spectr17
04-23-2003, 03:53 PM
ODFW News Release
For Immediate Release
March 27, 2003
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Agencies Partner to Study Salmon and Steelhead
ROSEBURG — Data collected over the last five years indicates several local streams, including Bear Creek that runs through Medford, are good producers of young salmon and steelhead migrating to the ocean, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
ODFW partnered with the Bureau of Land Management's Butte Falls Resource Area and the Rogue River National Forest to study salmon and steelhead smolts in Bear, Elk, Slate, West Fork Evans, and Little Butte creeks and the Little Applegate River. One of the best indicators of the populations' status is a count of the number of juvenile fish migrating downstream.
The smolt trapping project is part of ODFW's statewide effort to monitor juvenile salmon production for the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the state's plan for salmon recovery and watershed health.
ODFW fisheries biologist Jerry Vogt began collecting data on coho salmon, chinook salmon, and steelhead smolts from three sites in 1998. Vogt and federal agency partners now operate six fish traps daily from March through June.
"We're collecting data to estimate the production of these fish, discover the timing of their migration to the ocean, and their size," Vogt said. "This gives us a baseline to know what the population status is now and look at trends over time."
The data also is used to compare populations between streams and to compare salmon and steelhead production in the Rogue Basin with production at the coast. According to Vogt, if numbers are low in the Rogue basin, it may indicate a habitat problem that could be fixed through restoration projects. Such projects could involve riparian fencing, tree planting and placing large wood in streams to provide cover and pools for spawning fish.
Vogt hopes that in the future, NOAA Fisheries might use this information as an indication of coho salmon recovery. Coho currently are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
In-stream "rotary screw traps" on Bear, Elk, Slate, and West Fork Evans creeks and on the Little Applegate River capture juvenile fish as they move downstream while an irrigation diversion bypass trap catches fish on Little Butte Creek. Fish are measured, and a subsample is marked by clipping a tail fin. Marking and recapturing the fish helps Vogt estimate how efficient the trap is and in turn, a population estimate can be calculated.
Of the streams in the study, Little Butte Creek has consistently produced the highest numbers of coho salmon and steelhead smolts indicating it's one of the better coho and steelhead-producing watersheds in the Rogue Basin. Bear Creek also produces large numbers of chinook and steelhead smolts.
Vogt said 2002 was the first year he attempted to estimate the number of chinook smolts produced at the trap sites, but estimates only could be made for Bear Creek and the Little Applegate River. Problems with some of the traps, smolt size, and number of smolts outmigrating were some of the reasons population estimates couldn't be calculated.
Monitoring will continue to allow biologists to detect changes and trends in the region's salmon and steelhead populations.
Attention Media: Digital photos are available. Contact Meghan Collins at 541/440-3353.
For Immediate Release
March 27, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agencies Partner to Study Salmon and Steelhead
ROSEBURG — Data collected over the last five years indicates several local streams, including Bear Creek that runs through Medford, are good producers of young salmon and steelhead migrating to the ocean, according to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
ODFW partnered with the Bureau of Land Management's Butte Falls Resource Area and the Rogue River National Forest to study salmon and steelhead smolts in Bear, Elk, Slate, West Fork Evans, and Little Butte creeks and the Little Applegate River. One of the best indicators of the populations' status is a count of the number of juvenile fish migrating downstream.
The smolt trapping project is part of ODFW's statewide effort to monitor juvenile salmon production for the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, the state's plan for salmon recovery and watershed health.
ODFW fisheries biologist Jerry Vogt began collecting data on coho salmon, chinook salmon, and steelhead smolts from three sites in 1998. Vogt and federal agency partners now operate six fish traps daily from March through June.
"We're collecting data to estimate the production of these fish, discover the timing of their migration to the ocean, and their size," Vogt said. "This gives us a baseline to know what the population status is now and look at trends over time."
The data also is used to compare populations between streams and to compare salmon and steelhead production in the Rogue Basin with production at the coast. According to Vogt, if numbers are low in the Rogue basin, it may indicate a habitat problem that could be fixed through restoration projects. Such projects could involve riparian fencing, tree planting and placing large wood in streams to provide cover and pools for spawning fish.
Vogt hopes that in the future, NOAA Fisheries might use this information as an indication of coho salmon recovery. Coho currently are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
In-stream "rotary screw traps" on Bear, Elk, Slate, and West Fork Evans creeks and on the Little Applegate River capture juvenile fish as they move downstream while an irrigation diversion bypass trap catches fish on Little Butte Creek. Fish are measured, and a subsample is marked by clipping a tail fin. Marking and recapturing the fish helps Vogt estimate how efficient the trap is and in turn, a population estimate can be calculated.
Of the streams in the study, Little Butte Creek has consistently produced the highest numbers of coho salmon and steelhead smolts indicating it's one of the better coho and steelhead-producing watersheds in the Rogue Basin. Bear Creek also produces large numbers of chinook and steelhead smolts.
Vogt said 2002 was the first year he attempted to estimate the number of chinook smolts produced at the trap sites, but estimates only could be made for Bear Creek and the Little Applegate River. Problems with some of the traps, smolt size, and number of smolts outmigrating were some of the reasons population estimates couldn't be calculated.
Monitoring will continue to allow biologists to detect changes and trends in the region's salmon and steelhead populations.
Attention Media: Digital photos are available. Contact Meghan Collins at 541/440-3353.