed bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), bigmouth shiner (Notropis dorsalis), chestnut lamprey (Ichtyomyzon unicuspis) and silver chub (Macrhboposis storeriana) as special concern. The General Status of Species in Canada, which is an overview of the condition of wild species by the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council classifies shortjaw cisco as At Risk and several other species from the Red as Sensitive : lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), chestnut lamprey (Ichthtomyzon castaneus), silver lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis), bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), silver chub (Macrthybopsis storeriana) and bigmouth shiner (Notropis dorsalis). Assessments updating the status of these species were initiated in 2002 with the long-term goal to develop recovery strategies with stewardship groups for fish populations at risk. Investigations were initiated on the host associations of unionid mussels that will focus on catfish species, especially bullheads, freshwater drum and darters but other fish species and all mussel species will be assessed. Mussel species of concern in the Red include Threeridge (Amblema plicata) and Wabash Pigtoe (Fusconaia flava) considered as uncommon and Mapleleaf (Qaudrala quadrala) ranked as rare. Manitoba Water Stewardship continued to conduct a fish stock monitoring program along the Red River in the reaches located within the City of Winnipeg. The program is designed to generate a long-term data base suitable for assessing trends in fish stock abundance over time Macroinvertebrates of the Red River in Manitoba Macroinvertebrates were collected with a dredge from the Red River at Emerson in 2002, 2003, and Five Ponar dredge samples were collected at equidistant locations starting near the east bank of the river and proceeding toward the west bank near the boat launch at Emerson. Each Ponar dredge grab covered an area of 0.05 square metres. The amount of sediment collected was minimal due to hard pan bottom. The dredge samples were washed through a 0.4 mm aperture size Nitex nylon net with a container bucket. A spray of 70% ethyl alcohol was used to wash the remaining organisms and sediment from the container bucket into a glass jar and samples were then preserved alcohol. A single set of kick net samples was also collected at Emerson in 2002 including four one square metre samples and one qualitative sample. The 51

6 qualitative sample included organisms not found in the kick net samples where organisms attached to or under cobble or other substrate were collected. These samples were placed in white trays and the invertebrates were picked in the field without the use of a microscope and placed in 70% alcohol. Macroinvertebrates were subsequently identified to genus and species where possible at EnviroTest Laboratories. The Ponar dredge samples yielded 1008, 260, and 208 organisms per square metre in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively (Table 11). The diversity in these samples also dropped over the three years at 12, 8, and 3 taxa in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively. The flow rates in 2002 and 2004 were both above median (median of years 1974 through 1999) while the flow rates for 2003 were similar to the median. It is likely that 2003 represents a relatively normal year with respect to macroinvertebrate colonization. Although there was potential for scouring of substrate in both 2002 and 2004, there appeared to have been enough soft substrate in the centre of the river in 2002 to support a considerable number of species. In 2002, samples were collected from random locations and one of the locations (replicate 3) had a different community than the others (Table 12). This dredge sample contained collected all 12 taxa noted for the pooled sample of five dredge grabs. It also contained over half the actual organisms in the pooled sample (146 of 267) with an individual calculated sample density of 2755 organisms per square metre. Near shore samples in 2002 (Replicates 1 and 5) contained only Potamyia sp. with 26 organisms in Replicate 1 and only 1 organism in Replicate 5 (Table 12). Replicate 2 contained 64 Potamyia sp. and 1 Hexagenia rigida and Replicate 4 contained 28 Potamyia sp. and 1 Limnodrilus sp. Although the pooled kick net samples from 2002 at Emerson yielded only 9 organisms per square metre, some 18 taxa were present (Table 13). Clearly there is potential for greater diversity than might be expected on natural in situ substrate. In appears that in the Red River available substrate has as much bearing on the diversity of the macroinvertibrate community as stream flow or water quality. 52

