USFWS Internship & Mentoring Programs 2013 - Outreach Activities

The hush that fell over the students as I made my first incision quickly transitioned into a wave of awe and excitement as they saw, for the first time, the inside of an adult coho salmon.



Fish dissection with
Poulsbo Elementary students

My USFWS internship has been going well as I have kept busy providing support for numerous outreach and education events. Teaching the fish anatomy station at a recent school field trip at Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, for example, was both fun and rewarding. I worked with over 100 third-grade students from Poulsbo Elementary in groups of about 20 teaching them about salmon anatomy (both external and internal) as well as the significance of salmon to the ecology of the Pacific Northwest. Few things can capture the attention of a third grader like a fish dissection. Throughout the day I heard numerous “oohs” and “ahhs” as the students' excitement grew with each new discovery. Their interest reminded me of my younger self when I first discovered the wonderment and excitement that science has to offer.



Simulating river processes  

I also had the pleasure of assisting with the outreach campaign associated with the Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon recovery project. Educating the public about this lesser-known, but no less important, salmon species is a major component of the long-term recovery and conservation strategy for these fish. During this project I provided lessons focusing on river morphology and fish habitat. I used an engaging and effective river model (http://www.emriver.com/) that allowed students to take part in hands-on demonstrations of how rivers change over time.  It was also a useful tool for demonstrating features such as log jams, riprap, culverts and bridges. The students were utterly captivated as they watched a river evolving right in front of their eyes. This activity was also a very effective demonstration of both healthy and damaging human interactions with river habitats and riparian zones. Each student walked away with multiple real world examples of how they can practice stewardship and conservation.

It has been very fulfilling to help inspire the next generation of conservation advocates and professionals. Both of these outreach experiences not only benefitted our local schools and communities but they also benefitted myself as well. My public speaking abilities are being significantly strengthened and my retention and understanding of fisheries conservation and stewardship science increases with each lesson I teach.

 
--Travis Hedrick, USFWS Intern/Fisheries Technician

 

What is an Otolith and Why Do I Care About It?



Fish otolith

An otolith (inner ear bone) can be found in any animal with a vertebra---mammals, birds, amphibians, fish, etc. Otoliths are sensitive to acceleration and gravity; these organ and bone structures tell the brain how the body is moving in relation to the surrounding environment. We are currently looking at kokanee salmon otoliths to evaluate whether hatchery-reared kokanee are helping us recover the native kokanee population in Lake Sammamish. 

Fisheries scientists have figured out that fish otoliths grow much like the rings of a tree trunk. In the summer, when growth is high, the fish lays down a lot of otolith material. In contrast, during the winter when growth is minimal, the fish lays down very little growth material, resulting in the “ring” pattern. Much like a tree, if you count the “rings” you can determine the age of the fish.

Now, bear with me on this one because what I am about to tell you is kind of hard to believe but it's true . . . .

In the hatchery, the temperature of the water the fish are reared in can be controlled. By controlling the water temperature over a short time period (usually a few weeks), a barcode-type pattern is created in the rings of the otolith. This technique is called marking and is permanent. After the fish’s death, the otolith can be extracted, shaved down, put under a microscope and read. By collecting the fish and reading the otoliths, we can tell how old the fish is, what stream its parents came from, whether the fish strayed from its natal stream. That is really, really cool! And all of this from an inner ear bone about 1-4 millimeters in length!

This is what I and other federal, state, and county biologists are doing in the field and in the lab. We are collecting kokanee from Lake Sammamish streams, spawning them, extracting the otolith, collecting biological information on the fish, and then reading the otoliths to see if marking is present. The marking will assist with the research and progression of the Lake Sammamish kokanee supplementation program. This year we saw a larger kokanee run; this is also the first year that the hatchery-reared supplementation fish were old enough to return to spawn. The information we gather from these otoliths will shed new light on the future of kokanee in Lake Sammamish and the human efforts to save this unique population.
    

--Kira Mazzi, Biological Science Technician

 

Photo credit:  WDFW Otolith Thermal Marking Lab

 

Lake Sammamish Kokanee Salmon Observed in 13 Streams

  Map of Lake Sammamish tributaries. Those
  in red are tributaries where kokanee have
  rarely been observed in recent years until
  2012. Those in black are the four main
  spawning tributaries.

