A passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag system for monitoring fishways

Movement and behavior of adult American shad Alosa sapidissima and sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus were monitored by closed-circuit video at several locations within a modified Ice Harbor fishway. American shad ascended and descended the fishway exclusively by surface weirs, while sea lampreys used both surface weirs and submerged orifices. Upstream movement of American shad during the day was higher than at night at both lower and middle fishway observation sites. Peak downstream movement of American shad at both locations was associated with decreasing light levels in the evening. Sea lampreys moved primarily at night at the lower and middle fishway sites. Mean daily passage efficiency was low (1% for American shad, –2% for sea lamprey) at the lower fishway surface weir, but passage efficiency at the middle fishway surface weir was moderate (70% for American shad, 35% for sea lamprey) . High water velocity, air entrainment, and turbulence of the modified Ice Harbor fishway design appeared to inh...

Video Evaluation of Passage Efficiency of American Shad and Sea Lamprey in a Modified Ice Harbor Fishway

We used ultrasound imaging and passive integrated transponder (PIT)-tagging programs to assess maturation status and iteroparity patterns in summer-run steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout, Oncorhyn...

Iteroparity in Columbia River summer-run steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): implications for conservation

After spawning, iteroparous steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss from the Columbia River basin must navigate several hydroelectric dams on their way to the Pacific Ocean. We used radiotelemetry to investigate migration rates, downstream passage routes, and success of adult steelhead kelts migrating past lower Snake River and Columbia River dams during the springs of 2001 and 2002. Seaward-migrating kelts were collected, radio-tagged, and volitionally released from the juvenile bypass facilities at Lower Granite Dam (LGR) on the Snake River and at McNary Dam (McN) and John Day Dam (JDD) on the Columbia River. Migration success rates from LGR to the study area exit (8 km east of Portland, Oregon) were poorer during the low-flow nonspill conditions of 2001 (4.1%) than in the more typical flow year of 2002 (15.6%). Kelts tagged and released at Columbia River dams had substantially higher migration success than those released on the Snake River; 59.6% and 62.3% of the kelts released at McN and 63.6% and 80.0...

Downstream Passage of Steelhead Kelts through Hydroelectric Dams on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers

Can remote underwater video be used to investigate the in-stream behaviour of small fishes and decapods? Diel activity of two threatened freshwater fishes (Macquaria australasica and Gadopsis bispinosus), a palaemonid prawn and an atyid shrimp, was established from remote underwater video in a pool of an upland stream in the current study. Decapods and large fishes (>5 cm TL) were nocturnal, whereas, small fishes (<5 cm TL) were diurnal. The suitability of using underwater video to quantify short-term (seconds) behavioural interaction among individuals was also demonstrated, with early-juvenile-phase Gadopsis bispinosus exhibiting interference competition on 35% of occasions when two or more individuals were observed. This study demonstrates that remote underwater video is useful for observing the in-stream behaviour of threatened freshwater fauna where other techniques are not viable, and presents sub-sampling of video as a means of reducing video processing time in assessing fish diel activity patterns.

In-stream behaviour of threatened fishes and their food organisms based on remote video monitoring

A time-lapse video system was designed and used to record the migration of adult Pacific salmon at Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River, Washington. From 1989 through 1991, the system was evaluated to determine its suitability and usefulness for escapement estimation of three Pacific salmon species, chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, sockeye salmon O. nerka, and steelhead O. mykiss. The accuracy and precision of estimates based on these videotape records were tested. Video-based sockeye salmon escapement estimates were found to be within 4% of an independent estimate based on the on-site visual counts made by experienced observers. An among-observer variance test was performed comparing the counts of five different individuals who examined the same videotape records. Analysis of variance showed no significant differences among the five observers. A test that compared the effect on counts of different time-lapse recording speeds indicated no significant differences between the two speeds test...

Estimation of Pacific Salmon Escapement with a Time-Lapse Video Recording Technique

We evaluated the traits and survival to release of reconditioned kelt steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Yakima River (Washington State, USA). From 2001 to 2011, we captured a total of 9,738 downstream-migrating kelts at an irrigation diversion facility, an average about 27% of each annual wild steelhead return. Captured kelts were reared for 4.5–10 months in an artificial environment, treated for diseases and parasites, and fed both krill and pellets. Surviving reconditioned fish were released into the Yakima River during the peak of the upstream migration of prespawn steelhead. Reconditioned steelhead kelts were predominantly (>92%) female. Annual survival to release ranged from 20% to 62% and averaged 38% over the course of the study, the surviving reconditioned kelts showing increases in FL, weight, and Fulton's K condition factor compared with their preconditioning status. Kelts in good condition and those with bright coloration at the time of collection were more likely to survive than th...

