| Purpose: |
The indigenous, anadromous fish populations of California's Central Valley have been severely reduced due to a variety of man-caused alterations to the environment. The region's anadromous fish populations have been extirpated from most of their historic ranges and the existence of the few remaining depleted populations continue to be at risk from a suite of anthropogenic-related factors. Diversions and bypasses such as the Colusa Basin Drainage Canal (CBDC) and both Fremont and Tisdale weirs affect immigration and emigration cues and block or alter migration routes for anadromous fish. The increasing demand for the diversion of water continues to alter the timing and magnitude of flow that sustain most of the remaining viable habitat.
The upper Sacramento River and its tributaries provide essential spawning and rearing grounds for the Central Valley's salmonid populations. With escapement numbers of Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon measured in the thousands and annual spawning runs of sDPS green sturgeon averaging less than 500, any loss to these spawning populations is cause for concern. Further, reduced flows and higher water temperatures in the upper Sacramento River associated with extreme drought conditions may lead to substantial losses to both incubating eggs and emergent fry. Monitoring efforts are conducted in order to compile information on timing, composition (species/race), and relative abundance of Central Valley Chinook salmon and steelhead. This information enables the implementation of adaptive management practices, both up and downstream of the Delta, deemed necessary to protect Central Valley salmonids. Data collected over several years will further our understanding and aid in the recovery and protection of the Sacramento River's anadromous fish populations.
Juvenile Emigration Monitoring at Tisdale Weir, Knights Landing, the Feather River High Flow Channel, and the Delta Entry site:
The loss of emigrating fish is increased by the many diversions, such as the Delta Cross Channel Gates (DCC) that lie between their natal streams and the Pacific Ocean. Potentially, the most imposing of these diversions are the Southern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's Harvey Banks Delta Pumping Plant (State Water Project [SWP]) and the Tracy Pumping Plant (Central Valley Water Project [CVP]). In March 2020, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) issued Incidental Take Permit No. 2081-2019-066-00 (ITP) to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for the operation of the SWP, which describes the necessary conditions to minimize impacts of the SWP on spring-run Chinook Salmon, among other covered species. Condition of Approval 7.5.2 of the ITP requires DWR to convene an interagency team (JPE Team) to support development and implementation of an annual spring-run Juvenile Production Estimate (JPE).
The work put forth for this study is a continuous effort upon the part of combined agencies to reduce the detrimental impacts of the SWP and CVP facilities on Central Valley Chinook salmon and steelhead stocks. The ability to accurately measure the abundance and timing of emigrating salmonids would aid in addressing critical water management procedures. Current water management practices throughout the Delta and its corresponding tributaries influence the rate of survival of emigrating salmonids. Improved estimates of the timing and relative abundance of these species as they entered the Delta should improve confidence in defining impacts and protective measures to enhance overall protection, and potentially maximize water management flexibility.
The recommended goals of this monitoring are as follows:
1) Monitor the outmigration of juvenile salmonids on a real-time basis.
2) Provide daily summaries of timing, abundance and size distribution of salmonids in the Sacramento River before they enter the Delta.
3) Provide timing information to water agencies for better management decisions regarding operation of the DCC gates and to reduce frequency of entrainment by the SWP and the CVP.
4) Evaluate how environmental conditions (flow, temperature, turbidity) affect the downstream movement of juvenile salmonids.
Central Valley Steelhead Monitoring Program:
A comprehensive Steelhead Monitoring Plan has been developed by CDFW and includes several new population monitoring programs targeting steelhead throughout the Sacramento River and San Joaquin River basins. The primary goal is to provide recommendations for the development of steelhead monitoring programs that will provide the data necessary to help assess progress towards restoration and recovery goals. Information obtained will be used to examine the distribution, abundance, and population trends of CCV steelhead. Important components of the comprehensive plan include: 1) the Mainstem Sacramento River Steelhead Mark-Recapture Program, and 2) the Upper Sacramento River Basin Adult Steelhead Video/DIDSON Monitoring Program.
Objectives include:
1) Estimate steelhead population abundance in the Central Valley
2) Examine trends in steelhead abundance in the Central Valley
3) Identify the spatial distribution of steelhead in the Central Valley to identify their current range and observe changes over time.