This past year’s return of kokanee to Lake Sammamish tributaries saw several thousand spawners in the four main tributaries (Lewis, Ebright, Laughing Jacobs, and Pine Lake Creeks). In addition, kokanee spawners were unexpectedly observed in other tributaries--George Davis and Zaccuse Creeks on the east side; Issaquah, East Fork Issaquah, Tibbetts, Pickering, and Schneider Creeks in the south end; and Vasa and Idylwood Creeks on the west side of Lake Sammamish. For most of these additional creeks, spawning kokanee have been recorded in the past but have not been observed in recent years. In two of the creeks (Pickering and Schneider) kokanee do not appear to have ever been observed before 2012.

Agency staff members from King County, WDFW, and USFWS, as well as private landowners, conducted periodic surveys of these creeks in 2012. In addition to counting the live spawning fish, surveyors also collected kokanee carcasses in order to remove their otoliths (ear bones). The otoliths will be analyzed in the lab to determine if fish originated from Issaquah Creek State Hatchery or were naturally produced. Tissue samples were also taken from some of the fish to determine their genetic make-up.

This past year’s results indicate that Lake Sammamish kokanee are spawning in tributaries on all sides of the lake, underscoring the need to protect and restore as many tributaries as possible in order to sustain this native population.


   Kokanee spawning area in Schneider
   Creek. Prior to 2012, kokanee were
   not known to use this tributary.



 

Lake Sammamish Kokanee Bursting Back into the Streams

Kokanee salmon in Ebright Creek

This season’s kokanee salmon are off to an early and exciting start at Lake Sammamish. After a late and very dry summer in western Washington, the spawning streams were down to a trickle and rain seemed like a distant memory. But when the rain finally returned in late October, the kokanee in the lake began their short journey upstream to spawn. Right now you can see hundreds of these bright red and green fish in Ebright Creek, Laughing Jacobs Creek, Tibbetts Creek, Lewis Creek, Pine Lake Creek, and perhaps other creeks surrounding Lake Sammamish. These land-locked salmon are swimming under roads, through yards, and into neighborhoods and parks to find the perfect spot to deposit their eggs. These fish are living in urban landscapes unfamiliar to their ancestors and the number of fish today is drastically reduced from historic levels. This decline prompted biologists, local governments, and individuals working and living in the area to combine forces to bring back the kokanee and provide evidence of a future where people and wild fish thrive together.


Kokanee salmon swimming up Ebright Creek

This year’s return is highly anticipated because it marks the first time both fish from the hatchery supplementation program and the natural lake population will return to spawn in tandem. The hatchery supplementation program, based at WDFW's Issaquah Creek Hatchery, boosts the numbers of kokanee in the lake by "head-starting" baby kokanee in the safety of the hatchery. This year we hope to see an increase in kokanee returning to and spawning in streams as a result of the supplementation program.

Female and male kokanee salmon looking
for the perfect place to spawn

Through all of this excitement, we and our partners in the Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group continue to monitor kokanee numbers, collect a small number of wild fish for the supplementation program, and sample for genetics and health of kokanee in several Lake Sammamish streams. Careful planning and scientific methods are crucial to habitat conservation efforts--the ultimate tool for ensuring a bright future for Lake Sammamish kokanee.

USFWS biologists work their way up
Laughing Jacobs Creek looking for kokanee salmon

To learn more about the Lake Sammamish kokanee, watch these USFWS videos:

http://bit.ly/PprFHs
http://bit.ly/RuOj12

Check out our Flickr page for some great photos of Lake Sammamish kokanee. And take a peek into your local creeks and see what fish are calling it home. You might just find a kokanee.

To report kokanee sightings, give us a call at (360) 753-9440 or click on "Contact Us" on our web page to send an email.

 

Lake Sammamish Kokanee Partner Celebration



Lake Sammamish kokanee fry

On April 19, 2012, citizens and partners in Lake Sammamish kokanee conservation gathered at Hans Jensen Park in Issaquah, WA to commemorate another successful year of the kokanee supplementation program. This year over 60,000 kokanee fry will be released, which is more than the past two years combined. The juvenile kokanee that are just a few inches long are primarily released at night; however, a few were released at the event to mark the success of this year’s efforts.


