alouette sockeye adult enumeration project...

Alouette Sockeye Adult

Enumeration Project– (Bridging Year 2015)

16.ALU.03

Prepared for:

Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program

Prepared by:

Greta Borick-Cunningham, Dip.Tech. SRM and

Sophie Smith, BSc.

Alouette River Management Society

24959 Alouette Road,

Maple Ridge, BC. V4R 1R8

2016

16.ALU.03

16.ALU.03 Final Report – 18 April 2016 1

Executive Summary

Originally, through BC Hydro’s Water Use Plan for the Alouette Watershed, a spring surface

release from the Alouette Dam has allowed for kokanee/sockeye smolts to migrate to the ocean

from 2007 to 2015. The first surface releases occurred in 2005 and in 2007 the first adult sockeye

returned to the Alouette Watershed. The 2015 Alouette sockeye salmon run saw 4 adults returning

between August 10 and August 23, 2015. Of the 4 sockeye caught, 2 were found in an extremely

degraded condition, and 2 were in good condition. All four sockeye were transported to the

Alouette Sockeye Research Facility where they were sampled and placed in holding at the Allco

Upper Hatchery in conjunction with the “Experimental Release of Hatchery-Reared Sea-Run

Kokanee Into Alouette Reservoir” project (ALU.16.04). Fork length measurements for all four

sockeye were taken along with scale and tissue samples, weight and a pit tag injection was

administered. The measurements indicated an average fork length of 52.5cm.

Of the 4 scale samples taken, all 4 were useable for aging with each of the 4 adults being aged in

4 different age classes. The genetic sampling identified 2 adults originating from Alouette stock

and the other 2 originating from the west coast of Vancouver Island, specifically, Great Central

Lake and Sproat Lake (Godbout et al, unpublished data 2016, see Appendix A). Between the

return years of 2005-2012, the smolt to adult (return to the hatchery fish fence) survival of the

Alouette sockeye has ranged from a low of 0.06% in the 2011 smolt year to a high of 1.33% in the

2008 smolt year. (Mathews, 2015 unpublished data).

The peak of the 2015 Alouette adult sockeye return was on 23 August, when 2 fish arrived at the

Allco fish fence. Since 2007, up to and including the 2015 season, 312 adult sockeye salmon have

returned to the Allco fish fence.

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 5

Study Area ............................................................................................................................... 6 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 7 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Adult Sockeye Returns .......................................................................................................... 11 Fork Length ........................................................................................................................... 11 Age Structure ........................................................................................................................ 12 Genetic Sampling and Parental Analysis ............................................................................. 13 Smolt to Spawner Survival .................................................................................................... 13

Discussion ..................................................................................................................................... 15

Adult Sockeye Returns .......................................................................................................... 15 Fork Length ........................................................................................................................... 16

Age Structure ....................................................................................................................... 17

Genetic Samping and Parental Analysis .............................................................................. 18 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 18 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 18

References ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................... 20

Appendix B ................................................................................................................................... 29

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List of Figures

Figure 1 Map of the Alouette Watershed ....................................................................................... 6

Figure 2 Allco Fish Hatchery fence and trap, May 2014 ............................................................... 7

Figure 3 Allco Fish Hatchery fence and bladder, May 2014 ......................................................... 8

Figure 4 Sockeye transport tanks, May 2014................................................................................. 9

Figure 5 Returning sockeye is photographed and dated – August 10, 2015.................................. 9

Figure 6 Returning sockeye is photographed and dated – August 20, 2015................................ 10



Figure 9 Sockeye fork length measurement for 2015 .................................................................. 12

Figure 10 Total number of sockeye returned to Alouette watershed 2008-2015 by year ............ 15

Figure 11 Fork length of returning sockeye 2008-2015 .............................................................. 16

List of Tables

Table 1 Estimated number of smolts leaving the Alouette Reservoir during the spring surface

release, 2005-2015. ......................................................................................................................... 4

Table 2 Number of returned adult sockeye to the Alouette Watershed, 2007-2015 .................... 11

Table 3 Age class for Alouette Adult Sockeye 2015 (Godbout, L. et al 2016) ........................... 13

Table 4 Alouette sockeye brood survivals, 2005-2012 ................................................................ 14

Table 5 Average sockeye fork length, 2008-2015 ....................................................................... 16

Table 6 Alouette adult sockeye age structure analysis, 2008-2015 ............................................. 17

16.ALU.03


Introduction During the 2006 review of the Alouette Water Use Plan (WUP), the consultative Alouette

Monitoring Committee identified the restoration of an anadromous sockeye salmon run as a key

issue in the Alouette River system. Construction of the dam in the 1920’s impounded the reservoir

and extirpated the sockeye run soon after. As a means of re-establishing the stock, a spring surface

release from the dam was integrated into the WUP. The testing of a specific surface release of

3m3s-1 from April to June has indeed facilitated kokanee/sockeye out-migration from the reservoir.

Since 2005, smolts have successfully outmigrated through the spillway gate during the spring

release and to the ocean via the Alouette River (Table 1, Mathews et al. 2015).

