Feather-Yuba River Interactions and Management Implications Yuba Accord River Management Team 5 th Annual Symposium June 12, 2013
CALIFORNIA S CENTRAL VALLEY Data Deficient Historic and Current Available Habitat Extinct Historic 2,183 stream miles Low Risk Moderate Risk Not an Independent Population Current 1,126 stream miles Source: NMFS 2009 Source: Lindley et al. 2007 2
LOWER YUBA RIVER Daguerre Point Dam and the Goldfields 3
Fixed Date Approach CHINOOK SALMON PASSING DAGUERRE POINT DAM Vaki Counts 2004-2010 4
CHINOOK SALMON PASSING DAGUERRE POINT DAM Vaki Counts 2011 7/14 5
CHINOOK SALMON Spring- and Fall-run Differentiation Variable Date Approach 2004-2005 No. of Fish 600 500 400 300 Chinook salmon = 5,927 fish 8/1/04 2004 Chinook Salmon Passing Daguerre Point Dam Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 200 100 No. of Fish 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 400 8/24/05 2005 Chinook Salmon 350 Passing Daguerre Point Chinook salmon = 11,374 fish Dam 300 Spring-run Chinook 250 Salmon Predicted Logistic 200 150 Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 100 50 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 6
CHINOOK SALMON Spring- and Fall-run Differentiation Variable Date Approach 2006-2007 No. of Fish 250 200 150 100 Chinook salmon = 5,203 fish 9/6/06 2006 Chinook Salmon Passing Daguerre Point Dam Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 50 No. of Fish 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 60 9/4/07 2007 Chinook Salmon Passing Daguerre Chinook salmon = 1,394 fish Point Dam 50 Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted 40 Logistic 30 20 Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 10 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 Date 7
CHINOOK SALMON Spring- and Fall-run Differentiation Variable Date Approach 2008-2009 160 140 Chinook salmon = 2,533 fish 8/10/08 2008 Chinook Salmon Passing Daguerre Point Dam No. of Fish 120 100 80 60 Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 40 20 No. of Fish 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 350 7/9/09 2009 Chinook Salmon 300 Passing Daguerre Chinook salmon = 5,378 fish Point Dam 250 200 150 100 Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 50 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 8
CHINOOK SALMON Spring- and Fall-run Differentiation No. of Fish 600 500 400 300 200 Variable Date Approach 2010-2011 Chinook salmon = 6,469 fish 7/6/10 2010 Chinook Salmon Passing Daguerre Point Dam Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 100 No. of Fish 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 3/1 Date 600 9/7/11 2011 Chinook Salmon 500 Passing Daguerre Chinook salmon = 7,785 fish Point Dam 400 300 200 Spring-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic Fall-run Chinook Salmon Predicted Logistic 100 0 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1 10/1 11/1 12/1 1/1 2/1 Date 9
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Wild Population Feather River Hatchery Because there is no hatchery on the Yuba River, the population is composed of wild fish? DWR and CDFW 2009 10
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Wild Population Determination of adipose fin clips Digital photography Videography 11
Year SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Wild Population Demarcation Date Chinook Salmon Passage Upstream of Daguerre Point Dam All Chinook Spring-run Chinook Salmon Salmon Total Ad-Clipped Not Ad-Clipped 2004 8/1/04 5,927 738 72 666 2005 8/24/05 11,374 3,592 676 2,916 2006 9/6/06 5,203 1,326 81 1,245 2007 9/4/07 1,394 372 38 334 2008 8/10/08 2,533 521 15 506 2009 7/9/09 5,378 723 213 510 2010 7/6/10 6,469 2,886 1,774 1,112 2011 9/7/11 7,785 1,159 323 836 % Ad-Clipped 10 19 6 10 3 29 61 28 3,500 Spring-run Chinook Salmon Upstream of Daguerre Point Dam Ad-Clipped Fish Not Ad-Clipped Fish 3,000 2,500 No. of Fish 2,000 1,500 1,000 r 2 = 0.056 P = 0.571 500 r 2 = 0.104 P = 0.437 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Year 12
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Wild Population Because there is no hatchery on the Yuba River, the population is composed of wild fish Feather River Hatchery? Yuba River Ad-clipped fish comprise up to 60+% of the annual run Of 43 genetic samples taken during May 2009 from upstream migrating Chinook salmon, 28 were FRFH spring-run and 15 were CV fall-run Do differences in flows and temps attract fish from the Feather into the Yuba River? 13
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Hatchery Straying - Attraction to the Yuba River 14
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Hatchery Straying - Attraction to the Yuba River Modeled weekly averages of daily proportions of adclipped phenotypic spring-run 2004-2011 136 average weekly proportions Explanatory variables Weekly averages of the daily ratios of Yuba flows & temps to Feather flows & temps 10 combinations of flow and temperature attraction variables 15
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Hatchery Straying - Attraction to the Yuba River R 2 = 0.72 P < 0.0001 16
