Salmon spawning site selection relative to habitat conditions near acclimation facilities

1. Salmon spawning site selection relative to habitat conditions near acclimation facilities Jeremy Cram1, Christian Torgersen2, Ryan Klett1, George Pess3, Andrew Dittman3, Darran May3 1. University of Washington, School of Forest Resources, Seattle, WA 98195 USA 2. U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, University of Washington, College of Forest Resources, Seattle, WA 98195 USA 3. NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA

2. Hypothetical spawning distribution Easton Clark Flat Density (carcasses/km) Distance upstream (km)

3. Research Questions • How do habitat conditions compare among acclimation areas? • If a fish spawns away from its acclimation area, is it due to habitat differences?

4. Hatchery supplementation Jack Creek Easton Clark Flat Roza Dam

5. Extensive survey September 2007 flow • Channel type (1,2,3) • Unit type (PO,GP,GR, RI) • Channel width • Depth • Substrate • Cover • Wood • Fish abundance • GIS derived factors 125 m Summary

6. Carcass and redd surveys (2004 – 2008) flow 2007 Redds • Surveys conducted by Yakama Nation and NOAA Fisheries • GPS location • Origin (CWT) • Gender • Age class • Length 125 m

7. Habitat gradients Pools Vegetative cover Tributary effects Density (% or length/km) Gravel Multiple channels Distance upstream (km – Yakima River)

8. 2007 Redds

9. Easton Clark Flat Jack Creek Teanaway Upstream Cle Elum Yakima PC2 (19 %) Downstream PC1 (22 %) Deep and wide Narrow and shallow

10. How does habitat affect spawning site selection? • Environmental conditions vary throughout the system • Keefer et al. (2008) showed that spring Chinook “wander” before spawning

11. CCA2 (5 %) CCA1 (10 %)

12. Easton Clark Flat Jack Creek Wild

13. DischargeJune - November Easton Discharge (CFS) Teanaway 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004

14. Spring Chinook supplementation Wild Hatchery Number of river spawners Year www.ykfp.org

15. Conclusions • Habitat conditions differ near hatchery acclimation facilities • Gravel, multiple channels, cover, and depth are positively associated with spawning site selection • Existing and future acclimation sites may be more effective if habitat conditions receive more attention

16. Acknowledgments • Logistics and GIS: Darran May, Hiroo Imaki, Ethan Welty, John Vaccaro, Patricia Haggerty, NetMap • Fieldwork: Tanya Cram, James Chu, Ethan Welty • Housing and support: Everyone at the Cle Elum supplementation and research facility • Funding: NOAA BiOP, The Water Center • Photography: Ethan Welty • Aerial photos: NAIP – Allyson Jason

17. Why does this matter? • Hatcheries are controversial and expensive • Each adult fish costs $14 - $530 (WA Ecology 2002) • Create jobs and fishing opportunity • Genetic and ecological risks to wild fish • Integrated practices rely on habitat, which may be fully utilized by wild fish

18. HatcheryWild Female carcasses 2007 Cle Elum River Teanaway River Easton Hatchery Density (carcasses/km) Clark Flat Distance upstream (km)

19. Redds 2007 Cle Elum River Hatchery Density (redds/km) Easton Teanaway River Clark Flat Distance upstream (km)

20. What we know about homing • Capable of precise navigation at multiple spatial scales • Open ocean to freshwater • Within freshwater system • Site of incubation • Homing confers an evolutionary advantage, just as migration does • Allows for local adaptation • Improves likelihood of successful reproduction • Evident in many species – mountain whitefish, northern pikeminnow, largescale suckers

21. Why do salmon stray? • Evolutionary mechanism to avoid disturbance • Mt. St. Helens • Flooding • Colonize newly accessible habitats • Glacier Bay, AK • Upper Cedar River, WA • Find better spawning habitat?

22. 8 km Easton Clark Flat