Upper Sacramento River Restoration Site Monitoring:
In a free-flowing river, sediment and other materials are continually moving downstream providing diverse habitats for successful salmonid spawning and juvenile rearing. Below large dams, course sediment continues to be transported downstream by the flowing water without it being replaced by upstream sources. Section 3406(b)(13) of the CVPIA identifies the need for a continuing restoration program that replaces, as needed, this material blocked by the dams along with the associated habitat values. CDFW Staff will conduct presence/absence surveys for juvenile salmonids via direct observation at a variety of sites on the Upper Sacramento River, upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam. All monitoring will be observational, and no handling of juvenile salmonids will occur. Sampling methods will include snorkel surveys, beach seines, video surveys and DIDSON surveys. The monitoring will occur year-round and will establish baseline use at proposed restoration sites to help determine the success once restoration projects are implemented.
Upper Sacramento River Restoration Site Monitoring (b13) Program:
Construction and operation Shasta Dam on the main-stem Sacramento River has altered the river’s normal hydrology, interrupted the transportation of sediment (including spawning gravel) from upstream sources, and has resulted channel simplification and loss of complexity. These changes are most prominent from Keswick Dam (river mile 302) to the Cow Creek confluence (river mile 278). Section 3406(b)(13) of the CVPIA identifies the need for a continuing restoration program that replaces, as needed, spawning gravel blocked by Shasta Dam, along with creation of juvenile rearing habitat through side-channel construction or enhancement. Monitoring the success of construction and enhancement projects is a critical Program element which is used to inform design of future projects.
Objectives include:
1) Evaluating the outcome of b13 restoration projects through documentation of spawning activity (redds), and relative abundance of juvenile salmonids utilizing restored habitat.
2) Documenting and quantifying habitat attributes and quantities in restoration sites.
3) Document habitat conditions and fish presence in control sites, and pre and post construction within rehabilitated restoration sites
Central Valley Fish Rescues:
CDFW's rescue and relocation efforts to date have provided an understanding of timing and magnitude of potential fish entrainment and loss, as well as conditions that can exacerbate the potential for fish entrainment. These efforts have also allowed for methods and protocols to be developed and refined that minimize handling stress and lethal take of ESA-listed species during rescue efforts.
During high flow events, a significant proportion of the Sacramento River is diverted into the Sutter and Yolo Bypass through specific flood relief structures. Substantially more water can be passing through the bypasses than is in the river itself during these flood events. This dramatically alters not just the volume of water in the main channel but the variations in flow over time. Fish in the river downstream of these flood relief structures experience a drastically different flow regime than fish do upstream of these structures. Furthermore, agricultural diversions and drainages take Sacramento River water and send it through a maze of canals, ditches, and natural streams down the heart of California's Central Valley, from as far north as Glenn County, and drain it back into the Sacramento River just a few miles from where it branches off from the confluence of the San Joaquin River. The main structure running the length of the agricultural area is the Colusa Basin Drainage Canal (CBDC). This influence of Sacramento River water can cause migrating salmon to stray into waterways that are not conducive to spawning or have no easy returns to the River.
Significant reductions in flow also have the potential to entrain salmonids. Stable and continuous river flows are important to the early life history (egg incubation to emergence from the gravel) of salmonids. If redds are dewatered or exposed to warm, deoxygenated water, incubating eggs/larval fish may not survive. After emergence from their redd, juvenile salmon can become stranded in shallow isolated water and be exposed to the same poor environmental conditions as well as increased predation. For the eggs and juveniles to survive they need water, of a suitable temperature, velocity, and water quality, at all times. Juvenile stranding surveys are implemented to observe and report on locations that could potentially contain stranded salmonids that are isolated to varying degrees by flow reductions. Attempts will be made to capture and relocate stranded juveniles to more suitable habitat. Further, CDFW will assist with the emergence of stranded fry in redds at risk of being dewatered. This effort should be considered as a last resort to increase the opportunity for juvenile Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon to emerge from a redd that IS going to be dewatered by flow reductions.
CDFW has identified the following monitoring, rescue, and relocation activities that may be conducted to reduce potential losses of listed fish species within California’s Central Valley.
Wallace Weir Trapping and Relocation Operation:
CDFW identified Wallace Weir in the Knights Landing Ridge Cut (KLRC) as a location where anadromous fish species could be captured and relocated to the Sacramento River before they enter the CBDC. On June 20, 2016, NMFS completed a Section 7 Consultation and issued a biological opinion to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the Wallace Weir Fish Rescue Project (WCR-2016-5014), which involves construction of a new, permanent weir with a flow control structure, installation of a positive fish barrier (i.e., picket weirs), construction of an access road and bridge across the new weir and a control building for the new flow control structure, demolition of the existing weir, and construction of a permanent fish rescue facility. Although the biological opinion issued to the USACE authorizes the construction activities outlined above, it does not authorize the rescue and relocation of ESA-listed salmonids and sDPS green sturgeon at the new fish trapping facility. Operation of the new fish collection facility for purposes of collecting, handling, and transporting captured fish will be carried out by CDFW under this permit.
