Acoustic Telemetry: Adult Spring-Run Chinook Salmon

on The Lower Yuba River

LESSONS LEARNEDPILOT STUDY

MAY 12, 2009 – SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

Leslie Alber

Objective

To determine spatial and temporal distributions◦ immigration period (spring)◦holding period (spring through fall)◦spawning period (fall)

Tagged 30 adult spring-run Chinook Salmon

◦ Hook-and-line sampling◦ MAY 12, 2009 – MAY 26, 2009

◦ Vemco V13 transmitters via esophageal/gastric insertion Random repeat intervals of 30-90 sec

Methods

Passive TrackingActive Tracking

◦ 19 VEMCO VR2W monitoring receivers Yuba/Feather River Confluence Narrows

Reach (below Englebright Dam)◦Maintained & downloaded by Jonathan Nelson and the Wild Trout crew

◦VEMCO VR100 mobile tracking receiver w/ VH110 directional hydrophone Weekly surveys by boat (Narrows Confluence)

or foot (Narrows Englebright) May 20, 2009 – November 13, 2009

Study Area

VR2W Locations

29 Fish Detected(58086 - 58114)

5 Never detected above DPD

2 Last detected in the Feather River

3 "Lost" Never detected after DPD

24 Fish detected above DPD

10 Detected in the Narrows reach

8 Detected below DPD plunge pool/ Station 05/05A

2 Tagged at RM2 6 Tagged at DPD1 Held at DPD

before and after being detected

downstream

2 Last detected in the Feather River

3 Detected downstream before

holding at DPD

Lowest receiver downstream

Highest receiver upstream

North Ladder South Ladder Unknown23 0 1

Passes

Ladder Use North (Daguerre 03) vs. South (Daguerre 04)

24 Fish passed

DPD

North Side South Side

18 11

North Side South Side

55% 45%

Average / Min / Max

52 / 0 / 210

# of Passes Between the North and South Sides of DPD

# of Fish Dominantly @

Overall Percentage

Percentage of Detections - DPD Plunge Pool North (Daguerre 01) vs. South (Daguerre 02)

The area between DPD and Hwy 20 was most likely used largely as a migratory corridor.

By August 31, 2009 (date of first observed redd) 16 fish were detected at or above Hwy 20◦ The remaining 8 fish were first detected in this section

between September 1, 2009 and September 25, 2009

Above Hwy 20

Below Hwy 20

5

2

1

9

4

Sept. 7-11, 2009Sept. 14-18, 2009Sept. 21-28, 2009Sept. 28- Oct. 2, 2009Oct. 5-9, 2009

Daguerre Point Dam

Timbuctoo

Hwy 20 Bridge

Narrows Pool

Simpson Lane Bridge

Feather River

* Week Following First Observed ReddRST site

Movement of Adult Spring-Run Chinook Salmon

Lower Yuba River

May 12-18, 2009May 19-25, 2009May 26- June 1, 2009June 2-8, 2009June 9-15, 2009June 16-22, 2009June 23-29, 2009June 30- July 6, 2009July 7-13, 2009July 14-20, 2009July 21-27, 2009July 28- Aug. 3, 2009Aug. 4-10, 2009Aug. 11-17, 2009Aug. 18-24, 2009Aug. 25-31, 2009Sept. 1-7, 2009Sept. 8-14, 2009Sept. 15-21, 2009Sept. 22-28, 2009Sept. 29- Oct. 5, 2009Oct. 6-12, 2009Oct. 13-19, 2009Oct. 20-26, 2009Oct. 27- Nov. 2, 2009Nov. 3-9, 2009Nov. 10-13, 2009

Index-Area Site

Summary

Individual movement patterns were diverseFish held in the DPD plunge pool1/3 of the Chinook tagged were tracked in the

Narrows ReachAll fish tracked above DPD were detected at

or above Hwy 20 during the spawning period

Acknowledgments

Jonathan Nelson, Roger Bloom, Brian Hennes and the Wild Trout Crew

Brian Kreb, Jen Bergman, Duane Massa, Casey Campos, Ryan Greathouse, Kyle Thompson, Colin Purdy, Derek Givens, & Naoaki Ikemiyagi (PSMFC Yuba River Crew)

River Management TeamLand Owners (UC Davis Extension, Cordua

Irrigation District, PG&E, Yuba Recreation Inc.)

Questions?