Chinook Salmon, the Fish Screen, and a Vanishing River

Chinook Salmon, the Fish Screen, Chinook Salmon, the Fish Screen, and a Vanishing River.and a Vanishing River.

Paddy MurphyPaddy MurphyIdaho Department of Fish and GameIdaho Department of Fish and Game

Anadromous Screen ProgramAnadromous Screen ProgramSalmon, IdahoSalmon, Idaho

LemhiLemhi River River

9 0 9 18 27 Miles

N

EW

S

Salmon RiverMiddle Fork to North Fork

North Fork Salmon River

Salmon RiverNorth Fork to Lemhi River

Lemhi River

Salmon RiverLemhi River to

Pahsimeroi River

Pahsimeroi River

Salmon RiverPahsimeroito East Fork

Yankee Fork of Salmon River

East Fork Salmon River

Salmon RiverEast Fork to Yankee ForkSalmon River

Yankee Forkto Headwaters

Upper Salmon RiverPriority Sub-basins and River Reaches

Lemhi River L-05 USGS Gage - Mean Daily Discharge (CFS)

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

3/1 3/16 3/31 4/15 4/30 5/15 5/30 6/14 6/29 7/14 7/29

Date

Dis

char

ge (C

FS)

13 Year Avg. (1993-2006)

L-06 DiversionL-06 Diversion

L-06 Diversion – Obermeyer WeirL-06 Diversion – Obermeyer Weir

L-06 Diversion – Low waterL-06 Diversion – Low water


0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

3/1 3/16 3/31 4/15 4/30 5/15 5/30 6/14 6/29 7/14 7/29

Date

Dis

char

ge (C

FS)

13 Year Avg. (1993-2006)

2004


0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

3/1 3/16 3/31 4/15 4/30 5/15 5/30 6/14 6/29 7/14 7/29

Date

Dis

char

ge (C

FS)

13 Year Avg. (1993-2006)20042005

Chinook Salmon Pre-smolts and Smolts PIT-tagged at Lemhi Screwtrap in Fall 2003, and Spring 2004.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

8/1/20

03

8/15/2

003

8/29/2

003

9/12/2

003

9/26/2

003

10/10

/2003

10/24

/2003

11/7/

2003

11/21

/2003

12/5/

2003

12/19

/2003

1/2/20

04

1/16/2

004

1/30/2

004

2/13/2

004

2/27/2

004

3/12/2

004

3/26/2

004

4/9/20

04

4/23/2

004

5/7/20

04

5/21/2

004

6/4/20

04

6/18/2

004

7/2/20

04

7/16/2

004

7/30/2

004

Date

# of

Chi

nook

Chinook

3,566 pre-smolts

622 smolts

Lemhi Conservation PlanLemhi Conservation Plan• Since 2000, Habitat Conservation Measures;

At L-06 35 cfs will be maintained not less than 80% of the

time from April 15 to June 30, And 25 cfs will be maintained not more than 20%

of the time from April 15 to June 30.One of the most contentious issues between NOAA

and Irrigators.

Spring Flow Crisis 2004-5 –Spring Flow Crisis 2004-5 –Extraordinary CircumstancesExtraordinary Circumstances

Litigation nightmare:• By Idaho Water Law, water master must deliver

water by priority dates. • De-watering river = ESA take.• Everyone’s nervous: Irrigator’s, OSC, IDFG,

NOAA fisheries, USFWS. • Third-party lawsuits.

ISS Screw TrapISS Screw Trap• Capture and PIT tag out-migrating

juvenile chinook salmon.• Estimate the population of juvenile

salmon in the Lemhi River.• Calculate Travel Time to the Ocean.• Calculate Survival to the Ocean.• Calculate Survival Rates of Returning

Adults.

Entire mainstem screened.78 fish screens.

35 fish screens above trap.43 fish screens below trap.

5 fish screens below L-06

L-03 DiversionL-03 Diversion

L-03 Fish ScreenL-03 Fish Screen

Design flow 34.0 cfs

ObjectivesObjectives• Document the relationship between smolt

entrainment and flows in critical reaches of the Lemhi River.

• Document the utilization of fish screen bypasses by Chinook salmon pre-smolts and smolts.

Mean Daily Lemhi River Flows at L-05 and PIT-tagged Chinook salmon smolts at Lemhi Screwtrap and interrogated PIT-tags

at L-03 Fish Screen, Spring 2004

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

3/1/20

04

3/8/20

04

3/15/2

004

3/22/2

004

3/29/2

004

4/5/20

04

4/12/2

004

4/19/2

004

4/26/2

004

5/3/20

04

5/10/2

004

5/17/2

004

5/24/2

004

5/31/2

004

6/7/20

04

6/14/2

004

6/21/2

004

6/28/2

004

7/5/20

04

7/12/2

004

7/19/2

004

7/26/2

004

Date

CFS

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

# PI

T-ta

gs

Trap PIT-tagsL-03 PIT-tags2004 Flow

Spring Chinook Salmon Smolts Interrogated at L-03 Fish Screen, 2003.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

4/1/20

03

4/6/20

03

4/11/2

003

4/16/2

003

4/21/2

003

4/26/2

003

5/1/20

03

5/6/20

03

5/11/2

003

5/16/2

003

5/21/2

003

5/26/2

003

5/31/2

003

Date

# PI

T T

ags O

bser

ved

050100150200250300350400450

Discharge at L-05 (C

FS)

No. Tagged Chinook Bypassed Discharge

Interrogated = Interrogated = 4%4%


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

4/1/20

04

4/6/20

04

4/11/2

004

4/16/2

004

4/21/2

004

4/26/2

004

5/1/20

04

5/6/20

04

5/11/2

004

5/16/2

004

5/21/2

004

5/26/2

004

5/31/2

004

Date

# PI

T T

ags O

bser

ved

050100150200250300350400450

Discharge at L05 (C

FS)




0

5

10

15

20

25

30

4/1/20

05

4/6/20

05

4/11/2

005

4/16/2

005

4/21/2

005

4/26/2

005

5/1/20

05

5/6/20

05

5/11/2

005

5/16/2

005

5/21/2

005

5/26/2

005

5/31/2

005

Date

# PI

T T

ags O

bser

ved

050100150200250300350400450

Discharge at L-05 (C

FS)




0

5

10

15

20

25

30

4/1/06

4/6/06

4/11/0

6

4/16/0

6

4/21/0

6

4/26/0

65/1

/065/6

/06

5/11/0

6

5/16/0

6

5/21/0

6

5/26/0

6

5/31/0

6

Date

# PI

T T

ags O

bser

ved

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Discharge at L-05(C

FS)

No. Tagged Chinook Bypassed Discharge (CFS)


L-03 PIT-tag InterrogationsL-03 PIT-tag Interrogations

• In low run-off years, > than 25% of spring Chinook smolts were entrained at L-03.

• 28% of interrogated smolts were interrogated at 2 PIT-tag readers, 5% at 3 readers.

• In 2004, 50% (311) of all PIT-tagged smolts (622) were observed at LGD.

• In 2004, 64% (118) of L-03 interrogated smolts were observed at LGD.

Documents

Chinook Salmon, the Fish Screen, and a Vanishing River