The new Wallace Weir Fish Collection Facility is located at the terminus of the KLRC and the west levee of the Yolo Bypass, approximately three miles north of Interstate 5 and five miles northeast of the City of Woodland. The new permanent structure improves flow control for agricultural purposes and facilitates efficient salvage and relocation of fish from the KLRC to the Sacramento River. Adult salmonids and sDPS green sturgeon may enter the Yolo Bypass at the Cache Slough Complex and migrate upstream into the KLRC and hence the CBDC. In the event that the facility is inoperable, CDFW has and will continue to perform the appropriate sampling methodology to collect fish below Wallace Weir and relocate these fish to the Sacramento River.
Wallace Weir Fish Rescue Program Objectives:
1) Collect and relocate listed salmonids and sDPS green sturgeon, and other species of concern (e.g., fall-run Chinook salmon, white sturgeon) that become entrained at the fish collection facility at Wallace Weir.
2) Record and report numbers/species composition of trapped fish and maintain a program database.
3) Mark and/or tag listed salmonids, sDPS green sturgeon, and other species of concern collected at the facility and collect genetic samples.
4) Refine fish rescue methods to minimize handling stress and costs of operations.
5) Document the magnitude of stranding of listed salmonids, sDPS green sturgeon, and other species of concern and to the extent possible document survival and spawning success of fish through mark and recapture methods and biotelemetry.
6) Document any weir over-topping resulting in the potential for fish to move into the CBDC. This will be used to inform the need for potential rescues in other areas of the CBDC watershed.
Potential Rescue/Salvage Operations in the upper CBDC:
During Fremont Weir overtopping events, Yolo Bypass flows may also overtop the Wallace Weir Fish Collection Facility resulting in listed fish species continuing upstream in the KLRC to the CBDC. If and when fish passage is thought to occur, CDFW will initiate a roving survey using dual identification sonar (DIDSON) imagery at known choke points within the CBDC and associated tributaries to look for listed salmonids or sDPS green sturgeon (target species). Once target species presence is determined, in the CBDC, CDFW will focus efforts to capture and then relocate the wayward fish to the Sacramento River.
Semi-permanent barriers and fyke traps may be installed upstream in key areas within the CBDC such as the CBDC diversion structure at the juncture of Hunter Creek, under the 4 Mile Road Bridge and Dam 3 on Hunters Creek, Dam 1 at North Logan Creek, the confluence of Logan and North Logan Creeks, the confluence of Stone Corral Creek and Funks Creek, and the CBDC near the Delevan NWR. CDFW observed listed salmonids at during the 2012-2013 water year at these locations after they entered the CBDC via the KLRC. Similar to target species rescued at the Wallace Weir Fish Collection Facility, fish will be measured, sampled for tissues (genetic testing), tagged externally with two individually numbered Floy tags, placed in a fish transport tank and returned to the Sacramento River.
Rescue and Relocation associated with Sacramento River Flood Control Project Weirs and Flood Relief Structures – Tisdale, Sacramento, and Fremont Weirs:
Flooding of the Yolo and Sutter bypasses results in up to 80 percent of flows in the Sacramento River basin being diverted from the Sacramento River into the Tisdale, Sutter, Yolo, and Sacramento bypasses to protect populated areas from flooding. Anadromous fish species are attracted to these bypass flows and as a result alter their migration routes. When flood waters recede, both upstream and downstream migrating anadromous fish may become entrained downstream of flood control weirs including the Tisdale, Fremont, and Sacramento weirs. Among these are federal and state anadromous listed species including Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, and sDPS green sturgeon. Even in years when the Fremont Weir does not spill, west side tributary and drainage canal flows can attract anadromous fish into the Yolo Bypass at the Cache Slough complex, particularly during periods of high tides and low Sacramento River flows. Fish attracted by west side stream and drainage canal flows migrate upstream through the Toe Drain, Tule Canal, KLRC, and CBDC. Fish attracted into the Yolo Bypass by west side tributary and drainage canal flows are unable to return to the Sacramento River when river flows are not overtopping weirs and may become isolated and stranded. Additionally, during high flows that overtop the flood relief structures (weirs), fish migrating downstream in the Sacramento River may pass over or through the Tisdale, Fremont, and Sacramento weirs and be diverted into the Tisdale, Sutter, and Yolo bypasses.
