From drought to deluge: spatiotemporal variation in migration routing, survival, travel time and floodplain use of an endangered migratory fish

Hance, Dalton; Perry, Russell W.; Pope, Adam C.; Ammann, Arnold J.; Hassrick, Jason L.; Hansen, Gabriel S.

doi:10.1139/cjfas-2021-0042

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(56 reference statements)

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“…At Gunbower, different species and size classes of fish had different strategies for exploiting and leaving the floodplain, consistent with observations from elsewhere in the Murray–Darling basin (Stoffels et al., 2014, 2016). We predicted and demonstrated that adult Australian smelt would take advantage of floodplain resources with strong breeding events followed by an early retreat from the floodplain, as an adaptation for improving survival (Hance et al., 2022). By contrast, carp gudgeon density increased as the floodplain transitioned from stable flows to managed recession flows and this species complex still rapidly outmigrated during the managed recession.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At other temporary floodplains, golden perch also exit via major inflow and outflow points (Jones & Stuart, 2008). On floodplain recession, accurate homing of fish through specific connectivity pathways to refuge habitats has occasionally been observed elsewhere, such as tropical northern Australia (Crook et al, 2020) and in the Mediterranean climate rivers of California (Hance et al, 2022). At Gunbower, fish appeared able to negotiate the physical and hydraulic gradient of the floodplain to move among habitats and make directed exit movements.…”

Section: Movement Of Native and Non-native Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Escaping the dry: Native and non‐native fish outmigration from a receding floodplain following managed inundation

Stuart,

Sharpe,

O'Connor

et al. 2023

Freshwater Biology

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Many fish rely on being able to move between rivers and floodplains to fulfil key life history events, but river regulation has reduced floodplain inundation compromising these connections and causing the loss of ecosystem function more generally. Managed inundations are being trialled in some systems as a solution, whereby engineered floods using built infrastructure, such as floodplain regulators, are used to deliver water to inundate floodplains. However, the use of managed inundations is still in early stages and their outcomes for native fish have been rarely assessed. We present the results from a series of investigations assessing the effectiveness of two managed inundations on the native fish community in a large floodplain in south‐eastern Australia. We firstly described changes in fish assemblages in wetlands before and after managed inundation (Aim 1). We then examined which potential exits are used by golden perch, a highly mobile species that regularly moves between rivers and floodplains (Aim 2), and then assessed outmigration patterns of native and non‐native species during receding phase from one of the major golden perch exits via a fishlock (Aim 3). Finally, we conducted two experiments to test if it was possible to modify operation of the fishlock to maximise fish movement by varying the length of the operating cycle, or whether operation occurs during the day or night (Aim 4). We found that native fish dominated the catch in wetlands before drawdown of the managed inundation, but that non‐native species, especially young‐of‐year carp, dominated after the drawdown (Aim 1). Outmigrating golden perch left the floodplain wetlands in a variety of locations but predominantly through a fishlock, which is a type of fishway (Aim 2). At this fishlock, native fish outmigrated before and during the early phase of the floodplain recession, moving to permanent riverine habitats, whereas non‐native fish (mostly carp) tended to migrate later in the recession especially as water levels dropped (Aim 3). There were no substantive differences in the numbers and size of fish moving through the fishlock at different operating cycle times (Aim 4). While there were no differences in numbers of non‐native carp migrating during the day or night, native species (carp gudgeon and Australian smelt) were more common during the day. Our study has provided knowledge of the eco‐hydraulic mechanisms of fish movement, in relation to managed inundaitons. This knowledge can be applied to help water managers plan floodplain watering regimes in the Murray‐Darling Basin to benefit native fish, while potentially restricting movement of undesirable non‐native species such as carp. More broadly, our results improve current understanding of fish movement in relation to managed floodplain recession, which is critical given the increased use of such managed inundations, and the need for information to help design and evaluate them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Movement Of Native and Non-native Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Escaping the dry: Native and non‐native fish outmigration from a receding floodplain following managed inundation

Stuart,

Sharpe,

O'Connor

et al. 2023

Freshwater Biology

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“…One exception is Feather River Fish Hatchery, where 100% of spring-run Chinook Salmon juveniles are tagged with CWTs at the hatchery before being released Smolt survival studies using acoustic telemetry have provided estimates of smolt-sized springrun survival through their migratory corridor (Cordoleani et al , 2019Notch et al 2020;Singer et al 2020). However, most of the springrun tagging studies occurred during the last California drought period, and recent winter-run tagging studies show that survival varies greatly across the range of hydrological conditions and Water Year types (Hance et al 2021). Furthermore, because of the small number of tagged fish in some of these studies and their release over a short time-period, spring-run smolt survival estimates through (or to) the Delta were associated with large error margins and based on a limited portion of the out-migration season (a study of acoustic-tagged, late-fall run is an exception, see Michel et al 2015).…”

