Wahleach Project Water Use Plan Lower Jones Creek ... - BC Hydro

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WAHLEACH WATER USE PLAN MONITORING Lower Jones Creek Fish Productivity Monitoring 2008-2009 ~ Draft – Subject to Revision ~ Prepared for: BC Hydro, Generation and Aboriginal Relations 6911 Southpoint Drive Burnaby, BC V3N 4X8 Prepared by: J. Greenbank 1 and J. Macnair 2 January 2010 1. Greenbank Environmental Inc., 913 Baker Driver, Coquitlam, BC V3J 6X3 2. Living Resources Environmental Services, #3 108 West 11 th Ave. Vancouver, BC V5L 2C
Executive Summary As required by the Wahleach Water License, BC Hydro has undertaken a fish productivity monitoring program in Lower Jones Creek. The objectives of the monitoring program are outlined by the Consultative Committee (CC) of the Wahleach Water Use Plan (WUP). The primary focus of the monitoring program is to examine the impacts of operational changes (specifically changes to the flow regime) on Lower Jones Creek fish productivity. The fish productivity monitoring program will focus on the central question to be addressed: Will the operational changes to the flow regime of Lower Jones Creek improve fish productivity as defined by the productivity indices outlined in the WUP. This report presents the results of Year 4 (2008-2009) of the adult salmon escapement monitoring and juvenile migration components of monitoring program. The results of the monitoring program will be used to evaluate the productivity of these species along with factors contributing to survival such as flow, temperature, substrate, water quality and channel morphology in an effort to determine which factors most influence spawning success and egg-to-fry survival. Background data gathered from 1999-2004 (prior to the implementation of operational changes) will be used to compare results generated in future years. The results of the 2008 salmon escapement monitoring estimated the annual abundance of chum (Oncorhynchus keta) and coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) salmon spawners utilizing Jones Creek. Using live counts gathered during stream side surveys and applying the result to an Area-Under-the Curve (AUC) method provided an estimate of adult salmon escapement and their distribution within Lower Jones Creek (coho escapement is estimated using the peak single day live and carcass count due to their very low abundance in Jones Creek). Estimated adult escapement by species for the 2008 was 537 chum salmon (Confidence Interval: 501 - 578) and 4 coho salmon. This return is average chum to lower Jones Creek (average chum salmon escapement: 473, 1999-2007). There were a total of 231 chum fry and no coho smolts captured during the outmigration study. Five mark-recapture tests were pooled to provide a population estimate of 1527 chum fry (95% Confidence Interval: 758 to 2058). Potential egg deposition for chum salmon was calculated from the 2008 escapement estimate and a literature-based fecundity estimate of 2,765 eggs per female. The PED of 154,840 resulted in an egg-to-fry survival rate for chum of 0.99%. The survival rate estimate for chum fry was the lowest recorded since the new flow regime was initiated in 2005. Lorenzetta Creek was trapped from March 23 to April 23. There were 2,061 chum fry and 123 coho smolts captured during that period. Chum fry from Lorenzetta Creek are used for the mark- recapture tests in Jones Creek. Lower Jones Creek Fish Productivity Monitoring 2008-2009 ii
Page 1: Wahleach Project Water Use Plan Low
Page 5 and 6: List of Figures Figure 1 Lower Jone
Page 7 and 8: 1. Introduction The Wahleach Water
Page 9 and 10: Figure 1 Lower Jones Creek study lo
Page 11 and 12: The crew members were on opposite s
Page 13 and 14: Visibility is often different betwe
Page 15 and 16: equired for a mark and recapture. A
Page 17 and 18: 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Chum Adul
Page 19 and 20: Table 4 Lower Jones Creek adult chu
Page 21 and 22: Figure 4 The side channel marked in
Page 23 and 24: 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 01‐Sep 06
Page 25 and 26: In the single trap configuration, t
Page 27 and 28: Lorenzetti Creek), and significant
Page 29 and 30: Temperature (°C) 18 16 14 12 10 8
Page 31 and 32: 5.3 Fry Out-Migration Chum salmon e
Page 33 and 34: in Lorenzetti Creek. The boulder ri
Page 35 and 36: Macnair, Jason C., 2004, 2003 Lower
Page 37: April 16, 2008 Lorenzetti Creek. Lo

Wahleach Project Water Use Plan Lower Jones Creek ... - BC Hydro

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