Survival and Traits of Reconditioned Kelt Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Yakima River, Washington

Repeat spawning is a life history strategy that is expressed by some species from the family Salmonidae. Rates of repeat spawning for post-development Columbia River steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss populations range from 1.6 to 17%. It is expected that currently observed iteroparity rates for wild steelhead in the Basin are severely depressed due to development and operation of the hydropower system and various additional anthropogenic factors. Increasing the natural expression of historical repeat spawning rates using fish culturing methods could be a viable technique to assist the recovery of depressed steelhead populations. Reconditioning is the process of culturing post-spawned fish (kelts) in a captive environment until they are able to reinitiate feeding, growth, and redevelop mature gonads. Kelt reconditioning techniques were initially developed for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar and sea-trout S. trutta. The recent Endangered Species Act listing of many Columbia Basin steelhead populations has prompted interest in developing reconditioning methods for wild steelhead populations within the Basin. To test kelt steelhead reconditioning as a potential recovery tool, we captured wild emigrating steelhead kelts from the Yakima River and evaluated reconditioning (short and long-term) success and diet formulations at Prosser Hatchery on the Yakima River. Steelhead kelts from the Yakima Rivermore » were collected at the Chandler Juvenile Monitoring Facility (CJMF, located on the Yakima River at river kilometer 75.6) from 12 March to 28 May 2003. In total, 690 kelts were collected for reconditioning at Prosser Hatchery. Captive specimens represented 30.8% (690 of 2,235) of the entire 2002-2003 Yakima River wild steelhead population, based on fish ladder counts at Prosser Dam. All steelhead kelts were reconditioned in circular tanks, fed freeze-dried krill and received hw-wiegandt multi vit dietary supplement; long-term steelhead kelts also received Moore-Clark pellets. Oxytetracycline was administered to reconditioned fish to boost immune system response following the stress of initial capture. Formalin was also administered to prevent outbreaks of fungus and we also intubated the fish that were collected with Ivermectin{trademark} to control internal parasites (e.g., Salmincola spp.). Captured kelts were separated into two experimental groups: short-term and long-term reconditioning. Success indicators for the short-term experiment include the proportion of fish that survived the reconditioning process and the proportion of fish that initiated a feeding response. Short-term kelts were reconditioned for 3 to 7 weeks. Surviving specimens were released for natural spawning on June 4, 2003. Survival-to-release was very good for the short-term experiment, with a rate of 89.9%. Long-term steelhead kelts were held for 5-9 months then released on December 8, 2003. Long-term success indicators include the proportion of fish that survived the reconditioning process and the proportion of surviving fish that successfully remature. Survival and rematuration for long-term kelts increased as well with 62.4% surviving to release and 91.7% rematuring. A total of 47 reconditioned kelts were radio tagged to assess their spawning migration behavior and success following release from Prosser Hatchery and to evaluate in-season homing fidelity. As in previous years, the kelts reconditioned during this project will substantially bolster the number of repeat spawners in the Yakima River. Valuable knowledge regarding kelt husbandry, condition, and rearing environments were obtained during this research endeavor. The authors were very pleased with the high survival rates. Information collected during this feasibility study has been significantly incorporated into the experimental design for upcoming years of research, and is expected to continue to increase survival of long-term reconditioned fish and successful expression of iteroparity.« less

Kelt Reconditioning: A Research Project to Enhance Iteroparity in Columbia Basin Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 2003 Annual Report.

We designed and tested a videotape editing system that selected and removed video frames not containing fish images from source videotapes previously recorded in 24, 48, or 72 h time-lapse modes. The system, based on image-processing software and a personal computer, compressed videotapes of the passage of Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. by 75% (±6.8%). The system reduced the length of tape that had to be reviewed without significantly altering fish counts made from the tapes. Fish counts made from visual review of both the edited and source videotapes were similar (P = 0.925). Using stratified random sampling, we selected and edited a sample of 200 d of recordings made at five different locations. The combined location and time data formed a 1,890-d statistical population of fish passage. This sample of source tapes was stratified post hoc into three different categories of fish-passage densities, measured by the number of fish on every 24 h of recorded tape ( 400 fish/d). So...

A Computerized Editing System for Video Monitoring of Fish Passage

Reconditioning of post-spawned anadromous rainbow trout (steelhead kelts, Oncorhynchus mykiss) is being implemented as a recovery tool on the Yakima River in the mid-Columbia River Basin. We assessed reproductive development in female Yakima River kelts by measuring plasma estradiol-17β (E2) and vitellogenin (VG) levels during reconditioning in 2009–2011. Plasma E2 and VG levels showed that fish separated into rematuring (consecutive spawning) and nonrematuring (presumed skip spawning) cohorts by October. Rematuration rates varied from 25% to 65%. Rematuring fish were consistently detected migrating toward spawning areas after release, whereas nonrematuring fish were occasionally detected on spawning migrations the following year. Rematuring fish grew more rapidly than nonrematuring fish over the reconditioning period and had higher muscle lipid levels and condition factor in October. Plasma E2 was elevated in rematuring fish by June–July, whereas plasma VG was elevated by June–August, suggesting that mat...

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Douglas R. Hatch

Papers

Estimation of Pacific Salmon Escapement with a Time-Lapse Video Recording Technique

Survival and Traits of Reconditioned Kelt Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in the Yakima River, Washington

Kelt Reconditioning: A Research Project to Enhance Iteroparity in Columbia Basin Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), 2003 Annual Report.

A Computerized Editing System for Video Monitoring of Fish Passage

Reproductive development in captive reconditioned female steelhead kelts: evidence for consecutive and skip spawning life histories