Transcript Co-op Angler 2011Results - North Shore Steelhead Association

Adult Steelhead Assessment
2014
By: JG.
Co-op Angler 2014
(A partnership in science between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
and the North Shore Steelhead Association)
Introduction
• Five steelhead assessment projects were conducted
during the spring of 2014.
• They are:
A) McIntyre River Steelhead Population Assessment
B) Portage Creek Steelhead Population Assessment
C) Cypress River Steelhead Population Assessment
D) McVicar Creek Steelhead Population Assessment
E) Co-op Angler Study
• All studies were conducted in partnership with the North
Shore Steelhead Association (NSSA) and the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).
Steelhead Assessment 2014 (A partnership between
MNR and the NSSA)
Methods
A) McIntyre River Steelhead Population Assessment
Four experienced anglers biologically sampled, fin clipped and tagged adult steelhead they captured
while angling during the spring spawning migration (May and June). ( Figures 1 and 2)
B) Portage Creek Steelhead Population Assessment
Anglers from the NSSA angled, biologically sampled, fin clipped and tagged adult
steelhead during the spring spawning migration (May and June) ( Figures 1 and 2)
C) Cypress River Steelhead Population Assessment
Three experienced anglers biologically sampled and fin clipped and tagged adult steelhead they captured
while angling during the spring spawning migration (May and June)). (Figure 1)
D) McVicar Creek Steelhead Population Assessment
Two experienced anglers biologically sampled and fin clipped and tagged adult steelhead they captured
while angling during the spring spawning migration (May and June). ( Figure 1)
E) Co-op Angler
Anglers from the North Shore Steelhead Association received sampling kits (tape, glove, knife, envelopes
and instructions) and biologically sampled their steelhead catches (fork length, sex, and scale samples)
from north shore tributaries during the spring (Figures 1 and 3). Scientific permits were issued by MNR.
The population estimates were based on a ‘Petersen Population Estimate’. Adult steelhead
are fin clipped in year one and recaptured in year two. The repeat spawners with fin clips in
year two complete the formula. (Figure 4)
Life history data is extracted from the scale sample (Figure 5) and summarized on an Excel
spread sheet (Figure 6)
Collecting the data
Sample Kit
Gender (male or female ?)
Figure: 1
Measuring length
Scale Sample
Adult Steelhead Sampling
Portage Creek Clipping, tagging and Sampling
2010 289 sampled and tagged (white Floy MNR 44000, Adipose clipped)
2011 211 sampled and tagged (copper Floy MNR 43000, Left Ventral clipped)
2012 150 sampled and tagged (yellow Floy MNR 49000, Right Pectoral clipped)
2013 96 sampled and tagged (purple Floy MNR 31000, Front Dorsal clipped)
2014 31 sampled and tagged (white Floy MNR 44000, Right Ventral clipped)
McIntyre River Clipping and Sampling
2011
2012
2013
2014
410 sampled, Front Dorsal clip, Sampling: Fork length, sex and scale sample, tag
341 sampled, Front Anal clip, Sampling: Fork length, sex and scale sample, tag
242 sampled, Adipose clip, Sampling: Fork Length, sex and scale sample, tag
101 sampled, Front Dorsal clip, Sampling: Fork Length, sex and scale sample
Figure: 2
Co-op Angler Sampling by Tributary 2014
A
B
C
Figure: 3
Basin
Tributary
Sample Size
Thunder Bay
Whitefish River
78
Neebing River
115
McIntyre River
101
McVicar Creek
144
Wild Goose Creek
17
Blind Creek
26
others
8
Portage Creek
31
Coldwater Creek
26
Wolf River/ B. sturgeon
7
Jackpine River
103
Cypress River
Steel River
Others Nipigon to
Marathon
184
12
Book trout samples
15
Black Bay
Nipigon to Marathon
10
Petersen Population Estimate
Number of Fish Clipped in Year #1 X Repeat Spawners in Year # 2 / by Clips from
Year # 1 Captured in Year # 2
Example :
250 marked in Year #1
150 Repeat Spawners Year # 2
30 Marked fish from Year # 1 Captured in Year #2
250 X 150
-----------30
Figure: 4
= 1259 +- 95 % Confidence
Life History Extrapolation
Steelhead Scale:
Age 5 years
(2 stream, 3 lake,
3rd spawn)
Third Lake Year,
Third Spawn
Second Lake
Year, Second
Spawn
First Lake
Year, First
Spawn
Second
Stream
Year
First
Stream Year
Figure: 5
Steelhead life history information from scale samples
(Recorded on Excel Database)
Flen
Sex
Spw
Lk/Sp
St.