7 Table 11. Number of macroinvertebrates per square metre in pooled Ponar dredge samples from the Red River at Emerson, 2002 to Source Sample Class Order Family Genus species Numbers/ m / Date Sampled Type or Phylum or Class Family or Higher 08/23/02 09/03/03 09/10/04 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Ablabesmyia sp Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Chironomus sp. 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Cryptochironomus sp. 15 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Cryptotendipes sp. 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Paracladopelma sp. 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Polypedilum sp. 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Procladius sp Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae Hexagenia limbata 38 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae Hexagenia rigida 8 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Ephemeroptera Tricorythidae Tricorythodes sp. 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Annelida Oligochaeta Tubificidae Branchiura sowerbyi 11 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Annelida Oligochaeta Tubificidae Limnodrilus sp Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Gastropoda Ctenobranchiata Hydrodiidae Amnicola limosa 4 Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Pelecypoda Sphaeriacea Sphaeridae Sphaerium sp Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Total Number of Organisms/m Red R. at Emerson Ponar Dredge Total Numbers of Taxa Table 12. Number of macroinvertebrates in replicate Ponar dredge grabs from the Red River at Emerson, August 23, Source/ Replicate Class Order Family Genus species Numbers of organisms per Ponar Grab Sample Type or Phylum or Class Family or Higher Replicate 3 Reps. 2 & 4 Reps. 1 & 5 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 1 Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp. 26 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 2 Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae Hexagenia rigida 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 2 Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp. 64 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Ablabesmyia sp. 4 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Chironomus sp. 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Cryptochironomus sp. 4 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Paracladopelma sp. 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Procladius sp. 4 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae Hexagenia limbata 10 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae Hexagenia rigida 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp. 90 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Annelida Oligochaeta Tubificidae Branchiura sowerbyi 3 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Annelida Oligochaeta Tubificidae Limnodrilus sp. 20 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Gastropoda Ctenobranchiata Hydrodiidae Amnicola limosa 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 3 Pelecypoda Sphaeriacea Sphaeridae Sphaerium sp. 7 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 4 Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp. 28 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 4 Annelida Oligochaeta Tubificidae Limnodrilus sp. 1 Emerson, Ponar Replicate 5 Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp. 1 53

8 Table 13. Number of macroinvertebrates per square metre in pooled kick net samples from the Red River at Emerson, August 23, Source Sample Class Order Family Genus species Numbers/m 2 Source Type or Phylum or Class Family or Higher 12/08/02 Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Crustacea Amphipoda Talitridae Hyalella azteca 0.05 Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Coleoptera Elmidae Stenelmis sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Diptera Athericidae Atherix sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Diptera Chironomidae Ablabesmyia sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Caenidae Caenis sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera Ephemeroptera unidentified 0.25 Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Heptageniidae Heptagenia sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Heptageniidae Leucrocuta sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Heptageniidae Stenacron sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Heptageniidae Stenonema sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Oligoneuriidae Isonychia sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Polymitarcyidae Ephoron sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Ephemeroptera Tricorythidae Tricorythodes sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Hemiptera Corixidae Sigara sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Hemiptera Mesoveliidae Mesovelia sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Cheumatopsyche sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Hydropsyche sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Insecta Trichoptera Hydropsychidae Potamyia sp Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Total Number of Organisms/m 9 Red R. at Emerson Kick Net Number of Taxa 18 54

9 8.05 North Dakota Macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity In response to the growing need for better water quality assessment information, the department initiated a biological monitoring program in 1993 and This program, which was a cooperative effort with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the USGS s Red River National Water Quality Assessment Program, involved approximately 100 sites in the Red River basin. The result of this initial program was the development of the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for fish in the Red River basin. The Department continued this program in the North Dakota portion of the Red River basin in 1995 and The Upper Red River basin, including the Sheyenne River and its tributaries, was sampled in 1995, while the Lower Red River basin was sampled in Following these initial monitoring efforts in the Red River basin, biological monitoring was expanded statewide with sampling in the Souris River basin in 1997, the James River basin in 1998, the Lake Sakakawea sub-basin of the Missouri River basin in 1999 and the Lake Oahe sub-basin of the Missouri River basin in In addition to fish sampling, biological monitoring was expanded to include macroinvertebrate sampling in Based on these results, the Department has developed a macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) for the Lake Agassiz Plain ecoregion. The Lake Agassiz Plain ecoregion is located wholly within the Red River basin and represents the Red River valley (Figure 7). Figure 7. Macroinvertebrate Sampling Sites in North Dakota ( ) (Color-shaded areas are the Level III ecoregions in the state.) 55

10 The Lake Agassiz Plain macroinvertebrate IBI is based on 7 macroinvertebrate community attributes or metrics (Table 14) which, through statistical analysis, were shown to response to human disturbance. Each metric is scored on a scale from and each of the 7 metric scores are averaged for the final IBI score for each site. The Lake Agassiz Plain IBI was developed for glide/pool streams. A final report describing the IBI for the Lake Agassiz Plain ecoregion is available from the North Dakota Department of Health. Table 14. Metrics Used to Develop the Macroinvertebrate IBI for Glide/Pool Streams in the Lake Agassiz Plain Ecoregion. Metrics Percent Diptera Percent Swimmers Percent Dominant Taxa Collector Taxa Burrower Taxa Clinger Taxa Total Taxa Reaction to Disturbance Decrease Increase Increase Decrease Decrease Decrease Decrease 56