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Hatchery Straying - Attraction to the Yuba River Differences in flows and temps attract fish from the Feather into the Yuba River Lower Higher Feather Yuba Flows + Higher Lower Feather Yuba Temps? More Hatchery Strays = May SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4 Weeks Later June SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 17
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Introgressive Hybridization Gene flow movement from one run into the gene pool of another by repeated back-crossing of a hybrid with one of its parental genotypes The phenotypic spring-run Chinook salmon in the lower Yuba River actually represents hybridization Between Yuba River spring- and fall-run Chinook salmon With Feather River spring-run Chinook salmon With Feather River fall-run Chinook salmon With FRFH fall-run Chinook salmon With FRFH spring-run Chinook salmon Which itself represents a hybridization between Feather River spring- and fall-run Chinook salmon CWT Recoveries Vaki Ad-Clipped Fish NMFS & UC Santa Cruz 18
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Lack of Reproductive Isolation Both spring-running and fall-running Chinook salmon are restricted to the lower Yuba River below Englebright Dam 19
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Extirpation and Recolonization Debris dams 1900 to 1941- intermittently blocked migration Drought 1928-1934: high temps, likely extirpated spring-run b Englebright Dam built in 1941 Spring-run virtually disappeared by 1959 c Straying from the Feather River and stocking from FRFH a A remnant spring-run population persisted in the lower Yuba River as of 1991 a 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 DPD fish ladders built in 1911 a DPD fish ladders destroyed 1927/28 a DPD fish ladders rebuilt in 1938 but ineffective a Adequate DPD fish ladders built 1950-52 a Construction of New Bullards Bar 1970 higher, colder flows d a CDFG 1991 b Mitchell 1992 c Fry 1961 d YCWA et al. 2007 20
SPRING-RUN CHINOOK SALMON Feather-Yuba River Interactions No genetic differentiation between Feather and Yuba Chinook salmon Lack of reproductive isolation Likely no pure ancestral genome There is NOT an There is an independent, independent, genetically genetically distinct distinct population of population of spring-run spring-run Chinook salmon Chinook salmon in the lower in the lower Yuba River Yuba River? Yuba River spring-run extirpated by 1959 FRFH fish planted in 1970s Re-colonized by FRFH strays in 1970s Yuba and Feather flow and temp ratios influence hatchery strays Introgressive hybridization Hatchery straying rates up to 61%+ 21
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations Reservoir Management? Should reservoir management consider attraction of spring-run Chinook salmon to the Feather and Yuba rivers? 22
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations Feather River Fish Hatchery Management? How do FRFH management practices affect the proportional distribution of spring-run Chinook between the Feather and Yuba rivers? Sources: Fishery Foundation of California; California Department of Fish and Wildlife 23
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations ESA Consultations? How would ESA consultations address the fluid, intermixed populations of spring-run Chinook salmon in the Yuba and Feather rivers? How would viability or extinction risk be evaluated in river-specific springrun Chinook salmon ESA consultations? Source: National Marine Fisheries Service 24
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations How do fluid, intermixed populations affect the short-term and long-term recovery goals for Yuba and Feather River spring-run Chinook salmon? How would recovery of spring-run Chinook salmon populations be defined and measured in the Feather and Yuba rivers? NMFS Recovery Planning? 25
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations Re-introduction into Upper Yuba? What would be the appropriate goals of a re-introduction program? How do you address donor (source) issues? Source: Yuba County Water Agency 26
FEATHER-YUBA RIVER INTERACTIONS Management Implications/Considerations ESA Consultations? NMFS Recovery Planning? Reservoir Management? Yuba River spring-run not an independent, genetically distinct population Feather River Fish Hatchery Management? Re-introduction into the Upper Yuba Basin? 27
CONCLUSIONS M&E Program - The Next Few Years Further evaluate regional population structure What have we learned so far? Continue to explore in-basin and out-of-basin influences on population dynamics Final M&E Report in 2016 Draft M&E Interim Report available at: www.yubaaccordrmt.com M&E Draft Interim Report Conclusions 28
CONCLUSIONS www.yubaaccordrmt.com M&E Draft Interim Report Conclusions 29
CONCLUSIONS Is the Yuba Accord Protective of the Aquatic Resources of the Lower Yuba River? Implementation of the Yuba Accord Maintains Physical Habitat Attributes that Provide the Opportunity for Good Condition of Aquatic Resources and Viable Salmonid Populations in the Lower Yuba River The RMT Does Not Recommend Any Changes to the Yuba Accord Flow Schedules At This Time M&E Draft Interim Report Conclusions 30
M&E Program Draft Interim Report Conclusions Yuba Accord River Management Team 5 th Annual Symposium June 12, 2013