1. Evaluate Habitat Use and Population Dynamics of Lampreys in Cedar Creek
BPA
Christina Luzier
USFWS
Columbia River Fisheries Program Office – Vancouver, WA

2. Outline Critical Uncertainties Project History Objectives
Adaptive Changes
2004 Updates
Future of the Project

3. Critical Uncertainties
Lamprey Status: Distribution/Abundance
Basic Biology/Ecology
Genetic Structure
Passage
Survival Estimates
Limiting Factors
Restoration Activities
Education and Outreach
Petition for listing, not warranted
Waiting for finding – to see if status review is warranted on PCL or any of the 3 other species

4. Project Overview/History
BPA Project #
4th year of project operations
Lewis River Drainage, SW Washington
Year-around field activity
Staff: 3 FTE’s, fish biologists
$204,000 yearly

5. Location Map
Cedar Creek, WA. N
5 km

6. Objectives Abundance and migration timing of adults
Larval distribution and habitat use
Outmigrant abundance and migration timing
Spawning habitat
requirements
Objectives

7. Objective 1 Adults Pacific (PCL)
Migration timing, biology and behavior, population estimates
Method:
Adult Pot traps and Adult Fish Ladder
Length, weight, sex, spawning condition
PIT tag, fin clip (for 2nd mark and genetics)
Mark-recapture for population estimates

8. Capturing Adults Adult Ladder Pot Trap
WDFW adult ladder 4km upstream and pot trap
Adult Ladder
Pot Trap

10. Objective 1 Results Population estimates
PCL
Population estimates
2001 – 87; 2002 – 700; 2003 – 693
Migration timing: potentially two migration periods early summer/fall

11. 2001–2003 Adult PCL Movement

12. 2002 Adult PCL Movement Two pulses early summer and late fall
Negative relationship with discharge

13. Objective 1 Population Estimation Escapement Location of marking
Challenges
Population Estimation
Location of marking
Capture method efficiency
Poor recapture efficiency
PIT retention rates
Equal capture of marked v. unmarked
Escapement
Incomplete coverage of nest counts

14. Objective 1 Changes Pop Estimates Escapement
Challenges for Population estimates.
Marking too far upstream – put trap line at mouth.
Capture efficiencies for different methods unknown – now tracking methods
Poor recapture efficiencies in ladder and pots – WDFW improved flow at entrance of fish ladder, added more pots to ladder, improved pot trap design.
PIT retention unknown – added second mark (also for genetic analysis)
Escapement – incomplete coverage of redd counts
1. Spatial coverage - good
2. Expanded temporal coverage
3. Estimated redd life
Next - Relating population estimates to escapement

15. Objective 2 Larval lamprey distribution and habitat use
Method: Stratified systematic point sampling technique
Electrofishing
70% depletion
Habitat
Stratified systematic design, for purposes of comparison with CTUIR study (describe layout)
At each sample point, lamprey removed and habitat assessed
Logistic regressions and categorical regression trees computed

16. Sample Site Diagram Transect 6 10 m Transect 5 Transect 4 Water Flow
= Sample Points

17. Objective 2 Results Fish in relation to their habitat
Stone and Barndt 2004 (J. Freshwat. Ecol.)
Highly aggregated, non-random
Negative relationship with water velocity
Positive relationship with clay, silt, sand
Backwater, depositional, side channel areas

18. Objective 2
Challenges
Low number of successes at sample points, i.e. lots of zeroes
Concerns about gear efficiency
Catchability concerns in presence areas
Changes
Plans to develop sampling design to address low success rate (adaptive cluster method, etc.)
Continuation of gear efficiency work including lower densities and probability of capture
Continuation of gear efficiency work including:
modeling probability of capture

19. Gear Efficiency Ability to get sufficient test fish for trials
Challenges:
Ability to get sufficient test fish for trials
Substrate sterility and validation: time consuming
Gear Efficiency Trials Cedar Creek 2004

20. <60 mm Ammocoetes Only
Gear Efficiency
Preliminary Results
Depletion model
Regression correction
Perfect world
At high densities with smaller fish 70% depletion model overestimates
Regression technique reduces some error
2004 we are working on lower densities both larger and smaller fish. These are densities that we are seeing in the real world
<60 mm Ammocoetes Only

21. Objective 3 Outmigrant abundance and migration timing Method:
5’ screw trap, 4 km upstream of mouth
Length, weight, stage
Tag and release
Trap efficiency
Trap retention

24. Objective 3 Results
Abundance estimates not calculated due to poor trap efficiencies

25. Ammocoete Movement

26. 2001-2003 Macropthalmia Movement

27. 2003 Am and Mac Movement

28. Objective 3 Screwtrap upstream from majority of CDC productivity
Challenges
Screwtrap upstream from majority of CDC productivity
(172 nests downstream!)
consistent effort with high flow without compromising safety
Changes
Section 10 permit to move screw trap to mouth of CDC
Safety
Consistent effort
Improve migration timing estimates and mark/recapture

29. Objective 4 Evaluate spawning habitat requirements of adult lampreys
Index 3
Index 5
Index 2
Index 1
Index 6
Index 4
Method: Spawning ground surveys throughout Cedar and Chelatchie Creeks
Index 7

30. Pacific Lamprey Nest Dimensions Substrate Habitat type Flow #/sex
Eggs present
Nest longevity

31. Objective 4 Results PCL Nests 2001 - 20; 2002 – 124; 2003 – 109
Habitat types: Pool tail outs, runs, low gradient riffles with large gravel
Appearance: Round depression, in (53-58 cm) in diameter, substrate stacked around perimeter
Flow: 2-3 ft/sec
Results varied between years
May be related to environmental conditions, observer variation, experience at nest identification
Pool tail-outs and runs are popular habitats for spawning
Species distribution and Index Surveys

32. Objective 4 Results WBL Nests 2001 – 24; 2002 – 13; 2003 – 22
Habitat types: Pool tail outs, low gradient runs with small gravel
Appearance: small gravel, 4-14 in. diameter (cattle hoof print)
Flow: 1.3 ft/sec
Results varied between years
May be related to environmental conditions, observer variation, experience at nest identification
Pool tail-outs and runs are popular habitats for spawning
Species distribution and Index Surveys

33. 2002
2003

34. PCL Nest Construction/Digging

35. PCL Adult Video

36. Objective 3
Challenges
Moving beyond Phase 1: Collection of descriptive nest data
Phase 2: Development of predictive model of spawning habitat
Changes
Improved sampling design for use and non-use data
Use vs. non-use habitat characteristics
To this end, developed improved sampling regime for use and non-use habitat data
PCL 273 use points (i.e. redds) and 108 non use points – describe briefly
WBL 27 use points and 16 non-use points
Evaluate relationships between use and non-use habitats
PCL–273 use/108 non-use; WBL–27 use/16 non-use

37. Current Work Future Work Continue with four Objectives
Improving adult abundance estimation
Continuing work on Gear Efficiency and larval depletion models
Logistical analysis of screw trap move
Predictive modeling of spawning habitat
Future Work
Juvenile spatial distribution within substrate
Recruitment in Rosgen side-channels
Population genetics

38. http://columbiariver.fws.gov Acknowledgments BPA Howard Schaller
CRFPO Jen Stone
Sam Lohr
Bao Le
Greg Silver

39. WBL Double Feature