Evaluation and Refinement of a Steelhead Hatchery Program: Winthrop

NFH William Gale1, Chris Tatara2, Mathew Cooper1

Michael Humling1, Barry Berejikian2, and Chris Pasley3

1-USFWS, Mid-Columbia FWCO2-NOAA-Fisheries, Northwest Fisheries

Science Center, Manchester WA3-USFWS, Winthrop NFH.

• Located on the MethowRiver in Winthrop, WA.

• Intent was to provide a harvestable surplus for commercial, sport and tribal harvest.

• Currently working with partners to support ESA recovery of listed summer steelhead.

Meeting mitigation, tribal trust goals is still critical to hatchery purpose

Grand Coulee Mitigation

Collaborative Research and Partnerships • Transition to local high pNOB

broodstock• Evaluate S2 program

– paired group evaluation RY2010 > RY2015 – Collaborative study w/ NOAA Fisheries– Determine if 2-year (S2) program

performs as well as 1-year (S1) program.

• Refine and improve program– Altered release and acclimation strategy.– Early size selection and mixed age rearing.

Program Evaluation – Juvenile Performance

• Study w/ NOAA began in 2010 (BY 2008)

• Assessed juvenile maturity/ smoltification, travel time, survival, etc.

• Paired production and release of S1 and S2 juveniles.

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Growth Trajectory

Fish Culture Methods

Wells Program (termed S1):• 1-year accelerated rearing–

increased temp. and feeding

Methow Program (termed S2):• 2-year rearing - delayed

emergence (chiller)maintenance diet

Difficulty attaining target size in S1 program

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Length Frequency by Rearing Program.

• S1’s exhibit bimodal size distribution

• S2’s have lower covariance in size

Where are the smolts?

Migration and survival to the Columbia River

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Apparent survival analysis

Model K AICc Δ AICc AICc weight

Φ(rear + mig +year + length + length2) 18 29629.27 0 1.00

Φ(rear + mig + length + length2) 18 29644.48 15.21 0

Φ(mig + year + length + length2) 18 29644.82 15.55 0

Φ(rear + mig + year + length) 16 29706.12 76.84 0

• Sampling Pre-Release of 3,000 PIT juveniles from each group

• Variables:• Rearing strategy (phenotype)• Migrant/non-migrant• Year• Length (quadratic)

Age 1 vs Age 2 Survival

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Fork length (mm)

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Selection on body size after release

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Difference by Rearing Group by Migrant Status

• S1/S2 migrant FLs are similar

• S1/S2 non-migrant FLs differ

• S1’s produce non-migratory parr

• S2’s produce early maturing males

• Volitional Release is used to segregate non-migrants

What to do with non-migrants?

• Data suggest little-to-no benefit of non-migrants only ecological and genetic risk.

• Precocious males complicate pHOS management.

• Preferred strategy: coordinate with WDFW Fish Mgmt to out-plant to hydrologically-closed inland lakes to support rec fisheries

Leader Lake, January 2013.

Steelhead research – Adult phase• No measurable difference in SAR between S1 and S2 releases. (Range S1-

0.02-0.81 %; S2 0.02-0.85%)

• No statistical differences in salt age but more S2 returned after a single year in the ocean then did S1

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Saltwater age of adults

%1-SALT %2-SALT %3-SALT

Steelhead research – Adult phase• Derelict Foster-Lucas ponds converted to

semi-natural spawning channels (n=2).

• Stocked with around 12 pair: S1 ≈ S2• 6 precocious males in each channel

• Most females stocked deposited nearly all of their eggs suggesting that the channels provided suitable spawning habitat.

• Spawning behavior was observed and Fry were collected for pedigree analysis.

Adult Phase – Spawning Observations• 35-58 spawning events per year (2015, 2016, 2017).

• 2-4 primary males were the first to enter, though secondary and tertiary entry by subordinate males was common.

• Spawning participation increased with FL, precocious parr had significant levels of participation.