Table 1 Estimated number of smolts leaving the Alouette Reservoir during the spring surface release, 2005-2015.

Year of Smolt Migration Estimated Abundance of Smolts

2005 7,900

2006 5,064

2007 62,915

2008 8,257

2009 4,287

2010 15,434

2011 35,542

2012 728

2013 6,264

2014 2,358

2015 677*

Note that the 2015 season did not have the rotary screw trap in the collection site when BC Hydro had a controlled

release of water due to storm events.

The viability and authenticity of kokanee smolt “re-anadromization” is dependent on the stocks

ability to adapt to salt water conditions, to adopt behavioural strategies to compete and avoid

predation in an ocean environment, and to recognize and return to their native lake/stream system

to spawn (Bocking & Gaboury 2003). Through the original Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration

monitoring program, sockeye returning to the Alouette River were collected, counted, aged,

genetically tested and released into Alouette Lake. In 2007, it was found that returning sockeye

salmon trapped at the Allco Fish Fence were genetically proven to be Alouette stock (Balcke,

2009)

The main purpose of the original seven year Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration monitoring

program as funded under BC Hydro’s Alouette Water Use Plan was to establish whether out-

migrating Alouette Lake Reservoir kokanee/sockeye smolts were capable of adapting to an

anadromous existence. Adaptation is considered successful when sockeye return from the ocean

environment to spawn in Alouette Lake. Additionally, the original monitoring program sought to

16.ALU.03


establish the timing and genetic structure of the returning sockeye run and to assess whether ocean

survival rates of returning re-anadromized kokanee were comparable to that of sockeye stocks

found elsewhere. During the first three years of the program (2008-2010), the Allco Hatchery fish

fence was operated from April to December to determine the timing and volume of the run

(Crowston & Borick-Cunningham, 2012). Based on the results of these efforts, the following five

years (2011-2015) had a shorter fence operation timeframe, which commenced mid-June through

to the fall. Tissue samples were also collected from all sockeye in order to ensure that returning

adults were Alouette stock and not strays from other nearby coastal systems.

Objectives The project objectives were to continue the enumeration program initially as a bridging year in

2015 between the Alouette Sockeye Adult Enumeration monitoring program (ALUMON#4), as

funded by BC Hydro under its Alouette Water Use Plan and the upcoming review of the Alouette

and Stave Water Use Plans (expected sometime in 2017). This bridging year would allow

continued data collection on the number of adult sockeye returning to the Alouette system and up

to the Allco fish fence including completion of another year of genetic sampling. This continued

sampling would reinforce the baseline data for sockeye as part of many years of ongoing efforts

to re-introduce sockeye into the upper Alouette Watershed (Alouette Watershed – Salmonid

Action Plan). The bridging year would include the continuation to trap, enumerate, sample, and

with the assistance of the BC Corrections supervisor and crew, transfer sockeye into the Alouette

Reservoir with no more than 30 sockeye adults being held back for spawning purposes as an

interim Fish Passage Strategy using an experimental sockeye hatchery as enhancement to

increase the number of sockeye juveniles in the Alouette Lake Reservoir (Plate, E. 2014). It is

envisaged that this interim Fish Passage Strategy will incorporate the continuation of the

enumeration monitor in the future along with the experimental Allco Fish Hatchery sockeye

rearing and release project and the Kokanee outmigration study project (all require FWCP

funding approval). As discussed in Plate et al technical feasibility report (Oct 2014), there have

been a variety of monitoring studies including the Alouette Sockeye Adult Enumeration Monitor

(ALUMON#4) which have contributed to many years of research and data collection about the

genetics, parentage and age of the Alouette adult sockeye (sockanee) returns. These studies were

recently compiled, along with the Kokanee Outmigration Monitor (ALUMON#2) and others,

into a technical feasibility report which synthesized all the research done to date on Alouette

sockeye and the process needed to be taken to re-establish sockeye in the Alouette Reservoir.

This synthesis report outlines and recommends various ways in which sockeye can be brought

back to the reservoir including hatchery intervention and speaks to the importance of the ongoing

adult enumeration and sampling which will be a vital part of this future work.

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Study Area

The South Alouette Watershed (144 km2), comprised of the South Alouette River and Alouette

Lake Reservoir, are located within the communities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows (Figure 1).

The site of the Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration program is approximately 8 km downstream

from the Alouette Reservoir at the Allco Fish Hatchery operated by BC Corrections Fraser

Regional Correctional Centre. The hatchery is well positioned to intercept all migrating adult

sockeye on their way back to the reservoir.

Figure 1 Map of the Alouette Watershed

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Methods From the first year of monitoring in 2008, the adult sockeye run appeared to be a summer run,

arriving in the Alouette Watershed in July and August (Balcke, 2009). Taking this into

consideration, as well as the maintenance requirements, and downstream steelhead kelt passage,

the Alouette Monitoring Committee decided that in both the 2009 and 2010 the fence would be in

operation between April and December, rather than year round (Cruickshank, 2010). In 2011, the

fence operation was shortened and the monitor began on June 15, 2011. In 2015, although the

Allco fish fence went up on June 15, returning sockeye sampling dates commenced on August 10

when the first adult arrived and completed on August 23, 2015 when the last adult arrived. The

Allco fish fence went down briefly in late September 2015 but was put back up again in early-mid

October when the chum salmon started returning and egg-take operations started. The fence went

back down again in January 2016 to facilitate passage of steelhead.

