Life History of Bull Trout of the Upper Mid-Columbia Basin

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Life History of Bull Trout of the Upper Mid-Columbia Basin. Mark C. Nelson – USFWS John Crandall – Methow Restoration Council. This is a bull trout. This is not. But what about Dolly Varden?. Listed as federally threatened (1999) Draft USFWS Recovery Plan (2002) - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Life History of Bull Trout of the Upper Mid-Columbia Basin

Life History of Bull Trout of the Upper Mid-Columbia Basin

• Mark C. Nelson – USFWS• John Crandall – Methow Restoration Council

This is a bull trout

This is not

But what about Dolly Varden?

•Listed as federally threatened (1999)•Draft USFWS Recovery Plan (2002)•UC Salmon Recovery Plan (2007)•Critical Habitat designation (2010)

Behnke 2002

Goal of recovery is to ensure long-term persistence of self-sustaining, complex,

interacting groups of bull trout

“Viable Bull Trout Population” (VBTP) Factors

•Number of local populations•Adult abundance•Productivity (population growth rate)• Connectivity

Similar, but not identical to:Viable Salmonid Population (VSP) ParametersAbundance, Productivity, Spatial Structure, Diversity

Wells Dam

Wanapum Dam

Rocky Reach Dam

Rock Island Dam

Chief Joseph Dam

0 30 6015Kilometers

Methow Core Area

Entiat Core Area

Wenatchee Core Area

Lake Chelan

Hydroelectric Dam

Colum

bia R

iver

Recovery Unit

Core AreaBiologically functioning unit

Local PopulationsInteracting reproductive unit

Extirpated from Okanogan River and

Lake Chelan

Wenatchee River

I cicle Creek

0 10 205Kilometers

Local Populations of Bull Trout in the Wenatchee Core Area

Columbia River

Chiwaukum Creek

Icicle Creek

Nason Creek

Peshastin Creek

Little Wenatchee River

White River

Chiwawa River

Rock Island Dam

Rocky Reach Dam

0 6 123Kilometers

Local Populations of Bull Trout in the Entiat Core Area

Mad River

Entiat River

Mad River

Entiat River

Colu

mbi

a Ri

ver

0 8 164Kilometers

West Fork Methow River

Lost River

Early Winters Creek

Wolf Creek

Twisp River

Gold Creek

Beaver Creek

Goat Creek

Chewuch River

Local Populations of Bull Trout in the Methow Core Area

Wenatchee

Entiat

Methow

Local population designations do not include all critical habitat

Diverse Life History•Resident•Migratory

-- Fluvial-- Adfluvial-- Anadromous (not in Upper Columbia)

Resident bull trout are relatively small compared to migratory bull troutMature at 200cm and 4 years old

Migrants can be quite large and travel long distances annuallyMature at 4-6 years and 300mm

Migrants in the UCGenerally:• Upstream June - August• Spawn mid Sep- mid Oct• Down migrate post-spawn

Residents in the UCGenerally:• Spawn mid Sep-mid Oct• Short instream movements

1-Jan 20-Feb 11-Apr 31-May 20-Jul 8-Sep 28-Oct 17-Dec0

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Twisp River Bull TroutLifecycle Timing and Flows

Mean Median Maximum Minimum Bull Trout

Upstream Migration Juvenile Rearing Multiple Age Classes Present

Downstream Migration

Spawning

Incubation = 210 days

Migrant redds are large and obvious

16 inches

Resident redds are highly variable in size, shape and

composition

Relatively intact spawning areas with high water quality

Temp <15 °C, spawning 4-9 °C

Mainstem habitat use in pools, deeper glides and along banks