May - Jun 2003 Trout Line Newsletter, Tualatin Valley Trout Unlimited
Restoring Life History Diversity to Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and Bluehead Sucker in the Weber...
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Transcript of Restoring Life History Diversity to Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and Bluehead Sucker in the Weber...
Restoring Life History Diversity to Bonneville Cutthroat Trout and
Bluehead Sucker in the Weber River
Paul Burnett – Trout UnlimitedBen Nadolski – Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Paul Thompson – Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Sam McKay – Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
2
Introduction
• Background on the Weber River and its native fish
• Cooperative research between the USU Fish Ecology Lab and the UDWR
• Conservation Actions
• Strategies for the Future?
3
Weber River Watershed
4
Weber River
5
High Productivity
6
Past Habitat Impacts
Over 2 Miles of habitat lost from Henefer Valley in the 1960’s
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Water Management and Fragmentation
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Imperiled Native Fish in the Weber River
Bluehead Sucker
Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Focus: Middle Weber RiverIn Morgan Valley
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Bonneville Cutthroat Trout in the Weber River
Great Salt Lake
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Bluehead Sucker Distribution in the Weber RiverMajor sampling efforts from 2006-2012 inventories
We know:• Occur mainly in mainstem• Long lived
We don’t know:• Habitat and movement requirements• Importance of tributary habitats
Strongest
remaining
population
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•Population estimate obtained in 2012 was half of 2009 estimate
Weber River Section 02 Bluehead Sucker Monitoring
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Weber River Home Rivers Initiative
• Collaborative multi-year effort• Applied research• On-the-ground restoration• Community outreach/Grassroots
Engagement• Long-term conservation and
management strategies and tools
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Research Objectives
1. Characterize the contemporary lower Weber River BCT metapopulation
2. Determine if fluvial life-history expression is still present
3. Investigate potential limitations to movement and migration
BCT Research on Weber River
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• Focus on comparing population size, structure, and movement between mainstem and tributary habitats
• Methods – Electrofishing– Mark-Recapture (PIT-tags)– Passive In-stream Antenna network– Otolith microchemistry
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Summary: Understanding the Metapopulation
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= 2011 Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow
Important Populations and Barriers
Cotton
wood
Cree
k
Gor
don
Cree
k
Jaco
bs C
reek
Peterson Creek
Strawberry Creek
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2013 Passive Instream Antenna Network
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2013 PIA Monitoring
Origin
Antenna LocationCottonwood Creek
Gordon Creek
Jacobs Creek
Peterson Creek
Strawberry Creek
Weber 03
Weber 04 ???
Grand Total
Lower Cottonwood 2 1 5 8Upper Cottonwood 3 1 4 8Lower Gordon 3 2 5Upper Gordon 3 5 8Lower Jacobs 13 4 2 45 1 65Upper Jacobs 2 4 1 34 1 42Lower Peterson 1 2 58 4 65Upper Peterson 1 1 6 4 52 4 68Strawberry 1 6 1 7 15Grand Total 5 6 17 2 20 12 212 10 284
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Now what?
• We know fish are moving between habitats
• Some habitats are threatened
• Many habitats are fragmented
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Moving the Conservation Needle• Protect habitats in
strongholds
• Reconnect habitats to increase population resiliency
• Restore populations and habitat
• Sustain projects and programs
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Prioritize Actions in Strongholds
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= 2011 Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow
Important Population and Barriers
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Gordon Creek
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow• Bridge constructed in 1970’s• Concrete poured in 1980’s• 4 ½ ft vertical drop• Large fluvial BCT disappeared• Strong local support for
reconnection
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Preliminary Design for Gordon Creek
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Strawberry Creek
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow
• 370 ft Box Culvert under I-84• 5.36% Slope• Blocks access to entire
watershed• UDOT has provided assistance
with design.
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Strawberry Creek Concept
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“Lower Weber Diversion”
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow
Fisheries crew checking the fish trap in the passage channel
Fish screens in north side irrigation diversion
Fish screens in the south side irrigation diversion
27
Lower Weber Diversion
• Still need high flow upstream passage– Dependent on Funds– General Design Criteria
• Screen Cleaning Mechanism
Peterson Creek
Upper Gordon Creek Mainstem Weber River
Jacobs Creek
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Continued Threats
= Tributary Barrier
= Mainstem Barrier
= Fluvial Individual
= BCT Abundance Flow
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Moving Forward Strategically
• Collaborative effort for develop a strategic action plan
• Improved knowledge allows us to continue refining our conservation strategies in the watershed.
• Limited resources continue to exist.
• We need to use those resources the most effectively.
• We will need to rely upon the plan and revise it to continue moving the conservation needle.
31
Thank You
South Weber Irrigation Company
Uintah Central Irrigation Company