OregOn FishWorks Spring 2011 News from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife s (ODFW) Fish Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) and Salmon and Trout Enhancement Programs (STEP) STEP celebrates 30th birthday This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP). And there is plenty to celebrate. STEP s roots go back to 1979, when the Oregon Legislature created a Salmon Advisory Committee made up of five citizen appointees whose task was to offer views and ideas about salmon management to the state. One of their first recommendations was that the state develop a citizen public involvement program to help enhance salmon populations in Oregon. This idea was based on a successful public involvement program in British Columbia called the Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP). In 1980, Jack Donaldson, who was Director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, proposed the STEP idea to the Fish and Wildlife Commission and invited SEP representatives James Boland and STEP fish propagation facilities, such as the Indian Creek Hatchery, play an important role in providing fishing opportunities. David Barrett to Oregon to discuss their program and provide ideas for an Oregon version. Their visit was a huge success and in 1981 the Oregon Legislature, with the endorsement of State Representatives Bill Bradbury and Paul Hanneman, created STEP and approved $352,000 to fund its first biennium. A STEP Advisory Committee was also formed and four biologists were hired to implement programs in the field. The first STEP projects included stream habitat restoration and distributing salmon and steelhead eggs to be incubated in hatchboxes. STEP has come a long way since then. It now has a statewide, coordinator and administrative assistant, 12 field biologists, a 13- member Salmon Trout Advisory Committee (STAC) and numerous STEP organizations throughout the state that form its volunteer base. There were a total of 600 STEP projects in 1981. By 2010, that number has increased to 1,480. STEP volunteers released 2.5 million fish in 1981. In 2010, they released more than 5 million. Last year, 5,134 adult and 5,883 youth STEP volunteers contributed 121,487 hours to fish conservation. Now, going into its fourth decade and its value proven beyond doubt, STEP and its volunteers remain enthusiastic and dedicated to continuing to strengthen and conserve Oregon s valuable fisheries. A child is introduced to fishing at a STEP conference in Tillamook. Educating future anglers and conservationists is a critical part of STEP s mission. In This Issue STEP 30th Birthday Mini-grant Biennium Report Latest STAC and R&E Grants Camp Angelos Fishing Camp Avian Predation on Salmon
Latest STAC Mini-grants MG 09-64 Cedar Creek Water Quality and Fish Habitat Enhancement Project, Cedar Creek STEP, $2,000 MG 09-66 Stream Scene: Watersheds, Wildlife & People Curriculum Printing, WOUD Div. of Extended Programs, $1,974 MG 09-68 Fish Net Replacement, Curry Anadromous Fishermen, $1,300 MG 09-71 Food Bank Program, Tillamook Anglers Corporation, $2,000 STAC Mini-grants an important STEP-R&E partnership The Salmon Trout Advisory Committee (STAC) Mini-grant program is an important collaboration between STEP and the R&E Program because it provides local STEP groups and others with a source of small grants that are simpler and faster to apply for than many other grant programs. The R&E Program provides the funding base for the STAC Mini-grants. During the last biennium, R&E provided $55,000. For the upcoming biennium, STAC has received $50,000 for its Mini-grant program. Grants go to help fund a variety of fish-related projects including habitat, monitoring, education and fish culture. For the last biennium, STAC funded about 60% of grant requests. There were 72 grant requests during that period, with 47 approved for a total of $54,915 in Mini-grant funds awarded and $258,416 in matching funds from project cooperators. That is a matching leverage of $4.75 