SAVING SPRINGERS

When Trinity River spring-run Chinook like this one construct spawning nests – or redds – beginning in September (typically earlier than fall kings), they rearrange the stream bottom, which also improves the habitat for other fish and bugs. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

RESTORING THE KINGS OF SPRING THE KLAMATH BASIN’S EARLIEST RETURNING SALMON STOCK IS IMPORTANT IN MANY WAYS

By John Heil

In Northern California, springtime is marked by wildflower blooms, bird migrations, swollen rivers and the return of the first salmon of the year to the Klamath River – spring-run Chinook.

This genetically based life history strategy of Chinook is not only critical to the diversity of the species and the economy for fishing, but also provides a vital source of food and other cultural value for indigenous people of the Klamath Basin.

“You can ask any tribal member right now, and they will tell you that one spring salmon is worth eight to 10 fall fish. They are that valuable. If I had two jars sitting here, you could see on the spring fish an inch of red oil and the fall fish sitting right next to it with

On Aug. 19, 2019, the Yurok Tribe, Green Diamond Resource Company and Western Rivers Conservancy celebrated a 10-year effort to preserve and place into tribal ownership about 50,000 acres of private timberlands surrounding four salmon-sustaining Klamath River basin streams, including Blue Creek. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

almost no red ring,” said Keith Parker, a Yurok tribal member and biologist, referring to the two stocks’ fat content.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Damon Goodman agreed. Adult springrun Chinook do not feed while in the river, but rather rely on their high fat reserves that provides the energy to hold in deep pools over the long summer months before spawning.

“This also makes spring-run arguably the most prized of all fish to eat in the Klamath River,” he said.

THE VALUE OF SPRING-RUN Chinook is more than just sustenance for tribes.

“We are fish people and the river is the central focal point of our culture,” said Parker. “Religion, culture, language and food all evolve synchronously, as it does in any society. When you remove any one of those from the equation, it has huge impacts on the other things.

“When you look at our community, the river is our grocery store. We eat and survive off the river. In fact, we don’t have a grocery store in this community. A lot of people don’t understand; they will say if you don’t have salmon this year, just go buy hamburger. The problem is, we know from science that no matter where you are from, that over thousands of generations of human beings become adapted to a specific regional diet. So for tens of thousands of generations, we ate a lot of spring salmon with high lipid content.”

The value of spring-run kings, however, goes further than that, when considering their genetic make-up.

Dr. Andrew Kinziger, fisheries department chair for Humboldt State University, said the different life histories of Chinook salmon could help the species survive into the future.

He believes in the “portfolio effect,” a term from the financial world, where one diversifies their investments to buffer against significant losses in one area.

“The portfolio effect is also thought to apply in natural settings where we see a diversity of life histories in Chinook salmon in spring and fall types and in steelhead with summer

Good Used Boats, Repair Parts, Quality Service, Knowlegeable Staff SALES • SERVICE • ENGINES

GETTING YOU THE RIGHT PART THE FIRST TIME

Seastar Solutions Optimus EPS steering

Docking and maneuvering your boat in high winds has never been so easy. Let the Joy Stick do it for you.

GPS position hold and heading hold is included.

M ercu ry M ari ne O u t b oard P romot i on

Horespower Consumer Rebate 9.9 Pro Kicker $100 15 Pro Kicker $150 40 & 40 Jet $200 50 $250 60 & 65 Jet $400 75 & 80 Jet $500 90 $600 115 & 115 ProXS $1,000 150 $1,250 150 ProXS $1,500 350 $2,000 400 $2,250

Subject to approval by mercury and dealer. Subject to terms. See dealer for details. NO SALES TAX IN OREGON

8 and 99 Kicker Motors in stock. Call now!

503-255-8487 • CascadeMarineCenter.com

14900 SE STARK ST. • PORTLAND, OR 97233 HOURS: MON-FRI 8AM-6PM • SAT 9AM-3PM MOTORS MUST BE CAPABLE OF ACCEPTING JOYSTICK APPLICATION. CERTAIN LIMITATIONS APPLY.

and winter ecotypes,” said Kinziger. “All these different life histories serve to build a portfolio that can buffer against environmental change. You can have one year when one ecotype doesn’t do well, but another ecotype might do better, so that buffers against poor performance of any one of the ecotypes.”

Dr. Tommy Williams, a research fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, agrees with the idea of the portfolio effect, and points to another critical factor for fish.