Entrainment and stranding within the bypasses can result in considerable mortality for listed fish species. It is crucial to identify the level of impact flood relief structures and diversions are having on populations of listed species and to identify whether rescued or salvaged fish can successfully contribute to the population. CDWF aims to identify the level of entrainment and stranding into Sacramento River flood relief structures and bypasses, survival and behavior of entrained adults that are rescued, and to identify conditions resulting in high levels of entrainment specific to each location. The Tisdale, Sutter, and Yolo bypasses will be surveyed after weir overtopping events with a specific focus on Tisdale, Sacramento, and Fremont weirs. In the event of stranding of listed fish species, DWR and USBR have contracted with CDFW to conduct fish rescue operations as necessary (see attached document; CDWR 2010, Flood Operations Branch, Fact Sheet Sacramento River Flood Control Project Weirs and Flood Relief Structures).
Upper Sacramento River Basin Redd Dewatering Surveys and Rescue of Stranded Juvenile Salmonids:
Beginning in 2013, an effort has been made by the fisheries agencies to annually monitor winter-run Chinook salmon redds that may be dewatered by flow reductions from Keswick Reservoir. Redds in shallow water will be identified and monitored by boat crews to determine formation date and subsequent emergence date of each redd. As flows drop, eggs and developing alevins may become desiccated or be subjected to increased temperature or decreased dissolved oxygen levels. Fry emergence may also be reduced when redds are partially dewatered. If dewatering of redds appears likely, CDFW may take action to reduce the impacts of dewatering.
CDFW understands that the ideal situation is not to disturb Chinook salmon redds at all. However, in case of dewatered redds, the disturbance is justified as an attempt to provide as much opportunity for survival as possible while minimizing disturbance. As redds become dewatered, the top of the redd emerges from the water preventing emergent fry from exiting through the top of the redd. Further, the water velocity around the remaining redd area is typically reduced, resulting in less flow through the redd. This can trap emerging fry, preventing them from departing the underwater sides of the redd and reducing available dissolved oxygen and raising water temperatures. Removing substrate from the top of dewatered redds produces more flow over and through the redd, and theoretically, allows for increased alevin emergence.
Juvenile salmonids can become stranded when reduced flows from Keswick Dam result in hydrological isolation of aquatic habitat such as naturally occurring and man-made side channels from the main Sacramento River channel. Stranding can lead to direct mortality from desiccation, poor water quality, and increased predation (Jarret and Killam 2014). CDFW staff will survey known stranding sites immediately following Keswick flow reductions as feasible to determine if a fish rescue is necessary. If determined necessary, CDFW staff will use beach seines, dip nets, or as a last resort, backpack electrofishing gear to capture stranded juvenile Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, and Central valley steelhead. Fish rescues may also be conducted in Shasta and Tehama counties including the following locations: Sacramento River, Deer Creek, Mill Creek, Antelope Creek, and various urban streams. Fish rescues may also occur on other Sacramento River tributaries but are not anticipated on a regular basis as those mentioned above.
Stable and continuous river flows are important to the early life history stages of salmonids including egg incubation and pre-gravel emergence. Flow reductions during these developmental periods have the potential to cause mortality through dewatering and poor water quality. Flow reductions in the mainstem Sacramento River and associated tributaries can also result in juvenile salmonids becoming isolated and stranded side channels and other shallow aquatic habitat and where they can be exposed to desiccation, poor water quality, and increased predation. CDFW will implement redd dewatering and juvenile stranding surveys in the upper Sacramento River and associated tributaries when flow decreases from Keswick Reservoir and various irrigation reservoirs have the potential to dewater redds or result in stranding of listed salmonids.
Objectives are to:
1) Capture, tag and relocate Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon and other species of management concern in the lower reaches of the CBDC at Wallace Weir within the Yolo Bypass.
2) Construct and place modified fyke traps at key locations within the interior of the CBDC system to capture, tag and relocate stranded fish if fish passage occurs at the Wallace Weir Trapping Facility.
3) If environmental conditions (high flows, flooding) warrant monitoring and rescue of fish entrained behind Fremont and Tisdale weirs, CDFW aims to assess the level of entrainment and evaluate the survival and behavior of entrained adults that are rescued and relocated.