Figure 2 Allco Fish Hatchery fence and trap, May 2014

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Figure 3 Allco Fish Hatchery fence and bladder, May 2014

The fish fence was designed to direct sockeye and other salmon into the trap, which was monitored

daily by BC Corrections staff and crew. In case of a failure at the Allco fish fence, BC Hydro

installed a trap at the low level outlet of the Alouette Dam to catch returning sockeye that were not

captured at the Allco fence. In conjunction with the “Experimental Release of Hatchery-Reared Se-

Run Kokanee Into Alouette Reservoir” project (16.ALU.04), once trapped the sockeye were dip-

netted out of the trap, placed in nylon porous bags and transported by BC Corrections to the

Alouette Sockeye Research Facility, where they were sampled and held in tubs until spawners.

The sockeye were transported to the hatchery in specifically designed tanks fitted for both the

Allco Hatchery truck and sockeye transport trailer (Figure 4). Due to the very low number of

returning adult sockeye, no fish were released into the Alouette Lake Reservoir in 2015.

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Figure 4 Sockeye transport tanks, May 2014

For each returning sockeye in 2015, the date of capture and release was recorded. Additionally,

fork length measurements and pictures were taken for all returning sockeye. Scale and tissue

samples were collected from all 4 returning adult sockeye (Figure 5 - 8). The tissue and scale

samples were sent to the Pacific Biological Station (Department of Fisheries and Oceans)

laboratories in Nanaimo, B.C. for genetic analysis.

Figure 5 Returning sockeye is photographed and dated – August 10, 2015

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Results

Adult Sockeye Returns

A total of four sockeye returned to the Alouette Watershed during the 2015 run (Table 2). Of the

four sockeye caught, two were found in an extremely degraded condition, and two were in good

condition. All four sockeye were transported to the Alouette Sockeye Research Facility where

they were sampled and placed in holding. No sockeye were released into the Alouette Lake

Reservoir in conjunction with the “Experimental Release of Hatchery-Reared Se-Run Kokanee Into

Alouette Reservoir” project (16.ALU.04) and holding of adult sockeye at the Allco Upper Hatchery.

Table 2 Number of returned adult sockeye to the Alouette Watershed, 2007-2015

Year of Adult Return Number of Returned

Adults

Number of Adults

Released Alive into

Alouette Reservoir

2007 28 5

2008 54 53

2009 45 43

2010 115 103

2011 11 8

2012 45 43

2013 10 7

2014 0 0

2015 4 0*

Totals 312 262 *Transported to the Alouette Sockeye Research Facility for holding

In 2015, all four sockeye were captured in the Allco fish fence trap. The peak of the return was

August 23, with two sockeye caught on this day.

Fork Length

Fork length measurements were collected for all four returning sockeye. The fork lengths ranged

from 44.5 - 57 cm, with an average fork length of 52.5cm (Appendix A).

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Figure 9 Sockeye fork length measurement for 2015

Age Structure

Scale samples were analyzed from four sockeye to determine the 2015 run age structure. It was

found that the Alouette adult sockeye were older than the sockeye from the west coast of

Vancouver Island “as a result of spending either 3 years at sea instead of 1 or 2 years or going to

sea at 2 year-old instead 1 year-old” (Godbout, L.et al 2016, see Appendix A).

0

1

2

3

4

5

44

44

.5 45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

52

.5 53

53

.5 54

55

56

57

58

58

.5 59

59

.5 60

61

62

63

Nu

mb

er o

f S

ock

eye

20

15

Fork Length (cm) 2015

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Table 3 Age class for Alouette Adult Sockeye 2015 (Godbout, L. et al 2016)

DNA vial/ FISH ID Origin Age Field/

PBS

2213 Great Central L. 42/42

2214 Sproat L. 32/32

2215 Alou 53/53

2216 Alou NA/52

Genetic Sampling and Parental Analysis

Tissue samples of the returned adult sockeye were analyzed for DNA using methods described by

Beacham et al. 2005 (Godbout, L. et al. 2016) and was used to assign stock proportions from the

2015 returning adults in the Alouette River to the 90 population coastwide kokanee-sockeye

genetic baseline collections. Results from this analysis indicate that two of the returning adults in

the Alouette River in 2015 were from the Alouette Lake Reservoir and two of the returning sockeye

were from the west coast of Vancouver Island, specifically from the Great Central Lake (fish ID

2213) and Sproat Lake (fish ID 2214) (Godbout, L. et al unpublished 2016). Parental analysis

was performed using the program CERVUS 3.0.7 as in previous years (see Godbout et al. 2014).