for every $1 in Mini-grant funding. Below is a breakdown of how STAC Mini-grant funds were used during the 2009-2011 biennium. MG 09-72 Oregon Coast Quests, Oregon Sea Grant, $1,250 MG 09-73 Raising Salmon/Trout in the Classroom, Washington Grade School, $2,000 Calendar June 24-25 Aug. 12-13 August 26 Sept. 3 Sept. 23-24 Oct. 7 Nov. 4 STAC Meeting Florence (changed from Eugune) R&E Board Meeting Prineville STAC Mini-Grant Applications Due R&E grant applications due STAC Meeting Medford R&E projects to Ore. F&W Commission for approval, Pendleton R&E Board Meeting Roseburg STeP on the Web www.dfw.state.or.us/step r&e Program on the Web www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/re
Camp Angelos teaches kids to fish Two R&E Program grants totalling $18,200 has helped keep Kids Fish Camp at Camp Angelos up and running over the 2009-2011 biennium. The camp is run by the Multnomah Education Service District Outdoor School program and provides a one-week resident camp experience for 80 kids ages 9-14, including some from disadvantaged backgrounds. During their camping experience, the kids learn how to fish for trout and warmwater fish species, and to clean and cook the fish they catch. At the conclusion of camp, each child is given a spinning rod outfit and challenged to go home and introduce an adult to fishing. ODFW, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and Oregon Bass and Panfish Club are also involved in the program. Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission recently approved 26 R&E grants Enhancement No. 11-001 No. 11-004 No. 11-005 No. 11-009 No. 11-012 No. 11-013 No. 11-014 No. 11-016 Aldrich Ponds Fishing Enhancement Project, $48,088 Borba Rd. Boat Slide Construction, $10,000 Cavender Pond Development, $28,690 Enhancement Emergency Account, $50,000 Independence Boat Ramp, $61,560 Life Cycle Monitoring Hatchery Fish Lift, $57,500 Little Butte Creek Meander Restoration 2, $15,135 OSP Patrol Boat, $106,919 No. 11-028 No. 11-030 Restoration No. 11-006 No. 11-007 No. 11-008 No. 11-010 No. 11-017 Creeks and Kids Watershed Workshop. $30,226 Lower Williamson/Spring Creek Habitat Enhancement, $28,450 Chetco River Winter Steelhead Creel, $45,670 Coastal Wild Coho Fisheries - Creel Surveys, $111,240 Coos Fall Chinook and Coho Monitoring Project, $175,045 God s Valley Meadows Fish Passage Improvement, $35,000 Owens Creek Fish Passage and Habitat Enhancement, $29,479 Two participants at the Kids Fish Camp at Camp Angelos help each other rig a line. Photo by Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation. No. 11-019 No. 11-022 No. 11-023 No. 11-024 No. 11-025 No. 11-027 Price Creek Stream and Riparian Enhancement, $37,950 RR Hatchery Triploid Program with Pressure Vessel, $45,000 Sauvie Island ADA Fishing Pier Repair, $143,475 STAC Mini Grant Program, $50,000 STEP Fish Food Program, $170,110 Vanderzanden Boat Slide Repair, $9,700 No. 11-020 No. 11-026 No. 11-029 No. 11-031 No. 11-033 Restoration Emergency Account, $50,000 Upper Yaquina Passage V2, $72,754 McEwan Valley Fish Passage Restoration, $15,000 Shotpouch Trail Crossing Habitat Connectivity, $27,000 North Slough Tide Gate Replacement, $51,392 STAC and R&E Board positions open The Lower Willamette STAC representative position is still open. The application deadline is August 1. For more information contact STEP Coordinator Kevin Herkamp at (503) 947-6232 or kevin.herkamp@state.or.us. Applications for the Salmon Troll representative on the R&E Board are being taken until June 30. Contact Gary Vonderohe at (503) 947-6259 or gary.r.vonderohe@state.or.us for information on applying. Sorry about that, Tom In the last issue of FishWorks, we inadvertently left out mention of Tom Sutton on our list of STEP Conference awardees. Tom (left) was presented with a STEP Hatchery Facility Management award at the STEP Conference banquet in Rockaway Beach on March 26. He was recognized for his work as Manager/Host of the Umpqua Fishermen s Association Canyonville acclimation site.
