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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n FL
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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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Forklength (mm)
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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
Release year2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
W
NFH
to R
ocky
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ch D
am
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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
2012
Fork length (mm)
100 150 200 250
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Surv
ival
Selection on body size after release
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Fork length (mm)
Non-Migrants 1 YR
2 YR
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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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201520142013201220112010
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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Fork length (mm)
Tota
l obs
erve
d sp
awni
ng p
artic
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ions
S1 AdultS2AdultS2Parr
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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Fork length (mm)
Num
ber o
f fry
pro
duce
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S1 AdultS2Adult
S2Parr
Rear-Pheno
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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Chum salmon
Stream type Chinook
Ocean type Chinook
Coho salmon
Steelhead
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.
93% 91%
7% 9%
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S1 S2
% o
f pop
ulat
ion
Rearing Group
Migrant Non-Migrant
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.