Lk.
Age
Mat.
450
2
1
2
1
2
3
3
380
1
1
1
2
1
3
3
470
1
2
1
2
2
4
3
510
1
2
1
2
2
4
3
580
2
1
2
2
2
4
4
600
2
2
3
2
4
6
5
540
1
2
1
2
2
4
3
340
1
1
1
2
1
3
3
680
2
5
2
2
6
8
4
470
2
1
2
2
2
4
4
510
1
2
1
2
2
4
3
610
2
6
2
1
7
8
3
690
9
4
3
2
6
8
5
640
2
3
2
2
4
6
4
490
1
2
2
1
3
4
3
580
2
1
3
1
3
4
4
Legend: Flen. (fork length), Spw. (# of spawns), Lk/Sp (# lake years @ first spawn), St. (# stream years), Lk. (# lake years), Age (total
age), Mat. (age at maturity)
Figure: 6
Steelhead, Thunder Bay Tributaries
Age Structure 2014
Whitefish N=77
Neebing N=115
McIntyre N=100
McVicar N=143
Lake Shore N=43
60
Percent of Total
50
40
30
20
10
0
2(12)
3(11)
4(10)
5(09)
6(08)
Age (year of birth)
7(07)
8(06)
9(05)
Steelhead, Black Bay Tributaries
Age Structure 2014
50
Black Bay Tribs. N=32
Portage N=31
Percent of Total
40
30
20
10
0
2(12)
3(11)
4(10)
5(09)
6(08)
7(07)
Age (year of birth)
8(06)
9(05)
10(04)
Steelhead, Nipigon Bay Tributaries
Age Structure 2014
50
Percent of Total
40
30
Jackpine N=100
Cypress N=182
20
10
0
2(12)
3(11)
4(10)
5(09)
6(08)
7(07)
Age (year of birth)
8(06)
9(05)
10 (04)
Smolting History
Number of Stream Years
Number of Stream Years
100
100
Kam
Neebing
McIntyre
McVicar
80
Percent of Total
Percent of Total
80
60
40
20
40
20
0
0
1
2
1
3
Number of Stream Years
100
80
Jackpine
Cypress
Prairie
60
40
20
0
1
2
Number of Stream Years
2
Number of Stream Years
Number of Stream Years
Percent of Total
Portage
Coldwater
Wolf
60
3
3
Steelhead Maturity
Age at first spawning
Age at First Spawning
70
50
60
Percent of Total
Percent of Total
60
40
30
20
10
50
40
30
20
10
0
2
3
4
5
6
Age at First Spawning
Jackpine
Cypress
Prairie
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2
3
4
Age at First Spawning
0
2
3
4
Age at First Spawning
Age at First Spawning
Percent of Total
Portage
Coldwater
Wolf/Black Sturgeon
70
Kam
Neebing
McIntyre
McVicar
5
6
5
Repeat Spawners
Lake Superior Steelhead
Number of Spawning Events 2014
Whitefish R=49%
Neebing R=55%
McIntyre R=58%
McVicar R=60%
Lake Shore Dr. R=30%
Coldwater R=69%
Portage R=79%
Jackpine R=67%
Cypress R=60%
80
Percent of Total
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
M
2
3
4
5
6
Age
Legend note: Whitefish R= 49% (total percent of repeat spawners for each river)
7
Weight and Age of your Steelhead
Lake Superior Steelhead
Weight for Length Categories
Figure A
5
Length to Weight
•
A 60 cm. (24”) steelhead weighs 2.5 kg.
or 5.5 Lbs.
A 75 cm. (30”) steelhead weighs 3.8 kg
or 8.5 Lbs.