Results of parentage showed none of the 2015 returning adults had a perfect match for a parental

pair of any of the sea-run kokanee that left as juveniles in 2010 (Godbout, L. et al. 2016).

Smolt to Spawner Survival

Smolt to spawner survival has ranged from a low of 0.063% to a high of 1.332% since 2005 to

2012 (see Table 4). Smolt-to-spawner survival was calculated from age specific estimates of the

number of smolts migrating out from the Alouette Lake Reservoir and the number of adults

returned to the reservoir (Bob Bocking pers. comm.1).

Current marine survival rates (smolt – adult) being experienced by the Alouette River Sockeye

(Table 4) are lower but in the same range as the Chilko Lake Sockeye which has seen marine

survivals less than 3.5% since the 2007 return year and as low as 0.3% for the 2009 adult return

year (2007 smolt year), respectively (Rensel et al. 2010). Survival rates for other Fraser River

sockeye stocks, and in particular the Pitt River and early summer run stock grouping are not

16.ALU.03


available from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. However, survival rates for Cultus Lake Sockeye

which has undergone a re-building effort have also been poor in recent years (CSAS 2010).

Table 4 Alouette sockeye brood survivals, 2005-2012

Year of Smolt Migration Survival (smolts:TRS)

2005 0.532%

2006 0.750%

2007 0.081%

2008 1.332%

2009 0.171%

2010 0.292%

2011 0.063%

2012 0.275%

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Discussion

Adult Sockeye Returns

The 2015 Alouette Sockeye run continues to demonstrate timing comparable to a summer run,

arriving at the Allco Fish Hatchery trapping location in July and August (Figure 10). The peak of

the Alouette sockeye run for 2008-2015 is typically over the last week of July to the second week

of August.

Figure 10 Total number of sockeye returned to Alouette watershed 2008-2015 by year

A total of 312 adult sockeye returned to the Allco fish fence during the 2007–2015 runs, of

which 262 were successfully released back into the Alouette Lake Reservoir. Although the

number of total adult sockeye returns is low, the data shows that re-anadromization of

kokanee/sockeye to the Alouette watershed is possible. ARMS is currently trying to prove that

returning adults are able to spawn through the Experimental Sea-Run Kokanee Hatchery Project.

0

2

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6

8

10

12

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5-J

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21

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29

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6-A

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14

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-Oct

17

-Oct

21

-Oct

25

-Oct

29

-Oct

To

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ock

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yea

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Date at Allco fish fence

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

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Fork Length

Measurements were collected for all of the 2015 returning sockeye. This represented a sample size

which showed an increase from the previous year in 2014 where no sockeye returned to the Allco

fish fence. The average fork length measured in 2015 was 52.5 cm which was the second smallest

average for all the years from 2008-2015 (Table 5; Figure 11).

Table 5 Average sockeye fork length, 2008-2015

Year of Adult Return Number of Adults Measured Average Fork Length (cm)

2008 54 59.3

2009 15 59.1

2010 115 58.1

2011 10 60.4

2012 42 57.8

2013 8 46.6

2014 0 0

2015 4 52.5

Figure 11 Fork length of returning sockeye 2008-2015

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Nu

mb

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f So

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00

8-2

01

5

Fork Length (cm)

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

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Age Structure

The age class analysis completed by the Pacific Biological Station (Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

for the 2015 season showed that the returning adult Alouette sockeye were represented by four

fish in four different age classes (Table 6; Latham , Sellars (2014), Bocking (2012), et al,

unpublished data.).

In earlier years, the age class analyses completed by the Pacific Salmon Commission, for example

in 2008 and 2009, showed that the returning sockeye salmon were evenly distributed between 4.2

and 5.3 age classes. The 2010 returning sockeye also showed this distribution which may be typical

for Alouette sockeye, with 53% and 19% respectively. The 2011 returning sockeye had fish in the

6.3 age class, which had not been seen in other study years (Table 6; Latham, unpublished data,

2011). In 2007, there was a large smolt outmigration, which corresponded to the 2009 (4.2) and

2010 (5.3) age classes. In 2011, the age class structure was spread from 4.2 to 6.3 age classes.

The low returns for 2011 left considerable uncertainty in these age results (Table 6; Bocking,

unpublished data, 2012). The age structure for 2012 showed a distribution from 4.2 to 6.4 age

classes. There were 3 aged 4.2 scale samples which were determined to be resorbed. This may

indicate that the age of these 3 sockeye is actually 5.2 due to the unreliability of the samples.

The overall number of sampled sockeye count for 2008 to 2015 was 171. The majority (77.3%)

of these sampled returning spawners were age 4.2 years and 5.3 years fish (i.e. 51% were 2 years

old and 26.3% were 3 years old when they left the Alouette Reservoir and then spent 2 years in

the marine environment). Five other age classes have been identified for the Alouette sockeye,

representing 21.4% of the fish sampled (Table 6).

