<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:'bookman old style', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:10pt"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; ">Frank E,</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; "> With regards to your comment, "If there was a<br>natural healthy population of steelead in comparable numbers as the<br>hatchery numbers there would be similar predation..." </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; ">It seems that this amount of predation makes sense when the natural healthy population of chinook and coho is in proportion to that of
steelhead - which, if there were a healthy pop. of wild steelhead there might also be a healthy pop. of wild salmon - but is not the problem here that there is an over abundance of hatchery steelhead relative to the low numbers of wild salmon stocks ... ? </span></div><div style="font-family: 'bookman old style', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "><br></span></font></div><div style="font-family: 'bookman old style', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Emelia Berol</span></div></span></div><div style="font-family:bookman old style, new york, times, serif;font-size:10pt"><br><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> "frankemerson@redshift.com"
<frankemerson@redshift.com><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Byron Leydecker <bwl3@comcast.net><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> FOTR List <fotr@mailman.dcn.org>; Trinity List <env-trinity@mailman.dcn.org><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Friday, May 1, 2009 10:54:38 AM<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [env-trinity] Hatchery v. Wild Fish Trinity Journal 4 29 09<br></font><br>
I am not very impressed with the conclusions of this study. If there was a<br>natural healthy population of steelead in comparable numbers as the<br>hatchery numbers there would be similar predation. The eggs being consumed<br>are presumably free floaters which is natural, fry predation is normal.<br>The student had a hook and line catch method? Sounds like a great gig if<br>you can get it.<br><br>Predation could likely be reduced greatly if the hatchery steelhead were<br>released after the spring restoration flows have peaked. As an additional<br>benefit the higher flow would reduce residualization and cause better<br>Ocean survival of hatchery smolts due to more robust size.<br><br>If it were not for brown trout in upper river there would likely be even<br>more residnet trout in the natural spawning section.<br><br>Frank Emerson<br>CRSA<br><br>> There are numerous scientific studies that conclude similarly.I have<br>> several<br>> of these, If anyone
would like these, let me know,<br>><br>> Byron<br>><br>> Swimming for their lives<br>> Wild fish face added threat from hatchery steelhead, study says<br>> By AMY GITTELSOHN<br>><br>><br>><br>> Researchers have warned that hatchery-produced fish can harm wild stocks<br>> by<br>> competing for food and habitat.<br>><br>><br>><br>> <javascript:openimage('001p1_xlg.jpg',1024,444)><br><span>> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p1_lg.jpg">http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p1_lg.jpg</a></span><br>><br>><br>> Allen Houston, fish culturist at the Trinity River Hatchery, right,<br>> examines<br>> newly hatched steelhead in the incubator and steelhead fingerlings to be<br>> reared at the hatchery and released to the Trinity River in March of next<br>> year. A recent study sought to determine the impact of hatchery fish on<br>> the<br>> native fish population; the results are currently
being debated.<br>><br>> In a study on the Trinity River, a fisheries biologist reported a more<br>> direct impact that Trinity River Hatchery steelhead have on wild fish.<br>> They<br>> eat them.<br>><br>> Seth Naman conducted his research in 2007 in a study funded by the Yurok<br>> Tribal Fisheries Program. Naman and his crew caught fin-clipped hatchery<br>> steelhead on a two-mile section of the Trinity River downstream of the<br>> Lewiston Dam, anesthetizing them, pumping their bellies and recording the<br>> results before reviving them and sending them on their way.<br>><br>> Prior to the 2007 release of hatchery steelhead in March, they caught 315<br>> "residualized" steelhead released from the hatchery in 2006 which stayed<br>> in<br>> the river rather than migrating to the ocean. Those hangers-on had 435<br>> salmonid fry and 2,685 salmonid eggs in their stomachs.<br>><br>><br>><br>>
<javascript:openimage('001p2_xlg.jpg',838,1024)><br><span>> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p2_lg.jpg">http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p2_lg.jpg</a></span><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> In March 2007, the hatchery released yearling steelhead, and about half<br>> swam<br>> out to the river on their own volition. Naman and crew began catching the<br>> juvenile hatchery steelhead in the upper reach of the river as the<br>> stragglers were forced out. They caught 1,636 juvenile hatchery steelhead,<br>> finding that they had consumed 882 salmonid fry.<br>><br>> Using population estimates and predation rates, Naman estimated that<br>> 24,194<br>> salmonid fry and 171,018 salmonid eggs were consumed by 2,302 residualized<br>> hatchery steelhead in 21 days from Feb. 10 to March 2, 2007. He estimated<br>> that 110,659 salmonid fry were eaten by 439,197 juvenile hatchery<br>>
steelhead<br>> in 30 days from March 28 to April 26, 2007.<br>><br>> Naman, now a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric<br>> Administration Fisheries Service, wrote up the results of his Yurok study<br>> in<br>> his master's thesis for Humboldt State University finalized over last<br>> winter. It has been distributed widely over a Trinity River list server.<br>><br>><br>><br>> <javascript:openimage('001p3_xlg.jpg',876,1024)><br><span>> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.trinityjournal..com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p3_lg.jpg">http://www.trinityjournal.com/news/2009/0429/front_page/001p3_lg.jpg</a></span><br>><br>><br>> Photos by PHIL NELSON<br>><br>> "This study documents the highest rate of predation by hatchery salmonids<br>> on<br>> naturally produced salmonids that has been reported," Naman states in his<br>> thesis.<br>><br>> Reaction from a supervisor with the state Department of Fish and Game,<br>> which<br>>