W e ig h t (k g )
•
4
3
2
1
Fig. A
0
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
Fork Length (cm)
Note: 2.54 cm = 1 in ; 1 kg = 2.2 lb
Lake Superior Steelhead
Figure B
Fork Length at Age
80
•
•
A v e r a g e F o r k L e n g th (c m )
Fork Length to Age
A 50 cm. (20”) steelhead is 3 years old
A 70 cm. (28”) steelhead is 7 years old
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Fig. B
0
0
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Age in Years
Note: This is s general guide. Grow th w ill vary considerably w ith m aturity, stream life and
feeding behavior.
10
11
McIntyre, Portage Creek Population Trends
Steelhead, McIntyre River
Adult Population Estimates 1999-2013
2800
2600
Number of Adults
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
99
0
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Year
Note: 1999 to 2004 (Counting Fence), 2008 to 2013 (Petersen est. )
Fig. A
Steelhead, Portage Creek
Adult Population Estimates 1991-2013
2200
2000
Number of Adults
These two graphs indicate the trends in
adult steelhead population size up to the
present time. Figure A is the McIntyre
River, Thunder Bay, Figure B is Portage
Creek, Black Bay.
Figure A
- McIntyre River adult steelhead population
maintained it’s size at over 2000 from 2010
to 2012 decreasing to 1400 in 2013
- A minimal size limit of 1 over 69 cm was
enacted for the spring 1999. This regulation
has shown positive results with an increase
in population size, and recruitment of
juveniles
Figure B
- Portage Creek were closed to angling in
1994.
- From 1994 to to 2004 adult population
increased from 800 to over 2000
- From 2007 to 2013 the adult population
decreased to an estimate of 500 individuals
- the lower numbers of adult steelhead in
Black Bay tributaries can be contributed to
the increase in yellow perch and Walleye.
- Figure 7 illustrates the decrease in
steelhead survival following the perch and
walleye increases from 2005 to the present
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
Fig. B
0
1
2
3
Year
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13
Steelhead, Portage Creek
Number of Age Three Adults 1991-2014
Number at Age Three
1000
800
600
400
200
0
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Year of Capture
Figure 7
Summary
Thunder Bay
•
•
•
•
•
In both 2013 and 2014 we had late springs that delayed the steelhead spawning migration well
into May
High flows decreased angler success.
The McIntyre River steelhead population characteristics can be used to index the health of other
Thunder bay tributaries
In the McIntyre River the strong year classes of 2007 to 2009 are declining (natural mortality)
resulting in a decreased population size in 2013 from what we estimated in 2010 to 2012.
The 2011 year class (age three years….30 to 45 cm) appears to be strong in Thunder Bay
tributaries and should increase the population size over the next few years as it fully recruits into
the spawning population.
Black Bay
•
•
•
•
Portage Creek’s adult steelhead population can be used to to index the health of Black Bay
tributaries.
Since 2004 survival of juvenile steelhead to maturity has declined in Portage Creek as illustrated
in Figure 7
The decline has been observed by anglers in all Black Bay tributaries ie. Wolf, Coldwater and
Black Sturgeon Rivers
The decline in steelhead numbers coincided with a dramatic increase in yellow perch and walleye
in Black Bay
Nipigon East
•
•
•
•
Tributaries from Nipigon to Marathon had a late spawning migrations that began in mid May and
continued into into early June
High flows decreased angling success
2009, 2010 and 2011 year classes in the Jackpine R. and Cypress R. appear strong and both
river appear to have healthy adult populations
The adult population for the Cypress River was estimated to be 1500 to 2000 individuals
Acknowledgements
The author of this report would like to thank the following persons and groups for all their hard work in
making these projects successful.
McIntyre River Population Study
Randy Beamish, Wes Bender, Keith Ailey and Terry Kosolowski
Portage Creek Population Study
Tom Kleinboeck (DFO). Mike Deschamps and Davis Viehbeck (OMNR) and NSSA membership
Cypress River Population Study
Wes Bender. Keith Ailey, Terry Kosolowski
McVicar Creek
Norm Stieh and Kyle Stratton
Co-op Angler Steelhead Data Collection
Thanks to all the steelheaders that collected the data.
Aging and Data Management:
Jon Tost, NSES
Funding:
NSSA., Lake Superior Upper Great lakes Management Unit (OMNR)
Corporate Sponsorship:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Normark Inc., Canada
Web Site:
Frank Edgson
A Partnership in Science