Table 6 Alouette adult sockeye age structure analysis, 2008-2015

Year (%

of

sampled)

Age Class (Gilbert Rich Scale)

3.2 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 5.4 6.3 6.4

2008 (53) 19 (36%) 1 (2%) 14 (26%) 19 (36%)

2009 (11) 7 (63%) 4 (36%)

2010 (68) 36 (53%) 3 (4%) 13 (19%) 1 (1%) 15

(22%)

2011 (6) 3 (50%) 1 (17%) 2 (33%)

2012 (29) 20 (69%) 8 (28%) 1(3%)

2013a (4) 2 (50%) 2 (50%)

2014b (0)

2015 (4) 1 (25%) 1 (25%) 1 (25%) 1 (25%)

Total

(175)

1 (0.6%) 88 (50%) 1 (0.6%) 18 (10%) 48 (27%) 1 (0.6%) 2

(1%)

16

(9%)

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a Of the four fish sampled in 2013 only two were successfully aged at 4.2, the other two samples were hypothesized to be age 5.3. b No adult sockeye returned to the Allco fish fence in 2014.

Genetic Samping and Parental Analysis

Of the adult sockeye sampled in 2015 only two of the four that were sampled were determined to

be of Alouette stock (Godbout et al, unpublished data, 2016). The other two adult sockeye that

were sampled were found to originate from the west coast of Vancouver Island. (See Appendix

A, Godbout, L. et al. 2016).

Recommendations To ensure the beginning of the sockeye run is captured, the Allco fish fence should continue

to operate from the middle of June each year.

Sockeye should continue to be caught then transported to the Alouette Sockeye Facility on

the same day and handled as little as possible.

Samples will not take place until after the sockeye has died, during the egg take.

Measures will continue to be taken to ensure future scale samples are obtained from the

correct location above the lateral line on the fish body, correctly placed in the sample

booklets, and not taken near scars.

Sockeye sampling will continue in 2016 as per 2015, with fork length and scale and tissue

samples taken for all returning sockeye.

Acknowledgements This project was part of the Alouette River Sockeye Reanadromization Project committee’s efforts

to establish fish passage over the Alouette Dam. Committee members include: Alouette River

Management Society (ARMS), BC Corrections Allco Fish Hatchery, BC Hydro, Department of

Fisheries and Oceans, City of Maple Ridge, Katzie First Nations, LGL Limited and Ministry of

the Environment. Our appreciation is extended to the following individuals: Geoff Clayton and

Ken Stewart (ARMS); Dr. Chris Wood and Lyse Godbout (Pacific Biological Station-DFO); Bob

Bocking, Megan Matthews, and Elmar Plate (LGL Limited); Shannon Harris and Brett Van

Poorten (Ministry of the Environment); Ron MacLean and Mike Ilaender (BC Corrections Allco

Fish Hatchery); Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, Matt Foy and Dave Nanson (Fisheries and Oceans

Canada); Brent Wilson, Alf Leake, and Alexis Hall (BC Hydro); James Bruce (Creekside Aquatic

Services); Mike Leon, Debbie Miller and George Moody (Katzie First Nation).

ARMS would also like to acknowledge BC Hydro’s Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program for

funding this project in its bridging year.

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References Balcke, A. 2009. Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration: 2008. Report prepared for BC Hydro.

Report prepared by the Alouette River Management Society, Maple Ridge, BC.

Bocking, R.C. 2011-March-22. Alouette Sockeye Brood Survivals [Unpublished data]. LGL

Limited, Sidney, B.C.

Borick-Cunningham, G. 2013. Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration: 2012. Report prepared for

BC Hydro. Report prepared by the Alouette River Management Society, Maple Ridge, BC.

Crowston, A. & Borick-Cunningham, G. 2012. Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration: 2011.

Report prepared for BC Hydro. Report prepared by the Alouette River Management Society,

Maple Ridge, BC.

Cruickshank, A. 2010. Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration: 2009. Report prepared for BC Hydro.

Report prepared by the Alouette River Management Society, Maple Ridge, BC.

Cruickshank, A. and A.R. Crowston. 2011. Alouette Adult Sockeye Enumeration: 2008-2010.

Report prepared for BC Hydro. Report prepared by the Alouette River Management Society,

Maple Ridge, BC.

CSAS. 2010. Assessment of Cultus Lake Sockeye Salmon in British Columbia in 2009 and

evaluation of recent recovery activities. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science

Advisory Report 2010/056: 7 p.

Candy, J.R. 2010, January. Genetic Structure of Alouette-Coquitlam Kokanee-Sockeye Salmon

[Unpublished data]. Molecular Genetics Lab, Pacific Biological Station, DFO, Nanaimo, BC.

Godbout, L. 2014. DNA analysis of the 2013 Alouette returning sockeye adults [Unpublished

data]. Pacific Biological Station, DFO, Nanaimo, BC

Godbout, L. & Wood, C. 2015. Experimental release of hatchery-reared sea-run kokanee into

Alouette Reservoir to evaluate the feasibility of re-establishing sockeye salmon. Supplement

of Information.

