Razorback Sucker Research and Monitoring in the Colorado River Inflow Area of Lake Mead and the Lower Grand

Canyon, Arizona and Nevada Ron Kegerries 1, Brandon Albrecht 1, Judith M. Barkstedt 2, W. Howard Brandenberg 2,

Adam L. Barkalow 2, Steven P. Platania 2, Mark McKinstry 3, Brian Healy 5, James Stolberg 5, and Zachary Shattuck 1

(1 BIO-WEST, Inc.; 2 American Southwest Ichthyological Researchers, LLC; 3 U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; 4

U.S. National Park Service; 5 Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program)

Colorado River inflow (CRI)

2013 2014

     Netting Catch Rates (CRI)

Larval Sampling (CRI)

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.3

0.3

0.4

11-F

eb

15-F

eb

19-F

eb

23-F

eb

27-F

eb

3-M

ar

7-M

ar

11-M

ar

15-M

ar

19-M

ar

23-M

ar

27-M

ar

31-M

ar

4-A

pr

8-A

pr

12-A

pr

16-A

pr

20-A

pr

24-A

pr

28-A

pr

2-M

ay

6-M

ay

10-M

ay

14-M

ay

Me

an

Wa

ter

Te

mp

era

ture

(C

els

ius

)

Me

an

La

rva

l R

S C

PU

E (

#/l

igh

t-m

in)

Date

Larval CPUE Mean Temperature (C)

“Active Light Sampling”N=132

220

240

260

280

300

320

340

360

380

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

193

51

93

71

93

91

94

11

94

31

94

51

94

71

94

91

95

11

95

31

95

51

95

71

95

91

96

11

96

31

96

51

96

71

96

91

97

11

97

31

97

51

97

71

97

91

98

11

98

31

98

51

98

71

98

91

99

11

99

31

99

51

99

71

99

92

00

12

00

32

00

52

00

72

00

92

01

12

01

3

Mo

nth

En

d L

ak

e E

leva

tio

n (

me

ters

ab

ove

m

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n s

ea

le

ve

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To

tal N

um

be

r R

azo

rba

ck

Su

ck

er

Ag

ed

Year

Long-Term Monitoring (through 2014) Colorado River Inflow (through 2014)

• 2014: 1 RZ aged (age-3)• Total of 26 RZ aged at CRI

YEAR Total # # NEWWILD

# RECAP # NETS

2010 3 3 0 30

2011 15 7 8 187

2012 33 13 20 183

2013 4 1 3 70

2014 6 1 5 83*

TOTALS 61 25 36 553

Movement of tagged fish from CRI into LGC.

Overview (LGC)

• For over 20 years, RBS thought to be extirpated from the Lower Grand Canyon (LGC)

• “…undertake an effort to examine the potential of habitat in the lower Grand Canyon for the species, and institute an augmentation program in collaboration with FWS, if appropriate.” (USFWS 2007 BiOP)

• Determined suitable habitat by science panel

• Razorbacks captured in Canyon by AZGFD

Objectives• Determine RBS presence and habitat use in

LGC

– Larval and small-bodied fish community sampling within the LGC

• Assess reproduction, spawning, and distribution

– Sonic telemetry

• Explore linkages between Lake Mead and LGC

LGC Small-bodied Sampling

• 7 sampling trips per year– October, March-August 2014– Lava Falls to Pearce Ferry (RM 179-280)

• Sonic Telemetry– 9 RBS released near Lava Falls– SURs deployed every 5 miles– Active Listening

• Seining• Generalized Random TessellationStratified (GRTS) • Opportunistic Sampling

GRTS Sampling Design• Well established and used by NPS

• Ensures spatially balanced, random sampling while reducing sampler bias

• 100 RM reach was divided into 800 m segments

• S-Draw selected 40, spatially balanced, segments with an additional 10 replacements

• Sampling can occur anywhere within the segment

• Repeated sampling in each of the 40 segments each trip

LGC Small-Bodied Sampling

• No Razorback Sucker

• 4-native species

• Native dominance (P=0.0000)

• Native abundance increase Jun.-Aug.

• Native fish present throughout

• Native dominance at nearly all segments

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

October March April May June July August

Me

an

Ca

tch

Ra

te (#/m

2)

Sampling Trip

Mean Native Mean Nonnative

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

28

8.2

29

8.5

30

2.6

31

1.1

31

8.0

32

4.0

32

7.8

33

4.2

33

7.3

34

6.2

35

4.1

35

8.9

37

0.0

38

0.9

38

7.2

39

5.3

40

4.1

40

9.4

41

8.4

42

7.2

42

9.9

43

7.6

44

4.0

Me

an

Ca

tch

Ra

te (#/m

2)

River Kilometer

Mean Native Mean Nonnative

LGC Small-Bodied Sampling• YOY suckers

dominated early

• YOY Humpback Chub present May-Aug. (N=144)

• HC abundance increased throughout the summer

• Relatively even distribution by Aug.

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

October March April May June July August

Me

an

Ca

tch

Ra

te (#/m

2)

Sampling Trip

Mean Native

Humpback Chub

Bluehead Sucker

Flannelmouth Sucker

Speckled Dace

YOY sucker

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

0.18

0.20

28

8.2

29

8.5

30

2.6

31

1.1

31

8.0

32

4.0

32

7.8

33

4.2

33

7.3

34

6.2

35

4.1

35

8.9

37

0.0

38

0.9

38

7.2

39

5.3

40

4.1

40

9.4

41

8.4

42

7.2

42

9.9

43

7.6

44

4.0

Me

an

Ca

tch

Ra

te (#/m

2)

RIver Kilometer

October March April May

June July August

Telemetry

• LGC

– SURs installed every 5 RM (180-280)

– 10-Razorback Suckers released April 2013 (Separation)

– 9-Razorback Sucker implanted and released March 2014 (Lava Falls)

• CRI

– Two, wild Razorback Suckers implanted 2014

Telemetry

• 25 fish, 22,100 contacts– 8 CRI released

– 17 LGC released

• 3 fish from CRI to LGC– (2) Spencer (1) 5 miles

below Lava

– (1) LGC-CRI-LGC

• 1 wild fish from CRI to OA

• 2 fish from LCG to CRI– (1) LGC-CRI-LGC-CRI-

LGC (Spencer)– (1) LGC-CRI (Iceberg)

• Additional movement upstream and downstream within the LGC

Conclusions and Considerations• Razorback Sucker were found at the CRI for the 5th year

– Relatively young (<11 years)

• No Razorback Suckers captured during LGC small-bodied sampling in 2014– Age-0 juveniles in iceberg canyon

• Likely that movement occurring above Lava Falls– Most sonic activity from Spencer to Columbine

• GRTS sampling yielded similar species composition with higher native catch rates

• Razorback and other sucker habitat likely overlaps within the CRI and LGC with movement between the two

• Capture of other small sucker species lends hope for capturing small, wild Razorback Suckers in the future

What’s Next?• Continued CRI sampling

• LGC: 7 trips in 2015– March-Sept

– Continued telemetry

– Continued small-bodied seining

– Opportunistic adult sampling

• Explore linkages between Lake Mead and LGC

Questions??

Thank You