Life history characteristics of Snake River Fall Chinook salmon collected off the Oregon/Washington Coast Brian Beckman, David Teel, Joe Fisher, Cheryl Morgan, Edmundo Casillas NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC Seattle, WA Funded by Bonneville Power and NOAA Fisheries
Juvenile salmon are collected at sea
Overall goal: understand mechanisms controlling marine survival of Columbia River salmon
125 W 124 W 123 W Alaska 48 N LaPush T I BPA Plume Washington Survey Casillas et al. 1998-29 June and September 47 N Canada 4 46 N Astoria Tillamook US 45 N Oregon Seattle Columbia River 18m Newport
Salmon data generated (partial list): abundance by species, age class size population (microsat DNA) hatchery tags and marks stomach contents disease and parasites hormones scales and otoliths
Data tidbit: Proportion of ocean-captured juvenile Snake River fall Chinook salmon with hatchery marks 1 proportion captured.8.6.4.2 33 25 28 24 n Sub-yearling Yearling 28 29 June and September catches combined
Goals of talk: Inform about availability of information Ocean affects on Snake River Fall Chinook abundance Life history of Snake River Falls in ocean => compare to Snake River springs, Tule Falls Caveats: ocean-centric (I ll ignore Columbia River conditions) simplistic data analysis
Juvenile abundance = catch (#) normalized for time trawled and speed (CPUE).
Salmon doctrine: - Variation in marine mortality drives variation in adult abundance - Abundance set soon after ocean entry (1 month - 4 months) - abundance of juveniles in ocean may reflect adult return (jacks)
CPUE Snake Fall CPUE CPUE Snake Fall CPUE Snake fall Chinook catch similar to total Chinook catch 3.5 3. 2.5 2. 1.5 1..5 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 June Chinook CPUE September Chinook CPUE total Snake. 1996 1998 2 22 24 26 28 21 Snake total 1996 1998 2 22 24 26 28 21.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 June CPUE (total vs Snake) r 2 =.85.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 Chinook CPUE.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 September CPUE (total vs Snake) 29 r 2 =.86 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Chinook CPUE 29 Ocean entry year 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Catch of Snake River fall Chinook mirrors total Chinook catch => common ocean mechanisms (good ocean vs bad ocean)
1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Proportion Snake River Fall 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29.5.4 June.3.2.1 Proportion of total Chinook catch that is from Snake River Fall Chinook population.5.4 September.3.2.1
Snake River fall September CPUE Does hatchery production have an affect on ocean abundance?.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 Snake River smolt release (FPC) Ocean entry year 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 hatchery production is not correlated with ocean catch
September catch of Snake R fall Chinook is not related to June catch Ocean entry year Sept catch 1.8.6.4.2 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1.5 ratio Sept CPUE/June CPUE -.5 1996 1998 2 22 24 26 28 21 June catch
Marine abundance is not set in June
Does juvenile catch relate to adult abundance?
Quick and dirty assessment of relation between ocean catch and Snake River fall Chinook salmon adult abundance Proxy for Adult abundance = count at Lower Monumental caveats: no harvest no accounting for age class
Jacks at LoMo Adults (+2) at LoMo Adults (+3) at LoMo 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 5 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 5 4 35 3 25 2 15 1.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.1.2.3.4.5.6.7 June catch There is no relation between juvenile abundance in June and subsequent adult abundance Ocean entry year 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Jacks at LoMo Adults (+2) at LoMo Adults (+3) at LoMo 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 5 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 5 4 35 3 25 2 15 1 r 2 =.49 r 2 =.85.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9 r 2 =.374.1.2.3.4.5.6.7 r 2 =.375.1.2.3.4.5.6.7 There is a significant and positive relation between juvenile abundance in Sept and subsequent adult abundance Ocean entry year 1998 1999 2 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 CPUE for Sept 29 was very low (.26)
A more sophisticated analysis, including: ocean catch by age adult return by age and year of ocean entry, could provide a more useful set of tools for using ocean abundance to predict adult return.
T I Adaptive management of the research program: May sampling was expanded 6-7 transects 26-29 48 N LaPush Washington 47 N 4 3 transects 1999-25 (assumed fish were not widely dispersed) 46 N 45 N Astoria Tillamook Oregon 18m Newport
Count Count Size Frequency of Chinook salmon in May and June (non-sub-yearlings) 6 5 4 3 2 1 May 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 3 25 2 No clean modes demarcating life history types June 15 1 5 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 FL (mm)
Potential life histories of captured fish: sub-yearling smolt (.) yearling smolt (1.) sub-yearling smolt, 1 winter in ocean (.1) Defined by size, validated by CWT, scales
count Size frequency of Snake R Fall Chinook salmon May 5 4 3 5 28 4 29 3 1. 2 1 2 1.1 1 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 15 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 June 8 6 4 2. 6.. 1. 12 9 3. 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 1 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 1 Sept 8 6 8 6 4 4 2 2 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 FL (mm) 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 FL (mm)
count Size frequency of Snake R Fall Chinook salmon: => some over-winter off the Washington coast 1. smolts large (~2mm, spring-run ~ 15mm). smolts abundant in June older/larger fish absent in September May 5 4 3 2 1 5 28 4 29 3 2 1 1..1 1 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 15 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 June 8 6 4 2. 6.. 1. 12 9 3. 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 1 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 1 Sept 8 6 8 6 4 4 2 2 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 FL (mm) 75 125 175 225 275 325 375 FL (mm)
Comparative life history yearling spring Chinook (stream-type) sub-yearling fall Chinook (ocean-type) Snake River fall Chinook??
ln 11KT (ng/ml) Upper Columbia and Snake Spring Chinook, ESA listed ( classic 1.) May and June 29 Maturing male? 2 1.5 1.5 -.5-1 Female, no Female, yes Male, no Male, yes MaturingMale, no MaturingMale, yes undetermined, no undetermined, yes -1.5-2 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 Fork length (mm) marked = 93% female = 42% maturing male (of males) = 16%
ln 11KT (ng/ml) Spring Creek (Tule) fall Chinook ( classic.1) May and June 29 Maturing male? 2 1.5 1 1. Female, no Female, yes Male, no Male, yes MaturingMale, no MaturingMale, yes undetermined, no undetermined, yes.5 -.5.1-1 -1.5-2 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 Fork length (mm) marked = 9% female = 71% maturing male (of males) = 4%
ln 11KT (ng/ml) Maturing male? 2.5 2 1.5 1 Snake River fall Chinook salmon May and June 29 1. minijack Jack Female, no Female, yes Male, no Male, yes MaturingMale, no MaturingMale, yes undetermined, no undetermined, yes.5 unmarked fish -.5-1 -1.5.1-2 1 15 2 25 3 35 4 45 5 Fork length (mm) marked = 81% female = 43% maturing male (of males) = 24%
Comparative life history Relatively large proportion of males maturing at age 2 Yearling smolts relatively large Unmarked fish have intermediate size at age characters
Conclusions Snake River fall Chinook are captured in BPA Plume research program Sept abundance related to adult return Life history traits variable