Bull Trout Redd Surveys in Northern Puget Sound

Bull trout

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are a member of the salmonid family, which includes salmon, trout, whitefish, char, and grayling. Bull trout love cold, clean, complex, and connected streams and other aquatic habitat. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors, poor water quality, the effects of climate change and past fisheries management practices, including the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake, and brook trout, have resulted in local extinctions and population declines of bull trout. This has led to the listing of bull trout as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. Within the Puget Sound Bull Trout Management Unit, there are eight core areas with a total of 57 identified local populations. Bull trout are found in the Chilliwack, Nooksack, lower and upper Skagit, Snohomish-Skykomish, Stillaguamish, upper Cedar (Chester Morse Lake system), and Puyallup River basins. With the exception of the Chilliwack and upper Cedar River systems, these basins all support anadromous bull trout that use Puget Sound marine waters for foraging and migration.

A high priority goal of our agency is to acquire more complete information on the current distribution and abundance of bull trout within each core area of the Puget Sound Management Unit. Annual spawning nest (redd) counts provide a non-invasive way to monitor relative population strength of bull trout. Each fall, experienced fisheries personnel count the number of redds in predetermined stream sections. Not all known bull trout spawning areas are monitored, since weather and remoteness limit the ability to conduct the fall surveys in some areas. Comparison of the count numbers over time can provide insight into long- and short-term population trends and alert fishery and land managers to potential problems within aquatic systems.

Since State funds for surveying bull trout redds was no longer available, we provided money to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to continue collecting this valuable data through return year 2011 and to expand the number of survey sites. Staff from WDFW surveyed for bull trout redds within the Skagit, Snohomish, and Stillaguamish River basins from 2009 to 2011. Their findings include:

• Fewer bull trout redds were observed in the past 3 years than were observed from 2006 to 2008.
• The total bull trout redd count was very similar in 2011 to what was observed in 2010. However, some areas had more redds than in 2010 and some had less.
• The total redd count of all sites (637) was 25% below the average count from the years 2006 through 2010 (850).



You can learn more about bull trout biology, critical habitat, and conservation measures at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout/

 

Documenting the Olympic Mudminnow Family Tree



Mudminnow habitat - Connor Creek, Grays Harbor County

This June and July, Fish Biologist Roger Tabor and I hit the highways and dirt roads of western Washington in search of undiscovered and established Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) sites to complete the story of Olympic mudminnow population genetics. That just means we are documenting the Olympic mudminnow family tree to see who is most closely related and where the founding fish for each population may have come from. This type of information will help us down the road as we initiate discussions with our partner agencies and the public about developing a strategic habitat conservation approach for Olympic mudminnow.

Even before we hit the road with our boots and nets, there was a lot of planning and collaborating for Roger to do. He and fellow biologists here at USFWS and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) are working together to research documents and historic data to uncover places where Washington’s only endemic fish were found in the past. This saves us time and money, keeps us from driving to every pond and ditch that looks promising, and allows us to identify land owners so we can ask for permission to access and sample on their property. Once the ground work was done, Roger and I hit the road in search of the mudminnows.


Roger Tabor looking for Olympic mudminnows
in Steamboat bog

Over the course of 5 days, we visited 12 sites and were able to capture hundreds of mudminnows from six targeted localities from Chehalis and along the Olympic Peninsula to Quillayute. We averaged less than a minute per mudminnow (that’s faster than 60 mudminnows per hour!) as we measured, weighed, sexed, and clipped each one. We only took a small bit of tissue from the caudal fin for the genetic clip sample, so we were able to release the mudminnows back to their respective home after a short rest in the "recovery bucket".

Even though our target is genetic samples, I cannot help becoming interested in the many differences and similarities between locations that mudminnows call home. All the sites were in very flat, barely flowing water with vegetation growing in the water and on the edges. We visited shady coastal creeks less than a mile from the ocean, sunny sphagnum bogs, lily-pad ponds, and wetlands at the corner of two busy roads. In some locations, our nets and traps caught up to four other fish species, giant water bugs (which still lurk in my nightmares), dragonfly nymphs, salamanders, frogs, freshwater mollusks (clams and snails), crayfish and more, while in other locations it seemed to be just the mudminnows and us.