“The diversity of habitat types, both physical and ecological, is critical,” said Williams. “The diversity of habitat conditions and processes allows for the expression of a range of lifehistory types. Restoring connectivity within a watershed like the Klamath River provides access to historically accessible areas upstream of the dams. Additionally, dam removal reduces

Keith Parker wades into Blue Creek. With water so cool and clean you can drink from it, the stream is also an important thermal refuge for anadromous fish migrating upriver. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

“There has been a revolution in genetic sequencing techniques. This has allowed surveys of an entire genome of Chinook salmon and determination that the springrun ecotype is controlled by a single gene of major effect,” said Dr. Andrew Kinziger, fisheries department chair at Humboldt

State University and who believes in “nature’s portfolio effect.” (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

constraints on physical and ecological processes, allowing for a more dynamic and diverse habitat portfolio. Large restoration projects like the proposed removal of four dams on the Klamath River are at the scale needed to start restoring the environmental portfolio required for diverse fish communities and expression of a range of life-history diversity.”

ONE DIFFERENCE ILLUSTRATING THAT diversity is the spring-run’s ability to spawn farther upriver and earlier in the season than their fall-run counterparts in rivers where no passage barriers exist. This creates a degree of both spatial and temporal segregation between fish of each run.

Reliant on high-quality habitat, including cool water temperatures throughout the summer and deep pools that provide cover from predators, spring-run fish enter the river sexually immature and spend time holding and developing reproductive gametes in preparation to spawn.

Their ability to construct nests

A spring Chinook reaches the end of its migration below Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River late last September. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

(or redds) beginning in September – typically earlier than fall-run Chinook – leads to a rearrangement of the stream bottom, which improves the habitat for other fish and bugs.

After spawning, they die, leaving their decomposing carcasses, comprised primarily of nutrients from the ocean, to provide fuel to the productivity of the stream and riparian zone.

THE KLAMATH RIVER BASIN was once the third largest producer of salmon in the United States outside of Alaska. Historically, the spring run was a primary component of its overall Chinook population. However, per Goodman, spring-run fish are now at a fraction of

Springers were once a primary component of the Klamath Basin Chinook population. However, per U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Damon Goodman, runs are now a fraction of historical levels. While a hatchery produces thousands of returning adults, natural-origin fish only number several hundred, as indicated by multi-agency dive surveys in the Klamath and Trinity River tributaries (seen here) in 2019. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

historical levels, with natural-origin fish at the lowest numbers recorded. Less than 700 were counted returning to the Klamath Basin in 2019.

However, many efforts are underway to improve conditions for natural-origin spring-run kings.

“For ecotypes such as the springrun Chinook salmon that are reliant on headwater habitats, restoring access to natal spawning grounds is likely to be one of our most successful restoration approaches,” said Goodman.

One such project is the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, working in cooperation with PacifiCorp, to take ownership of four dams on the Klamath: JC Boyle, Copco No. 1 and 2, and Iron Gate. This partnership will restore formerly inundated lands and implement required mitigation measures in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations. The project will restore access to an estimated 420 miles of anadromous stream habitats.

A salmon’s primary goal is to spawn, but its decomposing carcass also releases marine nutrients into streams, making them and riparian areas more productive. (JAKE SISCO/USFWS)

This would arguably be the largest river restoration project on the planet, with spring-run Chinook salmon being a primary beneficiary.

Conservation efforts are also underway to improve fish habitats below dams. “To help with the conservation of (the) spring run, we are working with our partners to develop and apply creative approaches to streamflow management

“To help with the conservation of (the) spring run, we are working with our partners to develop and apply creative approaches to streamflow management to improve their chances of survival,” said Goodman. (JOHN HEIL/USFWS)

to improve their chances of survival,” said Goodman.

One example he provided was work recently published in the Journal of Ecological Engineering, which proposed an approach to release water from dams in a way that mimics elements of natural flowing rivers.

“We predict this would greatly improve spawning and rearing conditions for spring-run” Chinook, he said of the study. “We have also worked with our partners to develop strategies to better manage water temperatures below dams to promote survival of spring-run Chinook salmon through the summer months in areas where they can no longer access their historic headwater habitats. In addition, we closely monitor water temperatures to evaluate the success of these management actions using an adaptive management feedback loop to improve future water temperature management strategies. We are hopeful these efforts will pay dividends in the long run.” CS

Editor’s note: Restoring upstream and downstream passage for anadromous fishes is a primary focus of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program, through efforts such as the National Fish Passage Program and California Fish Passage Forum. John Heil serves as the deputy assistant regional director for external affairs in the USFWS Pacific Southwest Region headquarters in Sacramento. For more, go to fws.gov/cno.

LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market POWERFUL. 2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke POWERFUL. 2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke

COMPACT. Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200 COMPACT. Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200

Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four. THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR. FORWARD THINKING. Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four. THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR. FORWARD THINKING.

OREGON

EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com

YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws.

YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine Follow Yamaha on Facebook ® and Twitter ™

Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal

Follow Yamaha on Facebook ® and Twitter ™

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal