Chetco River Fall Chinook Project
Project Type: Isolated Harvest Program
Project Lead: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Cooperators: Oregon South Coast Fishermen; Friends of Cal-Ore Fish; Slamn
Salmon Derby.
Objectives: Increase recreational and commercial fishing opportunity; increase
wild spawner escapement; reduce hatchery stray rate on spawning
grounds; improve broodstock removal efficiency.
Timeline:
1969 first FC (Fall Chinook) releases
Numbers varied from very small numbers early in the program to nearly 600,000 in the early 1980s. Those large numbers were scaled back at the request of local sport fishermen because of concerns for stock genetic integrity.[1]
1991 Klamath Management Zone Ocean Exploitation Rate dropped significantly
(reducing the number of Klamath fish that may be taken in the ocean)
1991-92 Pre-smolt releases ended at Jack Creek
1991-92 Smolt releases limited to lower river (Social Security Bar)
1993-94 Last year for unfed fry releases in Hamilton Cr. (Jack Cr. trib.)
1995 Releases scaled back to <250,000 combined smolt and unfed fry.
1998 Releases stabilized at ~ 150,000 smolts and 1,000 unfed fry (Eggs to Fry
classroom program)
1999 Percentage of hatchery strays on spawning ground counts stabilizes below 30%.
(Native Fish Conservation Plan interim criteria cap hatchery stray rate at 10 %.)
2002 Nov. - Native Fish Conservation Policy (NFCP) adopted.
2003 Sept. Interim management criteria added to NFCP.
2006 Jan. Chetco River Hatchery Genetics Management Plan completed and
implemented
2006 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Left Ventral)
2006 approx. 5,000 hatchery smolts acclimated in Joe Hall Creek
2007 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose)
2007 approx. 5,000 hatchery smolts acclimated in Joe Hall Creek
2008 Request by OSCF for Commission regulation to change in-river harvest of Fall
Chinook to 2/day, no more than one non-adipose fin clipped, and no more than 4 non-adipose fin clipped fish/season to be effective in 2009 fishing season.
2008 Secure and implement acclimation site at Ferry Creek Reservoir. Acclimate ~40,000 hatchery smolts in groups of 20,000 each. (Part of the 150,000 smolt release to the Chetco)
2008 Acclimate 5,000 hatchery smolts in Joe Hall Creek.
2008 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose)
2009 Request by OSCF for Commission regulation to change Chetco River Ocean Terminal Fishery limits to 2/day, no more than one non-adipose fin clipped, and no more than 4 non-adipose fin clipped/season.
2009 Acclimate 45,000 smolts 40,000 Ferry Creek Res., 5,000 Joe Hall Creek[2]
2009 Creel census of ocean terminal and in-river fishery to determine harvest ratios and numbers of hatchery and wild FC.
2009 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose)
2010 Continue acclimation program.
2010 Continue creel census program.
2010 Reduce adult broodstock numbers to max. of 200 wild fish.
2010 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose)
2010 First year analysis of marked fish contributions to fishery and of hatchery stray rates on spawning grounds.
2011 Continue acclimation program.
2011 continue creel census program.
2011 remove 200 adult broodstock.
2011 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose).
2011 Second year analysis of program.
2012 Continue acclimation program.
2012 Continue creel census program.
2012 remove 200 adult for broodstock.
2012 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped (Adipose).
2012 Third year analysis of program.
2013 Continue acclimation program.
2013 Continue creel census program.
2013 remove 200 adult broodstock.
2013 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped. (Adipose).
2013 Fourth year analysis of program.
2014 Continue acclimation program.
2014 Continue creel census program.
2014 remove 200 adult broodstock.
2014 brood year hatchery smolts 100% fin clipped. (Adipose)
2014 Final analysis of program. Recommend - continuation, modification, increase/decrease of hatchery smolt releases.
Program Detail
Program Goals: To enhance recreational and commercial fishing opportunities without significantly impacting wild spawner escapement or ESA listed Coho. Key elements for goal attainment include: acclimating hatchery reared fish to lower river locations to provide recreational opportunity and reduce upstream straying; complete marking of hatchery reared smolts to provide for targeted harvest of hatchery fish, identify spawning ground hatchery strays, improve broodstock collection efficiency and determine the contribution of hatchery reared smolts to the various fisheries; collection of creel census information to determine ratios of hatchery and wild fish retained by fishermen, catch location of hatchery and wild fish, the effectiveness of a mark select fishery in the Chetco system and to provide ocean salmon fishing opportunity during years of reduced ocean fishing opportunity.
Background: Hatchery supplementation efforts for the Chetco River Fall Chinook fishery began in 1968. Early releases were very modest and expanded significantly, primarily because of pressure from commercial fishermen, to releases of nearly 600,000 smolts and fry in the early 1980s. Hatchery broodstock collections from the Chetco were comprised of high percentage of hatchery reared fish, often exceeding 75% adults of hatchery origin. Members of the Oregon South Coast Fishermen (OSCF), who had been assisting the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (nee Oregon Dept. of Fisheries) (ODFW), began to question the impact to the genetics of Chetco Fall Chinook stock. The releases were reduced significantly and eventually stabilized at approximately 150,000 smolts and 1,000 unfed fry by 1998.
Estimated hatchery fall Chinook return to the Chetco River and smolts released.
Stock Assessment of Anadromous Salmonids (1990-2004 brood years).
|
Brood Year |
Smolt Release |
# Ad+CWT |
Estimated Hatchery Return |
|
1990 |
474,067 |
78,429 |
n/a |
|
1991 |
393,953 |
76,396 |
n/a |
|
1992 |
389,509 |
46,217 |
n/a |
|
1993 |
357,829 |
24,669 |
n/a |
|
1994 |
330,254 |
25,933 |
n/a |
|
1995 |
165,717 |
24,971 |
a5,155 |
|
1996 |
226,309 |
24,109 |
a5,113 |
|
1997 |
223,621 |
25,050 |
n/a |
|
1998 |
158,208 |
26,994 |
n/a |
|
1999 |
164,741 |
24,594 |
n/a |
|
2000 |
158,150 |
24,916 |
n/a |
|
2001 |
156,088 |
25,587 |
n/a |
|
2002 |
153,681 |
27,792 |
n/a |
|
2003 |
156,835 |
28,292 |
n/a |
|
2004 |
156,338 |
27,216 |
n/a |
aChetco Fall Chinook Studies, ODFW, 1995 and 1996. Estimate derived from proportion of hatchery fish for each year, multiplied by overall abundance estimate.
Hatchery stray rates declined to around 26% by 1999.
Proportion of wild and hatchery-origin fish from recovered fall Chinook carcasses
on the spawning grounds (1995-2004).
|
Run Year |
Wild % |
Hatchery% |
Unknown% |
|
1995a |
69% |
31% |
0% |
|
1996a |
42% |
58% |
0% |
|
1997 |
40% |
55% |
5% |
|
1998 |
57% |
37% |
10% |
|
1999 |
72% |
24% |
4% |
|
2000 |
71% |
27% |
2% |
|
2001 |
73% |
25% |
2% |
|
2002 |
73% |
26% |
1% |
|
2003 |
86% |
12% |
2% |
|
2004 |
70% |
27% |
3% |
aChetco Fall Chinook Studies, ODFW, 1995 and 1996
The Native Fish Conservation Policy (NFCP) was adopted by the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission in Nov. of 2002. The native fish policy established three goals:
1. Prevent the serious depletion of native fish.
2. Maintain and restore naturally produced fish in order to provide substantial ecological, economic and cultural benefits to the citizens of Oregon.
3. Foster and sustain opportunities for fisheries consistent with the conservation of naturally produce fish and responsible use of hatcheries.[3]
Those goals were to be implemented through Conservation Plans for each Species Management Unit (SMU). SMU is described as a collection of populations from a common geographic region that shares similar genetic and ecological characteristics. The only Conservation Plan developed to date is for Rogue Spring Chinook and it is unlikely that a plan for the Chetco Fall Chinook will be produced in the near future.
Because the development of Conservation Plans for each SMU would be time consuming and start with the most critical first, the Commission adopted Interim Criteria in Sept. of 2003. These interim criteria are to be used as guidelines until the completion of SMU Plans. Among those interim criteria is the provision that hatchery fish stray rates on spawning grounds not exceed 10%.
The Fish Hatchery Management Policy (FHMP) was adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in May of 2003. This policy was intended to compliment and support the NFCP and it included Oregon Fish and Wildlife Hatcheries, STEP propagation facilities and programs, and private hatcheries. Implementation of the FHMP would come through the development of Conservation Plans and Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (HGMP) for each SMU. The Chetco River Fall Chinook Program HGMP was finalized in Jan. of 2006. Among the key goals of the Chetco HGMP is that designed to reduce or eliminate impacts to Endangered Species Act listed Southern Oregon/Northern California Coho.
Discussion: The Oregon South Coast Fishermen (OSCF) have been involved with fisheries programs on the Chetco River for over 30 years. That effort has included broodstock collection; acclimation, rearing and production of Fall Chinook; population monitoring; habitat restoration; education programs for both youngsters and adults; securing public access agreements; monitoring of and input to the various regulatory processes affecting the Chetco river; and participating in the STEP program since its inception in 1983. Throughout that involvement OSCF has built and maintained a working relationship with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the group has had significant influence regarding Fish and Wildlife programs conducted on the Chetco River and other waters in southern Oregon. The goal of OSCF has always been to maintain or enhance recreational fishing opportunity for the benefit of fishermen and our community.
The development of the Chetco River Fall Chinook Plan has progressed from the idea of providing more fishing opportunity for Fall Chinook through the achievement of several essential elements.
¨ First, the commitment of ODFW and OSCF to work within the various Plan guidelines to achieve the long term goal of accurate evaluation of the existing program.
¨ Second, the help, guidance and commitment of John Weber, STEP biologist and Todd Confer, District Biologist to perform the necessary administrative tasks and acquire the necessary permits to allow the project to go forward.
¨ Third, funding of a total hatchery smolt marking effort by Friends of Cal-Ore Fish, Slamn Salmon and the commitment of funds by OSCF to insure that the effort was funded.
¨ Fourth, the work done by OSCF and ODFW to develop acclimation sites in the lower river.
¨ Fifth, the commitment of the STEP volunteers to provide manpower, money, innovation and ideas to help complete each phase of the total project.
At the halfway point, much more work needs to be done, more funds will have to be obtained to fully complete the program and plan modifications may be required to fit changing conditions and planning/regulatory mandates.
Prepared by OSCF, Jan. 2008