4) Monitor winter-run Chinook salmon redds by identification of redds at risk of being dewatered, marking of redds, and repeated measurements of water levels around redds. This monitoring allows CDFW biologists to predict the flow at which redds will be dewatered on a redd-by-redd basis.
5) If deemed necessary, CDFW may physically modify redds in danger of being dewatered to lessen the impacts to emerging juveniles within each redd.
6) Survey known stranding sites immediately following Keswick Dam flow reductions (as feasible), to determine if a fish rescue is necessary.
7) Conduct fish rescues in Shasta and Tehama counties including but not limited to the following locations: Sacramento River, Deer Creek, Mill Creek, Antelope Creek, and various urban streams as needed.
8) Identify conditions resulting in high levels of entrainment specific to each location. |
| Description: |
Juvenile Emigration Monitoring:
The Knights Landing monitoring site, located in Yolo County, was chosen as a monitoring site due to its favorable channel structure and flow conditions, as well as its position within the Sacramento River system. The monitoring site at Tisdale Weir provides emigration timing, race composition, and abundance above a frequently topped flood relief weir, the Tisdale Weir, which allows Sacramento River flows to inundate the Tisdale Bypass and, subsequently, the Sutter Bypass during storm driven high flow events. Fish entering the bypass system are routed around the Knights Landing monitoring site, muting measures of increased emigration and abundance used to guide Delta water operations. These monitoring sites are unique in that monitoring sites upstream cannot adequately measure timing of Delta entry due to factors such as rearing behaviors delaying Delta entry and changes in survival as fish move downstream. Additionally, downstream monitoring programs cannot accurately distinguish upper Sacramento River salmonids from those originating in the Feather or American Rivers. Currently, all juvenile monitoring on the Feather River is limited to the upper regions of the river, which does not provide an accurate picture of juvenile migration through the Feather to the confluence of the Sacramento River. An additional site positioned lower on the Feather River past the confluence of the Yuba River will be placed to inform the juvenile production estimate of spring-run Chinook salmon. To monitor juvenile salmonid migration past the confluence of the Sacramento River with the Feather and American Rivers, an additional monitoring site on the Sacramento River will be placed between River Mile 62.5 and River Mile 73. Exact site will be determined based on safety for fish, equipment and staff and accessibility in varying flow conditions and included in the annual report.
Sampling will be conducted using paired 8-foot (diameter) RSTs. Traps will be placed on the outside of a wide bend in the river, in the deepest part of the river channel. This is in an area of active emigration and will allow for predictions of emigration timing at various sites downstream, including the Delta. Traps will sample continuously 24 hours per day, 7 days per week from August through June. Data collection is once daily unless conditions warrant more frequent sampling (i.e. large quantities of debris, high catch numbers, or excessive high flows). Environmental measurements to be recorded are as follows: river discharge (to be determined from the California Data Exchange Center's (CDEC) site managed by the Department of Water Resources), water temperature, depth, and turbidity, which will be measured using a YSI water quality meter. All fish will be identified to species. Salmonids will be measured to the nearest millimeter (mm), assessed for life stage, assigned a race (determined by Length-At-Date criteria), and weighed to the nearest tenth of a gram. A sub-sample of fish identified as spring-run will have genetic sampling conducted via swab. A sub-sample (up to 20 fish per race) of adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon will be held and euthanized for coded wire tag (CWT) retrieval and analysis. Euthanized adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon and incidental mortalities that occur may be retained by CDFW or transferred to the NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center for otolith (or other tissues/parts) analysis.
Trap capture efficiency trials are essential to estimate abundance. The juvenile emigration monitoring program will use both trap captured juvenile Chinook and juvenile Chinook obtained from Coleman National Fish Hatchery for efficiency trials. Juveniles used in the efficiency trials will either be marked with a Visible Implanted Elastomer (VIE) tag or stained with a biological stain such as Bismarck Brown or Methylene Blue. The site on the lower Feather River will use fish from the Feather River Fish Hatchery. Historically, trap capture efficiency estimates were conducted using only trap captured juveniles. Expanding these efforts to include juveniles obtained from Coleman National Fish Hatchery increases the number of trials conducted throughout the year and the range of environmental conditions during which trials are conducted. Reach survival estimates using acoustically tagged hatchery fish will also be conducted; Coleman National Fish Hatchery Fall Run will be used for release sites on the Sacramento River, and Feather River Fish hatchery fish will be used for sites on the Feather River.
Central Valley Steelhead Monitoring Program:
The Mainstem Sacramento River Mark-Recapture component of the Steelhead Monitoring Program will use a temporally stratified mark-recapture survey design in the Lower Sacramento River. The survey will utilize wire fyke traps to capture, mark, and recapture upstream migrating adult steelhead in order to estimate adult steelhead escapement from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. As part of this mark-recapture program, a computer simulation was undertaken to estimate the variability of escapement estimates. Simulation results and the potentially low steelhead capture rate in fyke traps in the lower Sacramento River suggest that at least seven traps should be used for sampling to achieve maximum recapture levels. Tagged steelhead will be released below the most downstream trap to maximize the probability of recapture and provide estimates with an acceptable level of error. The number of traps and release methodology will be re-evaluated during initial implementation. Exact placement of the traps will be determined based on evaluation of habitat requirements, historical recommendations, and past trapping efforts. Traps will be set at a depth that provides sufficient flow to the live-well at all times and as close to the bank as possible.
Fyke trapping will occur year-round as conditions (e.g. flow, temperature) allow. A Dual-frequency Identification Sonar camera (DIDSON) or device of similar capabilities may be placed at the entrance to the fyke traps to monitor salmonid movements and assist in adjusting trap placement to maximize capture rates. Traps will be fished 24 hours a day with all traps being inspected, cleaned, and emptied at least once every 24 hours to minimize the period of time steelhead are detained. Trap holding periods will be reduced if capture rates are greater than expected or result in high fish stress levels. Steelhead (5 at a time) will be transferred directly from traps to an aerated holding tank (> 400 liters) on a sampling boat with dip nets for processing. Removal of larger and "trouble-maker" fish will occur first to minimize stress to other fish in the trap. All recaptured steelhead will be released at the site of recapture following recovery from handling. All captured steelhead (hatchery and wild) will be enumerated, weighed, measured, sexed (if possible), photographed for body condition, checked for previous tags, and sampled for scales. Scales will be submitted to the CDFW Central Valley Salmonid Tissue Archive for mounting, photographing, ageing, and verification of anadromy. Collection of genetic samples from adult steelhead will provide additional samples for current phylogenetic research occurring through NOAA and CDFW single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) programs. Steelhead unacceptable for marking and transport (e.g., sick, injured) will be released at the capture site immediately upon recovery from handling. Healthy steelhead captured in good condition will receive a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag. A genetic sample will also be taken from the upper caudal fin with a 1 millimeter diameter hole punch, which can also be used to investigate the retention rate of tagged individuals by establishing a permanent mark and providing tissue for the CDFW Tissue Archive. Hatchery-origin steelhead will receive a two inch, individually numbered, Floy tag posterior to the dorsal fin. Floy tags will be used to visually identify individuals and determine the PIT tag shedding rate of recaptured individuals. A randomly selected subset of captured steelhead will receive an acoustic tag in addition to PIT and Floy tags to determine migration and survival behavior. Individuals selected for acoustic tagging will be surgically tagged with a VEMCO acoustic transmitter tag or similarly compatible device in the abdomen posterior to the pelvic fins.
Tributary-specific run timing and escapement abundance estimates will be produced through recaptures of individuals migrating to spawning tributaries from the Lower Sacramento River marking site. Angler harvest will be monitored to determine if tagged fish have been encountered. Hatchery and wild steelhead will be inspected for tags during handling by hatchery broodstock collection programs at Coleman NFH, Nimbus Fish Hatchery, and Feather River Fish Hatchery. Adult steelhead immigration monitoring in Sacramento River tributaries will be performed using passive monitoring techniques, including maintaining in-stream PIT antennas and operating electronic device counters including video-camera systems, VAKI River-watchers, and DIDSON/ARIS. In-stream PIT antennas are designed to fit the form of the streambed and allow passive capture of tag information from individuals without disruption of natural behavior. Where applicable, PIT antennas are also located within fishways. Some electronic device counters are located within fish ladders, while others are operated in-stream using partial fencing to funnel fish into the camera area PIT antennas and electronic device counters are employed within the following areas: Battle Creek, Cow Creek, Bear Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Clear Creek, Antelope Creek, Mill Creek, Deer Creek, Yuba River, and the American River, Feather River, and Mokelumne River fish hatchery ladders.