Releasing kokanee fry into
Laughing Jacobs Creek

Lake Sammamish kokanee, a landlocked form of sockeye salmon, have greatly declined in recent years and were petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2007. Although the USFWS has determined that the species does not warrant listing, we continue to work with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), King County, local city governments, Trout Unlimited, Snoqualmie Tribe, and other local entities to rebuild its native population.  



Event attendees

Key elements of the Lake Sammamish kokanee strategic habitat conservation effort include protecting and restoring spawning habitat, reducing kokanee mortality in Lake Sammamish, and providing fish passage in tributary streams. The USFWS has provided funding and technical support for both short-term (supplementation program) and long-term (restoration) efforts and is designed to support these efforts for three kokanee generations (12 years). The supplementation program includes collecting wild spawners and using an innovative system of recirculating incubators at Issaquah Creek State Hatchery to increase egg-to-fry survival rates and maximize imprinting to natal streams.


Robyn Thorson, USFWS

Speakers at this year’s event included Dow Constantine, King County Executive; Robyn Thorson, USFWS Pacific Regional Director; Jim Scott, WDFW Assistant Director; and elected officials from Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond, and Sammamish.

Click here to see a video of the fry release event.
 

Lake Sammamish Kokanee Return in Large Numbers



Kokanee salmon adult

Like an early holiday gift, kokanee salmon have been observed by the hundreds spawning in tributaries to Lake Sammamish during the month of November. Our partners at King County and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife have been out counting the colorful red fish in Ebright, Lewis and Laughing Jacobs Creeks in order to keep track of their numbers and track the recovery of this native fish population. Click on this story and video as covered by King 5 News: http://www.king5.com/news/environment/Samamish-Kokanee--134291168.html 

As of November 28, our partners have counted 1575 kokanee along with 301 redds dug by the female kokanee in these three creeks. These large numbers are cause for celebration! In comparison, only 50 or so fish were estimated to have returned to the same creeks all of last fall. Click on this King County link for a video showing kokanee spawning in Laughing Jacobs Creek:
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/salmon-and-trout/kokanee/sammamish-kokanee-video-2011.aspx
 

Collecting kokanee adults for hatchery broodstock

Our office, along with King County, have collected just over 200 of this year's kokanee adults from these three creeks in order to spawn them and rear their offspring within the safe confines of the Issaquah State Fish Hatchery. So far ,we have collected more than 50,000 eggs. We plan to keep on collecting 15% of the adults that return to the creeks during the coming weeks. In the spring, the fry will be released back into the same creeks where the adults were collected. 

Lake Sammamish kokanee hatchery fry

From there they will immediately swim downstream to Lake Sammamish and hopefully return to the creek as adults 3 to 5 years later. The current draft of the Conservation Supplementation Plan for Lake Sammamish Kokanee is available here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/salmon-and-trout/kokanee/documents/conservation-supplementation-plan.aspx

Partnering for Conservation

Releasing young kokanee salmon

This week our office participated in the celebratory release of young kokanee salmon into Lake Sammamish tributaries. These fish, along with 14,000 more to be released in coming weeks, were successfully raised with the assistance of our partners at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Quilcene National Fish Hatchery, King County, the Cities of Redmond, Bellevue, Sammamish, and Issaqauh, Trout Unlimited, and the Snoqualmie Tribe in an effort to protect this native fish population from extinction.
 
Thanks to the mutual dedication and support for the hatchery supplementation program, we are offering this population some short-term insurance while we all work together to restore the kokanee’s home in the Lake Sammamish watershed.

Check out this link to the latest article in the Issaquah Press to learn more about how we are partnering to save Lake Sammamish kokanee from extinction:

http://www.issaquahpress.com/2011/04/18/kokanee-fry-released-in-historic-ceremony/#more-46744

 

Lake Sammamish Kokanee on the Move

Eyed eggs with ID tag

Over 150 miles . . .  That’s how far Lake Sammamish kokanee will travel before they ever hatch from their eggs.

Originally, eggs were collected from adults in small tributaries of Lake Sammamish to be incubated in a hatchery setting. To reduce risk, half of the eggs were transported to Quilcene National Fish Hatchery while the other half remained at Issaquah Creek State Fish Hatchery. Once the eggs at Quilcene NFH reached the eyed-up stage, they were safe to handle and final arrangements were made to transport them back to Issaquah. 



