White Sturgeon Mitigation and White Sturgeon Mitigation and Restoration Restoration
in The Columbia and Snakein The Columbia and Snake Rivers Upstream from Rivers Upstream from
Bonneville DamBonneville Dam
Project 198605000Project 198605000
Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife
Stock Assessment & Stock Assessment & Fisheries MonitoringFisheries Monitoring
Recruitment Recruitment MonitoringMonitoring
Juvenile TransplantsJuvenile Transplants
Hatchery ReleasesHatchery Releases Maturation CycleMaturation Cycle
White Sturgeon Mitigation and RestorationWhite Sturgeon Mitigation and Restoration
Stock Assessment & Fisheries Stock Assessment & Fisheries MonitoringMonitoring
Total Length
Year 24-36 36-48 48-60 60-72 72+ Sum
Bonneville Reservoir
1999 82,400 41,800 3,200 600 400 128,400
2003 84,500 33,000 1,020 120 780 119,420
+2% -21% -68% -80% +95% -7%
The Dalles Reservoir
2002 82,900 13,500 5,900 1,200 800 104,300
2005 90,600 10,200 1,125 500 400 102,825
+9% -24% -81% -58% -50% -1%
John Day Reservoir
2001 14,900 12,800 1,074 300 900 29,974
2004 30,200 11,500 1,094 170 470 43,434
+103% -10% +2% -43% -48% +45%
Population Population trends in trends in John Day John Day ReservoirReservoir
J ohn Day Reservoir 1996
Est
imat
ed A
bun
danc
e
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Sport/ CommercialLegal
J ohn Day Reservoir 2001
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
Sport/ CommercialLegal
J ohn Day Reservoir 1990
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
2400
Sport/ CommercialLegal
66"
54"
60"
48"
30"
36"
24"
42"
72"
78"
Total Length
66"
54"
60"
48"
72"
78"
Total Length42"
24"
36"
30"
66"
54"
60"
48"
30"
36"
24"
42"
72"
78"
Total Length
429
4,045
1,077
J ohn Day Reservoir 2004
Fork Length (cm)60 80 100 120 140 160 180
0
400
800
1200
1600
2000
66"
54"
60"
48"
30"
36"
24"
42"
72"
78"
Total Length
1,094
Sport/ CommercialLegal
Total Length (inches)Total Length (inches)
YearYear 24-4824-48 48-6048-60 60+60+ SumSum
19901990 18,30018,300 429429 571571 19,30019,300
19961996 25,48225,482 4,0454,045 1,0071,007 30,53430,534
20012001 27,66827,668 1,0771,077 1,0871,087 29,83229,832
20042004 41,76241,762 1,0951,095 643643 43,50043,500
1990
1996
2001
2004
The Dalles Reservoir Sturgeon Harvest
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
Har
vest
Sport Harvest
Treaty Harvest
Subsistence Harvest
Sport guideline
Treaty guideline
The Dalles Reservoir Sturgeon Harvest
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
1,800
2,000
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Year
Har
vest
Sport Harvest
Treaty Harvest
Subsistence Harvest
Sport guideline
Treaty guideline
HarvestHarvest
Stock Assessment & Fisheries Stock Assessment & Fisheries MonitoringMonitoring
Recruitment MonitoringRecruitment Monitoring
YEAR1989
19901991
19921993
19941995
19961997
19981999
20002001
20022003
20042005
Ep
(pro
port
ion
of p
ositi
ve Y
OY
tow
s/se
ts)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
No
Dat
a
BonnevilleThe DallesJohn DayFlow
YEAR1989
19901991
19921993
19941995
19961997
19981999
20002001
20022003
20042005
Ep
(pro
port
ion
of p
ositi
ve Y
OY
tow
s/se
ts)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
No
Dat
a
BonnevilleThe DallesJohn Day
Flow
YEAR1989
19901991
19921993
19941995
19961997
19981999
20002001
20022003
20042005
Ep
(pro
port
ion
of p
ositi
ve Y
OY
tow
s/se
ts)
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Ave
rage
Flo
w (
kcfs
at M
cNar
y D
am d
urin
g 4/
1-7/
31)
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
No
Dat
a
BonnevilleThe DallesJohn DayFlow
Recomended minimum flowto provide spawning habitatin all three reservoirs
0
125
250
375
500
Num
ber
Cap
ture
d
0
125
250
375
1998 n = 1,398mean FL = 50.2
0
125
250
375
1999n = 1,387mean FL = 45.5
0
125
250
375
2000n = 1,422mean FL = 44.4
0
125
250
375
0
125
250
375
2001n = 1,746mean FL = 42.9
2002n = 1,579mean FL = 46.4
0
125
250
375
2003n = 1,491mean FL = 37.8
2004n = 321mean FL = 42.3
Fork Length
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 1200
125
250
375 2005n = 904mean FL = 44.6
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
YearYear The The DallesDalles
John DayJohn Day
19941994 2,9352,935 00
19951995 5,6115,611 00
19981998 3,2573,257 5,5345,534
19991999 7777 4,1714,171
20002000 1,1631,163 4,0194,019
20012001 1,2571,257 5,1955,195
20022002 941941 4,1774,177
20032003 1010 2,9512,951
20042004 00 294294
20052005 00 907907
AllAll 15,25115,251 27,24827,248
Juvenile Juvenile TransplantsTransplants
2005
Recaptures of Juvenile Sturgeon Recaptures of Juvenile Sturgeon TransplantsTransplants
Length
Num
ber
Cap
ture
d
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
18" 24" 30" 36" 42" 48" 54" 60"
Legal Slot48"-60"
Transplants
Gill-net Catch
Hatchery ReleasesHatchery Releases
Brood Year
Brood Source
Collected M : F
Release Date
Release Location
Release
Number
1999McNary/
Wanapum 6 : 36 : 3 -- -- 0
2000 McNary 14 : 214 : 2 -- -- 0
2001 McNary 23 : 423 : 4 Sep-02 John Day 454
2002McNary/
LCR 19 : 219 : 2 Apr-03 Rock Island 12,000
2002McNary/
LCR 19 : 219 : 2 Sep-03 Rock Island 8,600
2003McNary/
LCR 17 : 317 : 3 Sep-03 Willamette 40,000
Sex and MaturitySex and Maturity
Correct Classification of Sex & Maturity Using of Plasma Steroids
63% of the non-reproductive females52% of the non-reproductive males97% of the reproductive females87% of the reproductive males
Males capable of spawning every year
Majority of males are not spawning every year
Females appear to be spawning every 2 to 5+ years with the majority of femalesdisplaying a 3+ to 5+ year cycle
Maturation CycleMaturation Cyclebelow Bonneville below Bonneville
DamDam
Update Snake River Stock AssessmentsUpdate Snake River Stock Assessments Adjust Capture Methods for Juvenile TransplantsAdjust Capture Methods for Juvenile Transplants Regional Management Plan Regional Management Plan
- Hatchery releases- Hatchery releases- Set population targets- Set population targets
FutureFuture
White Sturgeon Mitigation and White Sturgeon Mitigation and Restoration Restoration
Project 198605000Project 198605000