Coordination and collaboration among resource agencies will be essential to recapture individuals upstream from the lower Sacramento River fyke trap sampling site. Selection of watersheds for recapture monitoring was based on streams that support steelhead runs and have consistent and sufficient spawning and rearing habitat. These methods will have limited negative impacts to individuals. Because the abundance of steelhead in the Sacramento River is low, it is unlikely that escapement estimates can be derived from the proportion of the recaptured PIT-tagged steelhead detected at monitoring sites. However, the recapture of individuals provides valuable data on seasonal, temporal, and behavioral characteristics which can be used to evaluate and enhance monitoring, research, and management goals and objectives. Tributary monitoring sites will be located as close to the confluence with the Sacramento River as workable to maximize the number of recaptures.
Upper Sacramento River Restoration Site Monitoring:
In a free-flowing river, sediment and other materials are continually moving downstream providing diverse habitats for successful salmonid spawning and juvenile rearing. Below large dams, course sediment continues to be transported downstream by the flowing water without it being replaced by upstream sources. In addition, channel complexity is reduced downstream of dams when flows are regulated for reservoir storage and high flow events are attenuated for flood control. Section 3406(b)(13) of the CVPIA identifies the need for a continuing restoration program that replaces, as needed, spawning gravel blocked by the dams along with restoring side channel habitats to increase juvenile rearing habitat. CDFW staff will conduct redd monitoring and presence/absence surveys for juvenile salmonids via direct observation at a variety of control and restoration sites on the Upper Sacramento River, upstream of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam. Most monitoring activity will be observational, but will also include minimal handling of juvenile salmonids during beach-seining efforts. Sampling methods will include snorkel surveys, video surveys, and beach-seining. The monitoring will occur year-round and will establish baseline use at proposed restoration sites to help determine the success once restoration projects are implemented.
Central Valley Fish Rescues
Recovery and Relocation of Fish Entering the CBDC at Wallace Weir Fish Facility:
Wallace Weir is located at the terminus of the KLRC and the west levee of the Yolo Bypass, approximately three miles north of Interstate 5 and five miles northeast of the City of Woodland. The new permanent structures associated with the new Wallace Weir Fish Facility will improve flow control for agricultural purposes and function to rescue fish for relocation to the Sacramento River. CDFW will check the fish collection facility at Wallace Weir on a daily basis or more frequently if necessary. The facility will impound all fish species, so all fish present will be handled and removed from the fish collection facility. Target Species and Species of Management Concern will be prioritized for collection, processing, transportation, and release back to the Sacramento River. The Sacramento River release location(s) will be evaluated and may vary with species and time of year, but will only occur in locations where CDWR or CDFW have property rights or landowner permission to carry out fish releases. All salmonids and sturgeon will be identified to species, measured and evaluated for condition and sexed if possible. To document the magnitude of stranding of ESA-listed fish, genetic samples will be collected from all salmonids. To allow information to be gathered on movement, survival, and spawning success after releases, salmonids and sturgeon that are rescued will be marked and/or tagged. Species other than Target Species or Species of Management Concern that are found in the facility will be passed through to the upstream or downstream side of the weir using infrastructure incorporated into the facility.
Potential Rescue/Salvage in CBDC:
If and when fish passage is thought to occur (in the unlikely event that the trapping facility experiences operational issues), CDFW will initiate a roving survey using DIDSON imagery at known choke points within the CBDC and associated tributaries to look for focal species. Sonar imagery will help to identify substrate complexity, species presence/absence, and potential capture equipment needed for a rescue. Sonar imagery will also be helpful in identifying underwater hazards that may foul capture gear or be dangerous for CDFW personnel.
Once focal species are determined to be present at any one location in the CBDC, CDFW will focus efforts to capture and then relocate wayward fish to the Sacramento River. Semi-permanent barriers and fyke traps may be installed upstream in key areas within the CBDC such as, but not limited to, the CBDC diversion structure at the juncture of Hunter Creek, under the 4 Mile Road Bridge and Dam 3 locations on Hunters Creek, Dam 1 at North Logan Creek; the confluence of Logan and North Logan Creeks, the confluence of Stone Corral Creek and Funks Creek, and the CBDC near the Delevan NWR. CDFW discovered that fish strayed to these locations during the 2012/13 season. Each rescued fish will be measured, sampled for tissues (genetic testing), tagged externally with two individually numbered Floy tags, placed in a fish transport tank, and returned to the Sacramento River at Tisdale Weir.