For our samples, it’s a quick trip from biologist to geneticist and on to improving our understanding of the history and biology of mudminnow populations, painting a broad picture of how the mudminnows got to be where they are today, and possibly where they might be heading in the future. I, for one, cannot wait to see the results.


---Teal Waterstrat, STEP Student

 

My Life Aquatic 2012 - Introducing Clay

A Look at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Seasonal STEP Employee Experiences through A Fish-Eye Lens

Greetings! I’m Clay Showalter, a Student Temporary Employee Program (STEP) fisheries technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in Lacey, Washington. I’ve been studying computer science and field ecology at The Evergreen State College (TESC) for 3 years.

I grew up in the woods of Kansas where rip-roarin’ bass fishing and beautiful landscapes inspired me to learn more about the ecology of the area. I began to discover that the more I learned, the deeper I could appreciate the beauty and complexity of the natural world. I also learned that many ecosystems are being threatened by habitat loss and toxification.

I enrolled at TESC after high school and initially focused on computer science, math and physics. However, the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest was a constant reminder that I didn’t want to be stuck in an office my entire career. I then discovered the field of eco-informatics, which applies computer science techniques to field ecology. Field sampling by day and analyzing data by night convinced me that my future career should involve being outside and working to protect our natural resources.

This summer’s work experience with the FWS will include collecting field data and focusing on education and outreach through the Youth Fisheries Academy program. My work with the FWS offers an incredible opportunity to apply what I have learned, build on previous experience and pass on my knowledge and love of the outdoors to local youth. I have always been interested in teaching because education and outreach are essential for ensuring that future generations are conscious of the challenges that we are facing. While travelling and working on field projects in Ecuador last year, I was thrilled to gain experience teaching children about ecological issues relevant to their communities.

The Youth Fisheries Academy program here in Washington offers similar opportunities to plant seeds in the minds of youth that we all share some responsibility for the environment around us and that a career in field biology is one of many ways to make a difference in the ecosystems we rely on.

I am excited for this great opportunity and look forward to seeing what the summer will bring!

  

USFWS Internship - Spring 2012 Outreach & Education - Part 2

Zach Moore

More about my outreach and education experiences . . . .


The final assignment for spring quarter involved teaching Komachin Middle School students about the use of technology in biological field work during their field trips at Tolmie State Park. I hosted a radio-telemetry activity with the students in the forest section of the park, starting off by introducing the equipment, explaining how it works, and discussing how the data gathered with the equipment is used for conservation work. After that brief introduction, it was all hands-on fun as the students played a game of radio telemetry “hide-and-seek”. For this game, one or two students put on radio collars (representing “wild" animals), while the rest of the group searched for them using antennas and receivers. This was the most fun outreach project of my internship and each group of students really enjoyed the activity. By the end of the lesson, I could swear that some of the students could use the equipment as well as I could. This was a great way to take today’s tech-savvy students and connect those skills to nature and conservation.

Zach describing radio-telemetry equipment

Because the environmental education-based classes that I had taken at The Evergreen State College (TESC) never really gave me a chance to do any real teaching with students, these outreach experiences were extremely beneficial for me. After getting a few lessons under my belt, I began to feel more comfortable in front of students and teaching began to get easier. I soon developed techniques to make each lesson work effectively and my confidence in front of a student audience grew. I ended up providing a diverse curriculum to over 600 elementary and middle school students during this spring quarter! The feedback I received from my supervisor, other educators, and students was all very positive.

I feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was fun, rewarding, and only strengthened my desire to pursue this field of work. I plan on taking more education-type classes during my next 2 years at TESC and seeking out similar experience-building opportunities in the future!


--Zach Moore, USFWS Intern/Fisheries Technician

USFWS Internship - Spring 2012 Education and Outreach - Part 1

Zach Moore

One of the great aspects about my internship with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office (USFWS) Fisheries Division has been the diversity of experiences I have had working with multiple USFWS biologists and technicians. While my last two blog posts focused on biological field work, I also participated in a variety of education and outreach work. It would be difficult to understate the importance of this line of work. From an academic standpoint, it aligns perfectly with my environmental education major. From a professional standpoint, I am aware of the emphasis the USFWS places on connecting people with nature. Having these skills will strengthen my resume and, from a personal standpoint, it has been a great experience sharing my love for and knowledge of the outdoors with the next generation.