Godbout, L., Wood, C., and O’Brien, M. 2016. Experimental Hatchery Release Project

[Unpublished]

Mathews, M.A. 2015. ARMS Alouette report tables from LGL 6 Oct 2015. [Unpublished]

Mathews, M.A. and R.C. Bocking. 2011. Evaluation of the migration success of O. nerka

(Kokanee/Sockeye) from the Alouette Reservoir, 2010. Report prepared for BC Hydro.

Report prepared by LGL Limited, Sidney, BC.

Plate, E.M., Mathews, M.A., Bocking, R.C. October 2014. Technical Feasibility and

Recommendations for Alouette Lake Sockeye Salmon Re-establishment Above the Alouette

Dam.

Rensel, J.E. Jack, Haigh, N., and Tynan, T.J. 2010. Fraser river sockeye salmon marine survival

decline and harmful blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo. Harmful Algae 10: 98-115

Sellars, J. 2014. 2013 Age Composition of Adults [Unpublished data]. Pacific Salmon

Commission, Vancouver, BC.

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Appendix A

Experimental hatchery release project

L. Godbout, C.C. Wood and M. O’Brien

Introduction

This report summarizes investigations of adult O. nerka returning to the Alouette River in 2015.

Our objectives were to:

- Identify their population of origin

- Assess their health status

- Determine their sex and fecundity

- Determine their age and assign to brood year - Carry out a parental analysis to determine if any were the progeny of adult sea-run

kokanee that had returned in previous years.

Methods

In summer 2015 four adult fish were captured in the Alouette River and transferred to the

Alouette Salmon Facility for a pilot captive breeding project. Fish were held in circular tubs in

10°C water with 98% DO saturation. All fish died before spawning and their carcasses were

shipped on ice to the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo for investigation on October 22,

2015, along with scale and tissue samples and other information (Table 1). The carcasses were

picked up at the seaplane depot and a necropsy and additional sampling were performed the

same day.

Tissue samples were analyzed for DNA (14 microsatellite loci) based on procedures described

by Beacham et al. (2005) and used to determine the population of origin stock ID using 90 coast-

wide populations of sockeye and kokanee. The probability of an individual’s belonging to a

given population was calculated, and each individual was assigned to the population for which it

had the highest marginal probability. Sex was determined by examining the shape of the vent,

and confirmed by the presence/ absence of eggs during dissection. The ripeness of the female

fish was visually assessed and eggs were extracted at the time of necropsy and preserved in

ethanol for further investigation. To estimate fecundity, three subsamples of eggs were weighed,

counted, and measured using Image Pro Premier version 9.1. The average egg weight and count

from each sample was then used to convert the total weight of the eggs to an estimate of total egg

count. An additional set of fish scales was collected during the necropsy and both set of scales

were used to age the returning adults and to determine their brood year. Parental analysis was

16.ALU.03


carried out to determine if any of the 2015 Alouette sea run kokanee were the progeny of sea run

kokanee that had returned previously in the corresponding brood year. Parental analysis was

performed using CERVUS version 3.0.7 as in previous years (see Godbout et al. 2014).

Results and discussion

Stock of origin and fish age

Two of the returning adults (fish ID 2215 and 2216) were O. nerka from the Alouette Reservoir

while the other two were sockeye salmon that had strayed from the Somass River on the west

coast of Vancouver Island (fish 2213 from Great Central Lake and fish 2214 from Sproat Lake,

Table 2). This unusual straying behaviour seems to be related to the unusually warm ocean

condition in 2015. Both set of scales matched for the XX% of fish scales that could be aged

(Table 2). Both Alouette sea-run kokanee were older than the West Coast Vancouver Island

sockeye as a result of spending 3 years at sea (rather than 1 or 2 years) or going to sea at age 2

rather than age 1. These ages indicated that both O. nerka from Alouette were potentially

progeny of Alouette sea-run kokanee that had returned to the Alouette River in 2010 .

Fish health, sex, and egg counts

Fish 2215 died from bacterial gill disease caused by systemic infection with Flavobacterium. A

definitive cause of death could not be determined for fish 2213, 2214, and 2216, but all were

infected with unidentified bacteria that probably started growing post-mortem (they were not

examined immediately after death) (Table 1). Fish 2213 also had minor/ incidental nematode

and bacterial kidney disease infections (details of the results are in Appendix 1).

Sex determination based on the shape of the vent were confirmed during the necropsy. Three

fishes were female (2213, 2215, 2216) and one was male (2214) (Table 2). Eggs of fish 2215

were ripe and had begun to loosen (Figure 1a), while those of fish 2216 (Figure 1b) were not yet

fully ripe. Eggs of fish 2215 were 20% more numerous and heavier on average than those of fish

2216 (Table 2). The egg count of the 2015 sea-run kokanee (3697-4451)tended to be higher

than those for 6 sea run kokanee sampled (as morts) between mid July and mid August 2010

which averaged 3153 eggs (2944-3460)

Parental Analysis

Analysis using CERVUS indicated that neither of the 2015 Alouette sea run kokanee perfectly

matched any parental pair of the 112 sea run kokanee that had returned to the Alouette River and

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had been transferred to the Alouette Reservoir in 2010. Fish 2215 perfectly matched one of the

2010 Alouette sea-run kokanee and fish 2216 nearly matched (mismatch of 1) another 2010 sea

run kokanee. It should be noted that while a perfect match with a parental pair almost certainly

implies parentage, a perfect match with only one parent might also occur by chance (not by

parentage) given the low diversity in this population.

