Evaluation of conservation hatchery rearing and release strategies for steelhead recovery in Hood Canal

Barry BerejikianNational Marine Fisheries Service

Participants OrganizationJulie Scheurer National Marine Fisheries Service Don VanDoornik National Marine Fisheries Service

David Kuligowski National Marine Fisheries Service Joy Lee Long Live the KingsKathy Hopper Long Live the KingsRick Endicott Long Live the KingsEric Volk Washington Department of Fish and

WildlifeThom Johnson Washington Department of Fish and WildlifeChris Weller Point No Point Treaty Council

Study sites

Dosewallips River

Duckabush River

Hamma Hamma River

Dewatto River

Olympic Peninsula

ObjectivesO

1. Determine the effects of a supplementation program on spawner abundance in the Hamma Hamma River

- Compare the number of redds in supplemented and ‘control’ streams before and after.

2. Determine the effects of current velocity on breeding success of captively reared steelhead

- Hamma Hamma River- Controlled stream channel

.

Objective 1

Table. 1. Summary of redds identified, sampled, and embryos collected over the first five years of the project.

Year

Redds observed

Number of redds sampled and proportion containing eggs

Average number of eggs collected per redd and range (in parentheses)

Proportion of eggs viable

Total viable eggs collected

1998 11 10 (.90) 520 (8-1164) 0.90 4,683

1999 11 11 (.55) 431 (77-619) 0.96 2,588

2000 12 12 (.75) 189 (11-425) 0.98 1,622

2001 5 5 (.80) 368 (298-673)1 0.86 1,271

2002 161 No collection

2003 83 28 (.89) 147 (11-306) 0.96 4,105

Rearing and release strategies

1. Smolt rearing (age-2 release) under two conditions

2. Captive rearing at Lilliwaup Hatchery (age-4 release)

Johns Cr. Pond (50%)Lilliwaup Hatchery (50%)

Release and return events

Brood Year

Smolt release (SRG)

Adult Release (ARG)

Return year

Number of

ARG ♀ Released

1998 2000 2002 2002 (ARG + SRG) 81

1999 2001 -- 2003 (SRG) 2

2000 2002 2004 2004 (ARG + SRG) 35

2001 2003 -- 2005 (SRG) 10

2002 None -- 2006 (F1) 0

2003 2005 -- 2007 (F1 + BY 03 SRG ) 0

-wild fish expected to return each year-assumes age-4 maturity, scale analyses are being conducted

Redd abundance in Hood Canal streams

8 522

11 13 12 5

161

83

0

50

100

150

200

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Year

Es

tim

ate

d E

sc

ap

em

en

t Dosewallips R.Duckabush R.Hamma Hamma RDewatto R

Pre-supplementation

Post-supplementation

Smolts released

Effect Df F-stat Effect type

Population 3 MSP/MSPS Random

Supplementation 1 MSS/MSE Fixed

Pop x Suppl 2 MSPS/MSE Mixed

Error 33

H01: Abundance of adult steelhead (estimated from redd counts) in Hood Canal rivers is unaffected by supplementation

Objective 1H01 can be tested with the above model by June 2006

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

Cu

rren

t ve

loci

ty (

m/s

)

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

Fo

rk l

eng

th (

m)

length

HV – 20 cm

HV – 120 cm

LV

H02: Exercise has no effect on breeding success of captively-reared (ARG) steelhead

The frequency with which courting pairs of high velocity (HV), low velocity (LV) ARG and anadromous adults were observed in the Hamma Hamma River in 2002.