My first outreach assignment involved teaching fish anatomy to several groups of students. The dissections were definitely one of my favorite activities--they generated a lot of excitement from everyone. Even students who were hesitant to participate at first ended up inspecting and passing around salmon organs before the lesson was over. Most of the kids left the lesson really excited about what they had learned about fish biology.

Fish dissection

My next assignment involved leading students in several activities designed to teach them about salmon life history during their class field trip visits to Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. For one activity, students constructed bracelets with beads that represented the various stages, migration, habitats, and hazards of the salmon life cycle. This was a great example of how you can teach biology through art. Another activity focused on how salmon rely on their sense of smell to navigate back to their natal (home) stream to spawn. For this activity, students were blindfolded and introduced to a scent that represented their natal stream. Participants then made a migration, attempting to find their home stream using their sense of smell. This activity really helped students understand a biological process that is very awe-inspiring.

To be continued . . .

 
--Zach Moore, USFWS Intern/Fisheries Technician

USFWS Internship - Spring 2012 Field Work - Part 2

Zach Moore

More about my field work experiences . . . .

I also had a chance to help sample Olympic mudminnow around Olympia with Roger Tabor, USFWS biologist. This was a great way to get some new knowledge of, and experience with, a species of fish I previously knew nothing about. I went to several different wetlands to catch and sample these interesting little fish. The capture method involved swiping a frame net into murky ponds and pulling out handfuls of mudminnows. We sedated the fish so we could collect data such as length and weight, as well as stomach samples for diet analysis, and then returned them to the pond.

But my favorite field work opportunity was working on the Tsoo-Yess River on Washington's Olympic Peninsula near Makah National Fish Hatchery. I went up there with a crew for several days at a time. Our goal was to capture and collect outmigrating juvenile salmonids such as steelhead trout, coho salmon, and Chinook salmon. To do this, we installed a fish weir (river fence) that directed these small fish to the rotary screw trap. Installing a fish weir is a lot of work and it took us a couple of days to finish the entire thing, but when it was done it felt like a great accomplishment. I also assisted with the screw trap sampling where I gained experience utilizing a useful fish sampling device and improved my fish identification and data collection skills.

Sampling juvenile salmon at the screw trap on the Tsoo-Yess River
(fish weir in background)

I feel fortunate to have had this valuable opportunity with the USFWS. I was able to receive 16 college credits for my work and build and diversify my resume at thr same time. It was also a great way to get my foot in the door with the USFWS. My hard work paid off--I applied and successfully competed for a paid seasonal fisheries technician position with the USFWS Fisheries Division!

Working in the field was definitely my favorite part of my spring internship and I can’t wait to do more this summer! I am looking forward to new adventures and career-building experiences this coming summer. Stay tuned!


--Zach Moore, USFWS Intern/Fisheries Technician

USFWS Internship - Spring 2012 Field Work - Part 1

Zach Moore

Hello again! After finishing my volunteer work with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) this past winter, I applied for a quarter-long internship  this spring. After my application was accepted by the USFWS, I found a sponsoring professor at The Evergreen State College and worked with both to formulate a learning contract that enabled me to receive college credits for my work. I found my spring internship to be the coolest college class I have taken yet! I was able to visit and work in some amazing places as well as gain a great deal of experience in fisheries field biology.
The field work gave me a chance to work alongside fisheries conservation professionals collecting valuable data--a nice contrast to sitting in a crowded classroom listening to lectures. This work sent me to a handful of amazing places like Neah Bay, the Elwha River, and deep into the forests around Olympia. I gained a wide range of experience, including electrofishing, fish weir installation, habitat measurement, handling live fish specimens, and recording all kinds of data.

One field project involved updating Washignton Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) maps and habitat types through field data collection. This project is headed by the Wild Fish Conservancy and the USFWS made me available to provide assistance for this valuable conservation work. We would collect abiotic (non-living) habitat data such bankfull width, wetted width, and gradient. We also used GPS technology to verify stream locations. The biotic (living) sampling involved electrofishing to verify the presence or absence of fish. The data collected allowed us to update WDNR records that were previously inaccurate. For example, two tributaries of Swift Creek were previously listed as "nonfish-bearing"; however, we were able to verify the presence of fish in them through our field work. The reclassification of these two tributaries will now result in improved protection of critical fish habitat, including the bordering riparian zone.