Monitoring Entrainment and Rescue of Fish at Fremont and Tisdale Weirs:
Flood relief structures will be monitored after high flow events throughout the Sacramento River basin. CDWF aims to identify the level entrainment and stranding of ESA-listed salmonids and sturgeon into Sacramento River flood relief structures and bypasses and the conditions resulting in high levels of entrainment specific to each location. Survival and behavior of entrained adults that are rescued will also be assessed. Any stranded adult sturgeon will be captured if possible using block nets and hoop nets, measured and tagged both acoustically (internal VEMCO acoustic tags) and with two colored and individually numbered Floy tags. If any adult or juvenile Chinook salmon or steelhead are found to be entrained during rescue efforts, they will be captured using beach seines, their presence will be documented. Adult salmonids will be tagged with two colored and individually numbered Floy tags. Steelhead (adults and juveniles) may also receive a PIT tag as part of CDFW's Steelhead Monitoring Program. All rescued fish will be transported to the nearest Sacramento River location and released.
Upper Sacramento River Redd Dewatering Surveys and Rescue of Stranded Juvenile Salmonids:
Winter-run Chinook salmon redds in shallow water will be identified and monitored by boat crews to determine formation date and subsequent emergence date of each redd. These redds will be repeatedly measured to determine the depth of water column above the highest point of the redd during each river flow reduction. When a redd is in jeopardy of becoming dewatered, (based on the redd depth and the schedule of flow reductions) CDFW may take action to reduce the impacts of dewatering. Just prior to a Keswick flow reduction (1-2 days), if deemed necessary, a field crew will gently remove substrate from the tops of redds that are likely to become dewatered (e.g. redds in water 2-3 inches or less before a 250 cfs reduction). Crews can attempt to remove by hand the rocks from the tops of redds to a sufficient depth that will allow water to remain freely flowing over the redd top after the forecasted flow reduction. Redd tops will be removed using a slow and gentle manner to minimize abrasion impacts to fry in the uppermost area removed. Water velocity will be measured at the redd before and after the substrate removal process. Water depth measured from the redd top to the water surface will also be recorded pre and post rock removal. Photographs will document the substrate removal process. Numbers of fry observed during the redd removal will be noted. Crews will revisit and repeat if necessary on the monitored redds until after the emergence date of each redd in the effort has passed. If any redds become entirely dewatered, CDFW staff may remove rocks and dig up redd to determine the level of mortality that occurred as a result of dewatering the redd. It is important to document whether there is significant mortality occurring as a result of flow reductions and changes in water operations in the upper Sacramento River.
CDFW staff will also survey known stranding sites immediately following Keswick flow reductions (as feasible), to determine if a fish rescue is necessary. If determined necessary, CDFW staff will seine, net, or conduct backpack electrofishing (in this order of priority to reduce negative impacts to already stressed fish) stranding locations based on staffs experience and feasibility at each location. Fish will be enumerated by species and ESU (ESU assignment by visual estimation of length-at-date), then immediately transported by bucket to an adjacent river section that is not isolated (see Jarret and Killam 2014 for data collection protocols). Side channel sites (both natural and restored) may also be surveyed in order to get lengths and weights on captured Chinook salmon to calculate condition factor of fish using various restored habitats.
Upper Sacramento River Basin Tributary Rescues:
Fish rescues will also occur in various Shasta and Tehama county tributaries including but not limited to the following locations: Deer Creek, Mill Creek, Antelope Creek, and various urban streams. Fish rescues may also occur on other Sacramento River tributaries but are not anticipated on a regular basis as those mentioned above.
Water diversion structures along various creeks and tributaries to the Upper Sacramento River have the potential to entrain ESA-listed salmonids. Although screened, these diversions have not been equipped with fish bypass return structures. When these diversions are operated in the spring, out-migrating juvenile Chinook salmon, juvenile steelhead, adult steelhead kelts, and other fish are drawn into the ditches and are trapped between the diversion head gates and the fish screens. Once entrained, these fish must be manually captured and released downstream of the diversion or they will succumb to predation or lethal summer water temperatures.
The capture method will primarily be beach seining. When seining is not feasible other methods such as fyke netting, backpack electroshocking or hook and line may be used as a last resort. If necessary, a one-ton flatbed truck fitted with a 200-gallon oxygenated water tank will be used to transport rescued salmonids. If staff identify a suitable release location nearby, fish may be relocated by hand (aerated buckets) to avoid transportation by truck. Rescued fish will be relocated and released at the Sycamore Boat Launch downstream from the Red Bluff Diversion Dam (RM 243) or the nearest suitable release location on the Upper Sacramento River. |