Recommendation/Suggestions:

Sockeye salmon from other sockeye populations have been observed to return in the Alouette

River in both 2010 (6 from Weaver) and 2015 (2 from the west Coast of Vancouver Island). It is

therefore important to hold the returning adults in an isolation tank until their origin has been

confirmed via DNA. Evaluation of infection by the parasite Parvicapsula should be performed

in the future. Consideration should also be given to incubating eggs and rearing fry from

Alouette kokanee at the Upper Hatchery under the same conditions as proposed for the sea-run

kokanee. This additional experimental component would provide a control to assess knowledge

gaps 4 to 6 (Godbout and Wood 2015). Given that kokanee and sea-run kokanee derived from

the same gene pool in the previous generation, the release of progeny of kokanee in both the

reservoir and river would also provide an opportunity to increase the number of emigrating

smolts and returning adult sea-run kokanee. The number of emigrating smolts is relatively small

and currently limits the number of returning adults as well as the possibility of resolving

knowledge gaps.

References

Godbout, L., Wood, C.C., O’Brien, M.R., and Menard.D. 2014. Assessment of smolt production

from anadromous O. nerka transferred into the Alouette Reservoir: Brood years 2008-

2012. Report for BC Hydro Bridge Coastal Restoration Program. 73p.

Godbout L. and C.C. Wood. 2015 Experimental release of hatchery-reared sea-run kokanee

into Alouette Reservoir to evaluate the feasibility of re-establishing sockeye salmon.

Supplement of Information submitted to FWCP and MOE May 2015. 7 p.

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Table 1: Fish information on 4 fish carcasses received at PBS on Oct 22 2016.

DNA vial/

FISH ID

Date of

capture

Date of

death

FL

(cm)

Weight

(g)

Condition

at PBS’s

arrival

2213 Aug-10-2015 Aug-18-2015 52.5 1560 Frozen

2214 Aug-20-2015 Aug-23-2015 44.5 840 Frozen

2215 Aug-23-2015 Oct-22-2015 56 1930 Fresh

2216 Aug-23-2015 Sept-9-2015 57 2090 Frozen

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Table2: Information on the stock of origin, age based on scales collected in the field and at PBS

(field/PBS), sex based on the vent and organs, brood year and pit tag number (Pit tag no.) . NA

indicate that the scales could not be read.

DNA vial/ FISH ID Origin Age

Field/

PBS

Sex

vent

Sex

organs

Brood

year

Pit

Tag no.

2213

Great

Central L. 42/42 F F 2011 30600015C13GAO

2214 Sproat L. 32/32 M M 2012 No

2215 Alou 53/53 F F 2010 No

2216 Alou NA/52 F F 2010 Found, not read

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Table 3a: Mean values for the measurements of the egg samples taken from fish 2215 and 2216

Fish Id

Sub-sample size (n=3) 2215 2216

Mean egg count 121.33 89.67

Mean egg mass 5.59 3.20

Ratio = mass/count 0.046 0.036

3b: Total egg mass and estimated number of eggs for fish 2215 and 2216

Fish ID

2215 2216

Total egg mass 205.1 131.8

Total Egg

count* 4451 3697

*Total mass/ratio

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Figure 1: Necropsy photos of fish 2215 of the eggs (panel A) and of the whole fish (panel B)

Figure 2: Photo of the eggs from fish 2216. Scale is in cm.

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Appendix 1

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Appendix B

Media and Acknowledgment

ARMS Website page

http://www.alouetteriver.org/projects/alouette-sockeye-adult-enumeration-monitor-bridging-

project-for-2015

Alouette Sockeye Adult Enumeration Monitor (Bridging Project for 2015)

April 01, 2016

by Sophie Smith

0 Comment

Since 2008, the Alouette River Management Society and the Fraser Regional Correctional Centre have administered the Alouette

Sockeye Adult Enumeration Monitoring Program (ALUMON#4) under BC Hydro’s Alouette Water Use Plan (AWUP). The

plan included a seven year monitoring component trapping, enumerating, and obtaining tissue samples from returning adult

sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). When funding under the AWUP ended in 2014, ARMS applied to BC Hydro’s Fish and

Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP) for a bridging year of funds for 2015 and was successful in its application. The FWCP

approved project funding to the amount of $16,354.