HV ♂ LV ♂ AN ♂ Totals

HV♀ 2 3 1 6

LV ♀ 4 5 2 11

AN ♀ 0 3 4 7

Totals 6 11 7 24

Eyed egg viability

Population/

gender N

Mean viability to eye (%)

ARG ♀ 5 90.5

Wild ♀ 44 93.2

1/ data from wild females collected between 1998-2003

Reproductive behavior and success measured under experimental conditions

Stream channel study objectives

• Determine effects of current velocity on reproductive behavior and adult-to-fry reproductive success (ANCOVA)

• Identify phenotypic characteristics (including behavior) that explain variation in adult-to-fry reproductive success (Stepwise Regression)

• Describe basic reproductive behavior of steelhead

Nocturnal spawning

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Hour 8:00 11:00 14:00 17:00 20:00 23:00 2:00 5:00

Nu

mb

er

of

sp

aw

nin

g e

ve

nts Sunrise Sunset

N = 173

Male reproductive behavior

Treatment Channel

Dependent Variable High velocity

Low Velocity

A-side

B-side

Spawning frequency

First-to-enter 2.75 (6.82) 6.83 (9.21)

5.42 (10.49) 4.17 (5.44)

2nd/3rd-to-enter

0.42 (1.00) 0.67 (1.07)

0.83 (1.27) 0.25 (0.62)

Aggression

To female 8.75 (7.20) 10.92 (8.59) 10.75 (7.58)

8.92 (8.30)

To male 31.08 (36.50) 68.25 (80.08)

68.92 (82.74) 30.42 (29.03)

Status

Courting 0.07 (0.10) 0.14 (0.17) 0.15 (0.18) 0.06 (0.07)

TREATMENT CHANNEL

Dependent Variable High Velocity Low Velocity A-side B-side

Nest Construction

Nest Building 0.01 (0.01) 0.01 (0.01)

0.02 (0.01)

0.01( 0.01)

Aggression

To female 1.92 (3.17) 2.25 (1.96)

2.33 (3.39)

1.83 (1.53)

To male 5.42 (7.82) 5.25 (6.70)

6.33 (8.26)

4.33 (5.97)

Status

Redd holding 0.07 (0.09) 0.06 (0.07)

0.08 (0.10)

0.05 (0.05)

Courted by male(s) 0.06 (0.07)

0.05 (0.04)

0.08 (0.07)

0.03 (0.03)

Spawning Duration

Onset (days) 18.25 (19.68) 23.53 (16.28) 22.28 (21.80)

19.50 (13.72)

Duration (days) 3.94 (1.86)

4.09 (2.00)

3.39 (1.48)

4.64 (2.10)

Production

Number of nests 6.42 (2.39) 7.92 (2.02) 7.42 (2.81) 6.92 (1.73)

Eggs deposited 0.984 (0.031)

0.991 (0.14)

0.977 (0.031)

0.998 (0.003)

Female reproductive behavior and egg deposition

Adult-to-fry reproductive success(DNA pedigree analysis)

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

Males Females

Pro

pro

tio

n o

f fr

y

*All females and all but one male produced at least one fry (sampling rate = 6%)

LV HV LV HV

Male size (covariate) effect on rs

R2 = 0.0483

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

1000.00 1500.00 2000.00 2500.00 3000.00 3500.00

Weight (g)

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f fr

y

Female size (covariate) effect on rs

R2 = 0.0012

0

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.1

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

Weight (g)

Pro

po

rtio

n o

f fr

y

Variables entered into stepwise regression procedure

• Males– Courting frequency– Peripheral male frequency– Aggression towards males– Aggression towards females

• Females– Maturation at age-3– Aggression towards males– Aggression towards females– Spawn timing

P < 0.001

Ns

Ns

Ns

Ns

Ns

Ns

Ns

Mate acquisition and RS

R2 = 0.6716

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0 10 20 30 40

Number of times courting

Pro

p.

fry

pro

du

ce

d

Conclusions

• The supplementation program is increasing redd abundance in Hamma Hamma River

• Captive reared steelhead released as pre-spawning adults appear to exhibit a high level of breeding success.

• Exercise had few detectable effects on reproductive performance and may have negatively influenced males

• Reproductive success of adult releases and genetic effects of the supplementation program will be evaluated over next few years.