Sullivan Lake and Mill Pond Fish Management

1
Sullivan Lake and Mill Pond Fish Management

• Jason McLellan
• Fish Management Division, Region 1
• 2315 N Discovery Pl
• Spokane Valley, WA 99216
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

2
Sullivan Lake Fish Community

• Cutthroat trout (N)
• Pygmy whitefish (N)
• Mountain whitefish (N)
• Longnose suckers (N)
• Redside shiners (N)
• Sculpin (N)
• Speckled dace (N)

• Kokanee (I)
• Burbot (I)
• Rainbow trout (I)
• Brown trout (I)
• Tiger trout (I)
• Tench (I)

3
(No Transcript)
4
Species Composition 2003 near-shore
Table from Nine and Scholz (2005)
5
Species Composition 2003 off-shore

• Estimated kokanee abundance
• 65,144 kokanee - age 1 and older
• 117 kokanee/ha

From Baldwin and McLellan (2008)
6
Recreational Fishery

• Creel Records from 1940s, 50s, and 60s (WDFW)
• Primarily kokanee and cutthroat trout
• Also some
• rainbow trout
• brown trout
• mountain whitefish

7
Recreational Fishery - 2003

• 3,121 angler trips (May-Nov)
• 11,235 (1,060) hours of effort
• Harvested
• 3,526 (312) kokanee
• 113 (11) rainbow trout
• 35 (5) cutthroat trout
• 30 (4) burbot
• 71 (10) longnose suckers

Data from Nine and Scholz (2005)
8
Economic Value of Fishery

• 27.00/trip in 2006 (USFWS 2006)
• 28.45/trip in 2008 based on CPI
• 28.45/trip x 3,121 trips 88,792
• Underestimate does not factor in the winter
  burbot fishery

http//www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
9
Fish and Wildlife Viewing

• 23 million Americans traveled to view
  fish/wildlife
• 20 million traveled to see birds
• 6.8 million traveled to view fish
• Pacific region had higher than ave. number of
  wildlife viewers
• Majority on public land
• Spent on 12.9 billion on trip related expenses
• Sullivan Lake kokanee provide viewing opportunity
• Value has not been calculated
• Already promote this opportunity

Data from USFWS (2006)
10
Fishery Management

• WDFW Agency Mandate
• Conservation of native species
• Provide for beneficial uses where appropriate
• Priority species in Sullivan Lake
• Kokanee
• Cutthroat trout
• Pygmy whitefish
• Burbot

11
Importance of Kokanee in Sullivan Lake

• Recreation
• Harvest opportunity
• Inexpensive (natural reproduction)
• Surplus eggs
• 600,000 disease free per year
• Stocked in regional lakes including Deer,
  Chapman, Loon
• Forage base
• Large component of burbot diets
• Ecosystem benefits - Bald eagles, etc

12
Importance of Cutthroat Trout in Sullivan Lake

• Conservation
• Native
• Adfluvial life history (rare in WA)
• WDFWs Salmonid Policy http//wdfw.wa.gov/fish/wsp
  /joint/final/fwsptoc.htm
• Recoverable despite new DNA results
• Recreation
• Angling opportunity (catch and release vs.
  harvest)

13
Importance of Pygmy Whitefish in Sullivan Lake

• Conservation
• Native
• Historically in 15 lakes in WA
• As of 1998, only in 9
• WA State - Sensitive Listing (WAC 232-12-297,
  sec. 2.6)
• Federal Species of Concern

14
Importance of Burbot in Sullivan Lake

• Recreation
• Harvest opportunity winter
• Concerns
• Predation on native fish
• Need to find a balance

15
WDFWs Concerns Related to Sullivan Lake
Operations

• Spawning habitat
• Lake productivity
• Entrainment
• Genetics

16
Access to Spawning Habitat

• Most years, reach of Harvey Creek directly
  upstream of the lake at full pool goes dry in the
  fall
• As lake is drawn down Harvey Creek emerges in
  newly exposed reach (between drawn down lake and
  full pool)
• Only available habitat for fall spawning
  salmonids
• Kokanee
• Mountain whitefish
• Pygmy whitefish
• Brown trout
• No lower lake level in Fall No spawning habitat