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Adult Phase – Reproductive Success

• Male phenotype (S1, S2, precocious) was related to the number of fry sired.

• S1 males sired more fry then S2 males largely due to observed dominance hierarchies

• Precocious parr successfully sired fry in all three years (sired about 10%).

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Results Summary

• Juvenile size is positively related to migration survival• FL≈210 mm at release is best• S1 juveniles that reach size perform best

• S1 and S2 programs produce different types of non-migrant juveniles (residuals)

• SAR and adult age structure (time in ocean) are similar for S1 and S2 programs

• Reproductive performance was related to male phenotype (S1 > S2)

• Precocious parr contributed in all cases (about 10%)

Next Steps• Full lifecycle modeling in

development• Juvenile physiology• Epigenetic differences in adults

• Refine and optimize program– Early size sorting and mixed age

rearing

• Collaborators– Winthrop NFH – NOAA/NWFSC Manchester & Montlake labs

• Penny Swanson, Don Larsen

– Douglas PUD– WDFW– Broodstock collection volunteers

• Funding: BPA project 1993-056-00, BOR

Acknowledgements

Local Broodstock Collection • Final transition to 100% local brood

collection in 2014

• Sliding scale for program size 100-200k

• Includes FWS, DPUD, YN, NOAA, WDFW, and volunteers

• Effective in meeting WNFH program goals • pNOB 0.65-0.89 (BY 14-17)

• Size is positively related to migration survival and inversely related to residualism.

• Residualism is likely related to insufficient growth that generates non-migratory parr (S1) and early maturing males (S2).

• Volitional release allows for the segregation of non-migrants that can be utilized in terminal fisheries.

We are all

smolts!

And migrate readily!

Of uniform

size!

That do not residualize!

Everyone likes to catch fish; what's the problem?

• Court rulings affirm tribal fishing rights and require harvest sharing.

• NOAA listings of spring Chinook salmon (endangered), and steelhead (threatened), Service listing of bull trout (threatened)

• Hatchery Review:• USFWS HRT Process• HSRG Process

How do we meet the conflicting demands of mitigation, recovery and reform?

Hatchery & wild age at smoltification/release

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Ocean type Chinook

Coho salmon

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Approximate age at smoltification (months)

Hatchery

Wild

Winthrop NFH steelhead smolt size at release

U.S. Department of Commerce| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |NOAA Fisheries | Page 29

S1 Mean = 194 mmS2 Mean = 214 mm

S1 Mean = 159 mm

S2 Mean = 187 mm

2010 2011

Size selection against small steelhead

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All fish released

Detected in Columbia River

All steelhead released

Migrating steelhead

Precocious maturation in steelhead

Image: Michael Humling

Optimizing smolt production with NOR broodstock

• Not all steelhead will grow rapidly enough to smolt at age-1, resulting in size selective mortality and residualism (~20%)

• Growing all steelhead as age-2 smolts relieves selection for rapid growth, but increases rate of precocious male maturation (~10% of males)

• Growth rate (and age at smoltification) is an individual characteristic established soon after emergence.

• Sort fish @ 8 weeks post-ponding, raise 2 groups: S1 & S2.

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Prevalence of Non-Migrants

• Volitional release for 1 month –quantify remaining juveniles

• Majority (>90%) emigrate during volitional release (termed migrants)

• ~5-10% remain in raceways at end of volitional release (termed non-migrants)

• Force release PIT tagged non-migrants

• Non-migrants have poor outmigrant survival ~6% vs. ~70% for migrants

Need For Shared management• Winthrop NFH and Methow

Hatchery are within 1 mile of each other

• Both facilities propagate spring Chinook and steelhead (w/Wells Hatchery) in the sub-basin

• Hatchery adults inundate spawning grounds (high pHOS)

• Pending BiOp requires a “co-management” plan addressing adult management

• WNFH is central to Yakama Nation’s UCR Coho reintroduction and steelheed kelt reconditioning projects.