Resident Fish Stock Status in the Palouse River and upper Crab Creek watersheds,

Washington.

Jason McLellan

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Overall Subbasin Fisheries Goals

• To restore, maintain, protect, and enhance resident fish populations and their habitats, emphasizing native fish communities.

Limiting Factors

• General lack of knowledge:– fish distribution– fish densities– instream habitat conditions– lake productivity– native stocks

Project objectives

1. Quantify baseline stream water quality, habitat, and fish species composition and densities.

2. Quantify baseline lake water quality, productivity, and fish species composition and densities.

3. Genetic characterization of potentially native salmonids.

4. Develop an accessible database.5. Develop management guidance documents.

Stream Water Quality

• Seasonal monitoring at index sites.– Temperature– Dissolved oxygen– pH– Specific conductivity– Turbidity

• Daily temperature monitoring with temp. loggers• Discharge

Stream Habitat SurveysSimonson et al. (1994)Platts et al. (1983)

Stream Fish Surveys

Platts et al. (1983)

Lake Water Quality

• Seasonal monitoring at index sites.– Temperature– Dissolved oxygen– pH– Specific conductivity– Turbidity

Lake Primary and Secondary Productivity

• Primary productivity.– Chlorophyll a.– Phytoplankton species composition, density,

and bio-volume.

• Secondary Productivity.– Zooplankton species composition, density, and

biomass.

Lake Benthic Macroinvertebrate Production

• Sample with dredges or artificial substrates depending on the substrate.

• Determine species composition and densities.

Lake Fish Surveys

• Determine species composition, CPUE, and relative abundance.

• Littoral Sampling– Electrofishing– Horizontal gill netting

• Pelagic sampling– Horizontal gill netting– Vertical gill netting

Genetic Characterization

• Hypothesis 1: The trout in the drainage are all part of a single, randomly breeding population.

• Hypothesis 2: Some or all of the trout populations in the drainage are genetically indistinguishable from one or more hatchery strains.

• Hypothesis 3: Some or all of the trout populations in the drainage are genetically pure (no introgression with other species or subspecies).

Genetics Sample Collection and Analysis

• Collected during routine sampling• Fin clip tissue sample• Microsatellite DNA analysis (WDFW Genetics

Lab)• Compare groups from within the same drainage• Compare to hatchery stocks• Compare to other subspecies

Expected Outcomes

• Baseline water quality, habitat, and fish data.• Accessible database.• Management guideline documents.

– Identify restoration/enhancement opportunities.– Provide general management recommendations.– Provide baseline values for future monitoring.

Off-site Mitigation

• 40 lakes in the two subbasins• 1,660 km of streams

Off-site Mitigation

• Rock Lake (1999) – Angler hours = 70,681– Economic value = $487,850

• Sprague Lake (1999)– Angler hours = 81,012

• Fishtrap, Badger, Williams, Fourth of July, Chapman, Bonnie, Amber– Angler hours 243,200

• Crab Creek subbasin – Angler hours 400,000