Section: Juvenile Monitoring and Jpe Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cyril Michel observed that, at present, the winter-run JPE uses survival estimates from acoustic tagging studies from prior years that regularly differ substantially from the year in question (2021 email conversation between PN and C. Michel, unreferenced, see "Notes"). The advent of real-time acoustic telemetry and more nuanced models that link survival to flow and temperature, however, have the potential to provide more reliable annual predictions of survival (e.g., Hance et al 2021).…”

Section: Other Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations for the Development of a Juvenile Production Estimate for Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon

Nelson¹,

Baerwald²,

Burgess³

et al. 2022

SFEWS

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Effective species management depends on accurate estimates of population size. There are, however, no estimates of annual juvenile production for Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon (“spring run”), a highly imperiled species in California, making it difficult to evaluate population status and effectively manage key issues such as entrainment of this species at water diversions. In recognition of this critical information gap, we initiated an effort to develop a juvenile production estimate (JPE) for spring run, defined here as an annual forecast of the number of juvenile Central Valley spring-run Chinook Salmon that enter the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (“Delta”) from the Sacramento Valley. This metric would allow for a more robust scientific assessment of the population, which is needed to effectively manage water to reduce effects on spring run, a key condition of state permit requirements. To help guide this effort, we organized a workshop for stake-holders, managers, and scientists to review some of the key aspects of spring-run biology, examine the management and conservation importance of a JPE, identify knowledge gaps, introduce new tools, and discuss alternative approaches to forecasting the number of spring run emigrating from the Sacramento River drainage and into the Delta. This paper summarizes the spring-run biology, monitoring, and emergent methods for assessment considered at the workshop, as well as the guiding concepts identified by workshop participants necessary to develop a JPE for spring-run Chinook Salmon.

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“…Bluff Diversion Dam and the Sacramento monitoring sites under the different flow scenarios were approximated using the SacPAS Fish Model version 2.7.4 (Beer et al 2017); the Delta Survival, Travel Time, and Routing Simulation Model (Perry et al 2018;Hance et al 2022); and the findings from Hassrick et al (2022).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Imperfect detection and misidentification affect inferences from data informing water operation decisions

Kirsch,

Peterson,

Duarte

et al. 2024

N American J Fish Manag

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ObjectiveManagers can modify river flow regimes using fish monitoring data to minimize impacts from water management infrastructure. For example, operation of the gate‐controlled Delta Cross Channel (DCC) in California can negatively affect the endangered Sacramento River Winter‐run Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Although guidelines have been developed for DCC operations using real‐time juvenile fish sampling count data, there is uncertainty about how environmental conditions influence fish occupancy and to what extent those relationships are affected by sampling and identification error.MethodsWe evaluated the effect of environmental conditions, imperfect detection, and misidentification error on salmon occupancy by analyzing data using hierarchical multistate occupancy models. A total of 14,147 trawl tows and beach seine hauls were conducted on 1,058 sampling days between October and December from 1996 to 2019. During these surveys, 2,803 juvenile Winter‐run Salmon were identified, and approximately 29% of the sampling days had at least one juvenile Winter‐run Salmon detected.ResultsThe probability of misidentifying an individual juvenile Winter‐run Salmon in the field was estimated to be 0.056 based on fish identification examinations and genetic sampling. Occupancy varied considerably and was related to flow characteristics, water clarity, weather, time of year, and whether occupancy was detected during the previous sampling day. However, these relationships and their significance changed considerably when accounting for imperfect detection and the probability of misidentifying individual juvenile salmon. Detection was less than 0.3 under average sampling conditions during a single sample and was influenced by flow, water clarity, site and volume sampled.ConclusionOur modeling results indicate that DCC gate closure decisions could occur on fewer days when not accounting for imperfect detection and misidentification error. These findings demonstrate the need to account for identification and detection error while using monitoring data to assess factors influencing fish occupancy and inform future management decisions.

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From drought to deluge: spatiotemporal variation in migration routing, survival, travel time and floodplain use of an endangered migratory fish

Cited by 7 publications

References 42 publications

Escaping the dry: Native and non‐native fish outmigration from a receding floodplain following managed inundation

Escaping the dry: Native and non‐native fish outmigration from a receding floodplain following managed inundation

Considerations for the Development of a Juvenile Production Estimate for Central Valley Spring-Run Chinook Salmon

Imperfect detection and misidentification affect inferences from data informing water operation decisions

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