17
Spawning Habitat Quality

• Lake re-fill - bed load deposited at lake-stream
  interface
• Fine sediment covers spawning habitat
• Need stream to re-establish and clean spawning
  substrates
• No lower lake level no cleaning of bed load
• No spawning habitat

18
Lake Productivity

• Lake productivity
• Nutrients
• Phytoplankton and periphyton (algae)
• Zooplankton
• Benthic macroinvertebrate
• Establishes base for fish production

19
(No Transcript)
20
Lake Productivity

• Most primary and secondary production occurs in
  the euphotic zone
• upper 60-90 ft
• As Sullivan Lake is drawn down production is
  pulled off the top
• Cannot be replaced quickly due to low nutrient
  inputs
• Near-shore habitat de-watered reducing periphyton
  and macroinvertebrate production
• Draw downs reduce lake productivity

21
Productivity and Kokanee

• Density dependent growth
• As abundance increases size decreases
• Small kokanee are harder to catch and less
  desirable
• Big kokanee easier to catch, but risk population
  collapse
• Balance size and catchability
• With higher productivity can grow more large
  kokanee

22
Productivity and Kokanee
23
Fish Entrainment

• Entrainment occurs
• Kokanee in Mill Pond
• Pygmy whitefish in Mill Pond
• Burbot in Boundary Reservoir
• Tiger trout in Boundary Reservoir
• Reduces fish populations
• Nutrients (i.e. fish)
• Likely worse due to draw down

24
From Baldwin and McLellan (2008)
25
Genetics

• Do not want hybrid cutthroat x rainbow trout in
  Sullivan Lake
• Fair amount in lake now, little in Harvey Creek
• Recovery - cull out rainbow trout and hybrids at
  weir on Harvey Creek

26
Conclusions Sullivan Lake

• Optimal condition
• Lower lake level current max draw down or
  natural level
• Spawning habitat access
• Spawning habitat quality
• Restore lower Harvey Creek
• Stable lake level - natural seasonal elevation
  changes
• Reduce net nutrient loss
• Increase near-shore production
• Reduce entrainment
• Net result is native fish conservation and
  improved recreational fishery

27
Sullivan Creek/Mill Pond Fish Management

• Priority native species conservation
• Bull trout recovery
• Cutthroat trout conservation
• Weigh risks of removal/non-removal
• Genetic introgression
• Competition
• Impacts to recreational fishery

28
Sullivan Creek Fish Community
29
Sullivan Creek Fish Community
30
(No Transcript)
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
Genetic Introgression Risk

• Rainbow trout upstream and downstream of Mill
  Pond Dam
• Low levels of hybridization
• Despite rainbow trout present and years of
  stocking in Mill Pond
• Literature CT upper reaches, RB lower reaches,
  both in middle (hybridization)
• WDFW will likely pursue regulation changes to
  increase harvest of non-natives
• Risk of substantial introgression considered low

34
Genetic Introgression Risk

• Concerned about bull trout hybridization with
  brook trout
• Bull trout and brook trout coexist in East River
  (Priest system) with low levels of hybridization
• Risk considered low

35
Competition

• Concerned about competition between cutthroat and
  non-natives
• Non-natives already present
• Expansion risk considered low due to previous
  reasons

36
Impact to Recreational Fishery

• Suspect may reduce brown trout fishery
• Unsure if this will happen
• Brown trout fishery not consistent with bull
  trout recovery
• WDFW will likely liberalize limits for
  non-natives
• More harvest opportunity
• Risk to fishing opportunity considered low

37
Mill Pond Conclusions

• Low risk to cutthroat trout by removing Mill Pond
  Dam
• Removal of Mill Pond Dam is important for bull
  trout recovery below Box Canyon Dam
• Consistent with WDFW position in similar
  situations
• WDFW will likely pursue angling regulation
  changes consistent with minimizing risk to native
  salmonids

38
Questions?