STE P and R&E Programs Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 3406 Cherry Ave., N.E. Salem, OR 97303-4924 Oregon FishWorks Spring 2011, Volume 15, Number 2 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 3406 Cherry Ave., N.E. Salem, OR 97303-4924 503-947-6000 Fax 503-947-6202 www.dfw.state.or.us Roy Elicker, Director Kevin Herkamp, STEP Coordinator Gary Vonderohe, Acting R&E Program Coordinator Tami Owen, Acting R&E/STEP Assistant Jim Yuskavitch, Editing and Design Restoration and Enhancement Board Gary Soderstrom, Chair... Gillnet Fishing Lonnie Johnson... Sport Fishing Robert Bumstead... Sport Fishing Dixie Boley... Seafood Processing William Lovelace... Public-At-Large Terry Learned... Troll Fishing Jack Glass... Sport Fishing STEP Advisory Committee Michael Brochu, Chair... Umpqua Dave Dunahay... Eastern Oregon Gary Enoch... Upper Rogue Lin Howell... Lower Willamette Patrick Gefre... North Coast-Tillamook William Hastie... Mid-Willamette Richard Heap... Lower Rogue Vacant...Northeastern Oregon Armand Pena ~... Tenmile, Coos, Coquille Tom Petersen... Mid Coast Norman Ritchie... Lower Willamette Leslie Wade... Upper Willamette STEP Coordinator Kevin Herkamp, Salem (503) 947-6232 Kevin.Herkamp@state.or.us R&E/STEP Program Assistant Tami Owen, Salem (503) 947-6211 Tami.L.Owen@state.or.us STEP Biologists North Coast STEP Ron Rehn, Tillamook (503) 842-2741 Ron.F.Rehn@state.or.us Mid Coast STEP Christine Clapp, Newport (541) 265-8306 x253 Christine.M.Clapp@state.or.us Umpqua STEP Greg Huchko, Roseburg (541) 440-3353 Greg.F.Huchko@state.or.us Tenmile, Coos, and Coquille STEP Gary Vonderohe, Charleston (541) 888-5515 Gary.R.Vonderohe@state.or.us Tom Rumreich,Charleston (541) 888-5515 Thomas.J.Rumreich@state.or.us The Fish Restoration and Enhancement Program provides funding for fish restoration and enhancement projects throughout Oregon, while the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program harnesses the dedication and enthusiasm of volunteers to rehabilitate and enhance Oregon s fisheries. MISSION: FISHERY CONSERVATION STeP Contacts Lower Rogue STEP John Weber, Gold Beach (541) 247-7605 John.A.Weber@state.or.us Upper Rogue STEP Chuck Fustish, Central Point (541) 826-8774 Chuck.A.Fustish@state.or.us Lower Willamette STEP Jeff Fulop, Clackamas (971) 673-6034 Jeff.S.Fulop@state.or.us Mid Willamette STEP Karen Hans, Corvallis (541) 757-4186 x251 Karen.M.Hans@state.or.us Upper Willamette STEP Jeff Ziller, Springfield (541) 726-3515 x26 Jeffrey.S.Ziller@state.or.us Erik Moberly, Springfield (541) 726-3515, x28 Erik.R.Moberly@state.or.us Eastern Oregon STEP Jennifer Luke, Bend (541) 388-6363 Jennifer.A.Luke@state.or.us To subscribe or unsubscribe to Oregon FishWorks, call r&e/step at (503) 947-6211
The FishWorks Shop Avian Predation on Juvenile Salmonids Oregon has a number of bird species that inhabit coastal and estuary areas and feed primarily on fish. These include great blue herons, common loons, brown pelicans, kingfishers, osprey, gulls, grebes, terns, cormorants and mergansers. For the purposes of fishery management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists are concerned with species that might have an unduly negative effect on salmon and steelhead juveniles and downstream migrating smolts. Under certain circumstances, predation on young salmon and steelhead by some species of fish eating birds can have a substantial impact. The greatest concern is for populations of Columbia and coastal salmonids that are listed as endangered or threatened. To gauge the potential predation pressure on juvenile salmon and steelhead for different bird species, biologists look at a number of criteria including the size of the bird, its nutritional needs, its feeding preferences, the amount of energy provided by various prey, predator-prey overlap and prey and predator behavior and abundance. Based on those criteria, several species of coastal birds show up: Caspian terns, mergansers and double-crested cormorants, with the cormorants rating as cause for most concern at present. Double-crested Cormorants There are three species of cormorants on the Oregon coast double-crested, Brandt s and pelagic. The latter two feed mainly in brackish and marine areas, respectively, so are less of a concern than the double-crested