operates the hatchery, is mixed.<br>><br>> "We do feel this study has merit, and it's an area that deserves more<br>> attention," said Larry Hanson, senior biologist supervisor with the DFG's<br>> Klamath/Trinity Program. "We don't necessarily agree with his<br>> conclusions."<br>><br>> For example, Hanson noted that the estimates for the daily population of<br>> hatchery steelhead in the study area - and hence the extent of predation -<br>> could have been high because, as acknowledged in Naman's report, one of<br>> two<br>> antennas used to count 1,000 microchipped hatchery steelhead failed during<br>> the study period.<br>><br>> During the spring high flow, "It would seem intuitive that a certain<br>> number<br>> of those fish he believed residualized washed or migrated out of the study<br>> reach," Hanson said.<br>><br>> However, in his report Naman lists several ways in which his predation<br>> estimates are conservative, noting that almost half of
the hatchery's<br>> 800,000 steelhead release was not included in the study.<br>><br>> He also noted that the hook and line method used to catch the steelhead<br>> may<br>> have skewed the results toward individuals more likely to go after insects<br>> than fish.<br>><br>> The hatchery, funded by the federal Bureau of Reclamation and operated by<br>> the DFG, is meant to mitigate for the loss of fish habitat upstream from<br>> Lewiston Dam. It releases Chinook and coho salmon as well as steelhead.<br>><br>> Naman suggests the agencies look into several issues regarding steelhead.<br>><br>> He notes that fishing regulations on the river from the Old Lewiston<br>> Bridge<br>> to the dam are "fly only" and "catch and release only." These regulations<br>> have no apparent biological justification, Naman stated, and angler<br>> harvest<br>> of the hatchery steelhead could help eliminate those that stay in the<br>> river.<br>><br>>>From the DFG, Hanson said
allowing anglers to keep steelhead in the upper<br>> Trinity River would go against the hatchery's goals for returning adults.<br>><br>> "The department can't support that," he said.<br>><br>> Naman noted that each year a significant percentage of the 800,000<br>> steelhead<br>> released annually are on the small side - small enough that they have no<br>> chance of returning as adults. In 2007, 175,210 small steelhead were<br>> released, Naman said, and the stunted fish likely die or residualize in<br>> the<br>> river to compete with naturally produced fish.<br>><br>> While Naman did not study the impact on wild fish from competition by<br>> hatchery fish for food and habitat, he noted that other studies have, and<br>> competition may be more harmful than predation.<br>><br>> "The end result of the competition may be dead naturally produced fish,"<br>> Naman wrote, "which cannot be held in hand and counted as in this study."<br>><br>> Given the Trinity
River Restoration Program goal of restoring naturally<br>> produced salmonids, those goals "may be in conflict with the current<br>> management regime of hatchery fish," Naman stated.<br>><br>> But Hanson noted that the hatchery is meant to mitigate for habitat lost<br>> due<br>> to the dam, using the best science as to how many steelhead were produced<br>> in<br>> that habitat. If neither the dam nor the hatchery existed, there would<br>> still<br>> be predation by the natural steelhead, Hanson said. He acknowledged that<br>> the<br>> dam does concentrate the fry.<br>><br>> Naman indicates in his report that the overlap of predator and prey is<br>> occurring at a crucial time. He noted that wild Chinook and coho salmon<br>> fry<br>> emerge from the gravel at the same time the 800,000 larger steelhead<br>> smolts<br>> are released in the important wild spawning area, at a time when the river<br>> is low and clear.<br>><br>> The consumed Chinook and coho
salmon fry and eggs that would have hatched<br>> make up 9 percent of production for the area during the study period, he<br>> wrote.<br>><br>> Although it does not have regulatory authority over the hatchery, the<br>> Trinity Management Council has discussed the issue. Hanson said the<br>> management council has written the Bureau of Reclamation to see if fish<br>> mitigation goals can be changed. There has not been a response from<br>> Reclamation.<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> Byron Leydecker, JcT<br>><br>> Chair, Friends of Trinity River<br>><br>> PO Box 2327<br>><br>> Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327<br>><br>> 415 383 4810 land<br>><br>> 415 519 4810 cell<br>><br>> <mailto:<a ymailto="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net" href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a>> <a ymailto="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net" href="mailto:bwl3@comcast.net">bwl3@comcast.net</a><br>><br>> <mailto:<a ymailto="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org"
href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a>> <a ymailto="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org" href="mailto:bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org">bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org</a><br>> (secondary)<br>><br><span>> <<a target="_blank" href="http://fotr.org/">http://fotr.org/</a>> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fotr.org">http://www.fotr.org</a></span><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> env-trinity mailing list<br>> <a ymailto="mailto:env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us" href="mailto:env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us">env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis..ca.us</a><br><span>> <a target="_blank" href="http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity">http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity</a></span><br>><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>env-trinity mailing list<br><a ymailto="mailto:env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us"
href="mailto:env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us">env-trinity@velocipede.dcn.davis.ca.us</a><br><a href="http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity" target="_blank">http://www2.dcn.org/mailman/listinfo/env-trinity</a><br></div></div><div style="position:fixed"></div></div><br>
</body></html>