With this bridging fund, ARMS was able to complete another year of sampling returning adult sockeye spawners, extremely

valuable information to build on the dataset that was started in 2008. This information and the work of the Alouette River

Sockeye Reanadromization Project committee, is building towards a business case to present to BC Hydro’s Board of Directors

to get fish passage over the dam for sockeye salmon and other species that have been excluded from their traditional spawning

grounds in the upper Alouette Watershed since 1929. Sockeye salmon were extirpated from the Alouette system for close to

eighty years when in 2005, with an accidental release of water through the Alouette spillway, some resident kokanee swam out

and two years later came back as sockeye salmon.

http://www.alouetteriver.org/projects/alouette-sockeye-adult-enumeration-monitor-bridging-project-for-2015



http://www.alouetteriver.org/projects/alouette-sockeye-adult-enumeration-monitor-bridging-project-for-2015#respond

http://www.alouetteriver.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/FWCP.bmp

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The Allco Fish Hatchery is located approximately 5.5 kilometres (km) south of the Alouette Dam and associated reservoir

(otherwise known as Alouette Lake) in Maple Ridge, British Columbia and has operated since 1979 under the direction of BC

Corrections with authorization and guidance from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

South Alouette Fish Trap and Fence

http://www.alouetteriver.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/First-Sockeye-return-in-80-years-2007.jpg

http://www.alouetteriver.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ALLCO-Trap.jpg

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South Alouette Fish Fence

Sockeye Salmon Transportation Trailer

http://www.alouetteriver.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ALLCO-Fence.jpg

http://www.alouetteriver.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Sockeye-Transport-Trailer.jpg

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ARMS Facebook page – 1st April 2016

https://www.facebook.com/AlouetteRiverManagementSociety/?fref=nf

https://www.facebook.com/AlouetteRiverManagementSociety/?fref=nf

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Maple Ridge News report – November 5, 2015

Sockanee not coming back to South Alouette

About 25,000 juvenile fish will be released into Alouette Lake and 10,000 into the river over the next two years. — Image Credit: THE NEWS/Files

by Phil Melnychuk - Maple Ridge News

posted Nov 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM

They’ve tried releasing thousands of kokanee over the spillway of the Alouette reservoir

dam each spring, attempting to rebuild the sockeye fishery in the South Alouette River.

With returns inconsistent, that hasn’t worked out so well for the Alouette River Management

Society.

Now, the river keepers are getting serious.

Instead of trusting the freshwater kokanee salmon to migrate down the South Alouette

River, spend a few years in the Pacific Ocean and come back as sockeye, and eventually

rebuild the run that’s been extinct since the 1920s, the group wants to see if raising fish in a

hatchery will speed up the process.

Over the next two years, the society will be raising fry, which are a couple centimetres long,

as well as finger-length smolts, and releasing them into both the lake and the river.

“The ratio of return is less than one per cent right now. We want to get it to two per cent,”

said Nicole Driedger, of ARMS.

“Our best chance is releasing the smolts into the river.”

http://www.mapleridgenews.com/community/Phil%20Melnychuk%20has%20been%20a%20reporter%20and%20editor%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20working%20in%20Whitecourt,%20Stony%20Plain,%20Medicine%20Hat,%20Vancouver%20and%20Abbotsford.

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About 25,000 juvenile fish will be released into the lake and 10,000 into the river over the

next two years. Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Environment have

both approved the study. A request for funding the project will be made to B.C. Hydro’s Fish

and Wildlife Compensation Program.

The fish will be the progeny of both the limited numbers of sockeye that actually return to

the South Alouette, as well as the kokanee that are resident in the lake.

The number of returnees will be compared with the sockeye that normally return, to see

which species, purebred sockeye, kokanee, or hybrids and which method of release will

produce greater returns.

The results, it’s hoped, will confirm if a hatchery can be an effective, intermediary step to re-

establishing a full-fledged sockeye run in the South Alouette River and bolster the case for

building ARMS’s long-term dream of building a fishway or ladder around the 11-metre high

dam so fish can access the lake.

The ultimate goal is to re-establish the sockeye run in the South Alouette River that was

wiped out in 1926, when B.C. Hydro built the dam, sealing the sockeye in the lake and

cutting off those in the river from their spawning grounds.

Driedger compared the attempt to rebuild the run as a Jurassic Park-type experiment.

After the dam blocked the lake the trapped sockeye became kokanee, with successive

generations swimming in the lake, awaiting a return to the Pacific Ocean.

Now, almost a century later, those fish could again become ocean-going sockeye salmon,

with all the tourist and economic potential that sockeye bring.

“Our sockeye are kind of like dinosaurs, they were extinct. So making something out of

nothing is pretty cool.”

Persuading B.C. Hydro to build a fishway will give fish a direct connection from the river to

the lake, where sockeye spawn. Other species of salmon and trout also will benefit by

reconnecting to the entire lake system.

This year has seen healthy runs of chum and pinks returning to the South Alouette River.

“We have so many chum that the coho can’t find spawning grounds,” said Driedger.

The huge numbers of decaying fish, however, provide fertilizer and nutrients for plants

along the river, as well as eggs and fry in the river.

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Driedger points out that many groups each year visit the Rivers Heritage Centre, which in

October included a Chinese delegation. Members were surprised to learn there was no

fishway connecting the river to the lake.

She was told that all new dams in China are required to have fishways.

alouette sockeye adult enumeration project...

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