cormorants, which also hunt in upriver freshwater areas as well as estuaries, and present a greater threat to juvenile salmon and steelhead. Double-crested cormorants are adaptable birds, capable of nesting in a variety of places including on pilings, islands, buoys, trees, and will even join nesting colonies of other seabird species. They hunt for fish by diving underwater, propelling themselves with their feet. They can dive to depths of 70 feet but usually stay within 30 feet of the surface. They eat fish ranging in size from 1 inch to 15 inches, but prefer prey in the middle of this range. Double-crested cormorants are opportunistic feeders and will eat prey in general relation to how available that prey is. The breeding population in the western US is estimated at 29,300 (this is breeding pairs, so total birds is 58,600). According to 2009 estimates, the western population has grown about 3% in the last 17 years. Oregon has 15,851 breeding pairs 54% of the total western population with 12,426 breeding pairs nesting on the lower Columbia River. The Oregon population of double-crested cormorants has increased by about 21% over the last 17 years. Impacts on Salmon Spring 2011 While double-crested cormorants eat a variety of small fish, the focus of concern is on how many juvenile salmon and steelhead they eat. Studies on the Columbia River by Oregon State University-US Geological Survey personnel Double-crested cormorants are an avian predator of concern in the lower Columbia river and other coastal locations. Photo by Oregon State University, Real Time Research and US Geological Survey An Educational Series Presented by the R&E and STEP Programs
estimated the number of salmon and steelhead smolts eaten by double-crested cormorants in 2010 to be around 19 million smolts. This is an extraordinary amount, as the average breedingseason take of salmonids by Columbia River cormorants has been around 8 million. It s estimated that this amount represents about 13% of the total 2010 Columbia River hatchery release. Juvenile coho salmon seem to be the most vulnerable as they remain in the rivers and estuaries longer before heading out to sea, therefore are exposed to predation by cormorants for a greater period. Management Strategies Currently, ODFW is working with the Pacific Flyway Council to develop a long-term management plan to address double-crested cormorants at the population level, and with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal Double-crested cormorant numbers have risen significantly on the lower Columbia River and have eaten about 13 percent of the total 2010 Columbia River hatchery salmon and steelhead release. agencies in their efforts to create a management plan for the large East Sand Island colony in the Columbia River estuary. Short-term and local efforts to reduce cormorant predation on salmon and steelhead involve lethal techniques and non-lethal techniques such as hazing. Because cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, any potentially lethal management or control must be coordinated and approved through the federal government. ODFW currently has a depredation permit application in progress for the targeted take of birds in problem locations. Non-lethal strategies used by ODFW include harassing the birds away from schools of fish by watercraft, noisemakers and pyrotechnics. Other solutions being discussed include enhancing estuary and lower river habitat with logs and other structures that provide small fish with shelter from predators, and modifying hatchery release patterns to reduce the number of juvenile salmon and steelhead released into the river at one time. Natural forces can help, too. There has been an increase in bald eagle numbers on the lower Columbia River estuary and in northern coastal areas. Bald eagles are a natural predator of double-crested cormorants. More information on Columbia River double-crested cormorants can be found at www.birdresearchnw.org. Smaller juvenile and fry salmon and steelhead are particularly vulnerable to predation by cormorants and other avian predators. For additional information on STEP contact Program Coordinator Kevin Herkamp, (503) 947-6232. For more information about the R&E Program contact Program Coordinator Gary Vonderohe, (503) 947-6259.