Eggs are wrapped in cheesecloth


Before the trip began, the eggs received thermal marks to help identify the hatched fish from different hatcheries and different tributaries. The eggs were then wrapped in wet cheesecloth to keep them moist and placed in racks in a cooler that had been designed specifically for the long trip.


Eggs in cooler baskets

Each batch of eggs was placed in a separate basket within the cooler. Ice was placed on a rack above the egg baskets and allowed to drip on them, ensuring that they would not dry out. As soon as all of the eggs were in the cooler, it was securely put into a vehicle and the eggs were on their way. After a bit of a drive and a short ferry ride, the eggs made it back to Issaquah. 

Ready to go!

Upon arrival, hatchery staff at Issaquah made sure that the eggs had made the journey unharmed. The eggs were unwrapped from the cheesecloth, quickly examined, and then dipped in disinfectant as a precautionary measure to ensure that they remain healthy. They will remain in the care of hatchery staff in Issaquah until they hatch and are returned to their parents' native stream. 

Here's a link to a recent article in the Issaquah Press describing the efforts being made to preserve this dwindling salmon species: 

http://www.issaquahpress.com/2011/01/18/effort-to-preserve-dwindling-species-is-a-team-effort/

Using Otoliths As A Fish Identification Tool

Otoliths are a calcareous structure within the inner ear of fish. The word calcareous simply means a structure made primarily of calcium; thus otoliths are a hard, bony structure. These structures are sensitive to changes in acceleration and gravity. They play an important role in allowing the fish to detect changes in horizontal movement and acceleration.

The shapes of fish otoliths vary highly among different species but not within species. Layers that are mineral-rich and mineral-deficient are deposited in alternating succession around the original center of the otoliths, creating bands that resemble rings on a tree. The bands show up as dark and light areas when viewed under a light. The rates of deposition vary during different times of the year. During the summer months, warmer water and rapid growth cause the otoliths depositional rates to be more rapid than during winter months. By examining the otolith, we can tell how many seasonal changes a fish has experienced during its life, allowing us to determine the fish's age. This is an important tool that is used not only to determine age, but to also identify different stocks.

Water chillers at Quilcene NFH

Manipulating the rearing temperature at hatcheries allows otolith bands to be formed. One technique is to expose the fish to cold temperatures; this causes dark bands to form on the otoliths. This process is repeated for a specific number of times and timed intervals. Since the formation of these bands is controlled by hatchery personnel, a unique pattern of rings is formed that is not seen in wild stocks. This technique is a cost-effective way to accurately differentiate between hatchery and wild fish, as well as allowing the identification of hatchery release groups.

Kokanee egg trays at Quilcene NFH

Hatchery personnel from Issaquah State Fish Hatchery and Quilcene National Fish Hatchery will use this technique to mark Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon. When these fish return as adults, these otolith marks will allow the biologists to identify where the fish originated.

Lake Sammamish Kokanee Salmon Supplementation Program

Our office, along with King County and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), has been working to restore the Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon population. This population once numbered in the thousands, but recent adult returns have been less than 100 fish. Currently, kokanee primarily spawn in three small tributaries: Laughing Jacobs Creek, Ebright Creek, and Lewis Creek.


Ebright Creek

One major component of the recovery effort is a supplementation program to improve survival rates from the egg stage to the fry stage. Adult kokanee will be spawned at the Issaquah State Fish Hatchery (SFH). Half of the eggs will be incubated at Issaquah SFH and half will be taken to Quilcene National Fish Hatchery where they will be reared to the “eyed-egg” stage of their life. After all eggs have reached the eyed-egg stage, they will be placed in experimental rearing systems at Issaquah SFH.  Each experimental rearing system will use water taken from their natal stream to provide adequate imprinting. Shortly after the kokanee fry have emerged from their eggs, WDFW and King County staff will then plant the kokanee fry back into their natal creek.

We began this year’s supplementation effort last week. King County and WDFW field crews looked for fish in the three spawning creeks. During the first week, crews captured 6 males and 1 female in Ebright Creek.  The female was successfully spawned with 2 of the males; the other males were saved for later spawning.  This week (week 2), an additional 6 females and 8 males were collected from Ebright Creek and 1 female and 2 males from Laughing Jacobs Creek; all fish were successfully spawned. Over the next 2 months, the crews will be collecting adults once or twice each week.

Female kokanee salmon



Male kokanee salmon