Development and Implementation of a Development and Implementation of a Monitoring Program for Mark-selective Chinook Monitoring Program for Mark-selective Chinook Salmon Fisheries in Puget Sound, WashingtonSalmon Fisheries in Puget Sound, Washington

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Mark BaltzellMark BaltzellPete McHughPete McHugh

Laurie Peterson Laurie Peterson Steve ThiesfeldSteve Thiesfeld

April 1, 2009

TopicsTopics Introduction/Background:

mark-selective fisheries Overview of WDFW Puget Sound

Sampling Unit’s comprehensive monitoring program for Chinook mark-selective fisheries.MethodsResultsConclusions

Questions

Adipose fin-clip; external mark indicating hatchery origin fish.

Marking program consistent with hatchery reform practices.

Production of Marked Chinook

Mark-SelectiveMark-Selective FisheriesFisheries

Marine Areas with Chinook MSFs

Summer Seasons

Winter Seasons

• Higher effort

• Some are quota-managed

• Directed at maturing migrants

• Fewer fish handled per kept

• Multiple species encountered

• Lower effort (weather driven)

• Directed at resident “blackmouth”

• More fish handled per kept (size)

• Mostly single species encounters

Chinook Mark-Selective Fishery Objectives

No increase in wild stock

impacts

Reduce wild stock impacts

if possible

Increase Angler

Opportunity

Increase Hatchery

Fish Harvest

Sample, Monitor, Enforce

All Fisheries

Evaluating Selective Chinook Fisheries Evaluating Selective Chinook Fisheries Key Objectives:Key Objectives:

Determine if the data needed to estimate critical selective fishery parameters can be collected.

Evaluate if sample sizes needed to produce estimates with agreed levels of precision can be realistically obtained.

Enable evaluation and planning of potential future mark-selective fisheries.

Mark rate in the fishery - from estimates of marked and unmarked encounters.

Number marked and unmarked fish retained. Number marked and unmarked fish released. Number of the Chinook encounters that are of sub-legal size

(less than 22 inches total length). Stock composition of the mortalities– estimated by CWT and

DNA. KEY CHALLENGE: Indirect estimation of impacts

on unmarked fish that are caught and released.

Critical Data Critical Data ParametersParameters

WDFW Puget Sound Sampling Unit Selective Fishery Monitoring Program

DocksideSampling

On-the-waterSurveys

TestFishing

WDFW Puget Sound Sampling Unit Selective Fishery Monitoring Program

Size Measures;

Select Sites

Out-of-frame effort proportion

DocksideSampling

On-the-waterSurveys

TestFishing

WDFW Puget Sound Sampling Unit Selective Fishery Monitoring Program

Length,age CWTs

Fishingmethods

Size Measures;

Select Sites

Out-of-frame effort proportion

DocksideSampling

Recover CWT’s from salmon that detect positive for a tag.

At least 20% sample rate is the goal.

Length measurements and scale samples.

Fishing method data.

DocksideSampling

On-the-waterSurveys

TestFishing

Chinook Size/mark-

status comp.

Length,age CWTs

DNAsampling

Length,age (all)

WDFW Puget Sound Sampling Unit Selective Fishery Monitoring Program

Fishingmethods

VTRs

Size Measures;

Select Sites

Out-of-frame effort proportion

TestFishing

Encounters by species. Chinook mark rates and

encounter rates by size/mark status.

DNA samples on all Chinook.

Scale and length samples on all Chinook.

Emulate the recreational fleet (gear types, locations fished).

DocksideSampling

On-the-waterSurveys

TestFishing

Total salmon

encounters

Chinook Size/mark-

status comp.

Total FisheryImpacts

Length,age CWTs

DNAsampling

Length,age (all)

WDFW Puget Sound Sampling Unit Selective Fishery Monitoring Program

Fishingmethods

Size Measures;

Select Sites

Out-of-frame effort proportion

DocksideSampling

On-the-waterSurveys

TestFishing

Total Chinook Encounter Estimates(Retained + Released)

Total Estimated Total Estimated FisheryFisheryImpactsImpacts

Legal-size marked (LM) Legal-size unmarked (LU) Sublegal-size marked (SM) Sublegal-size unmarked (SU)

Chinook Size/Mark-Status

Apply size-specific release mortality rates

•15% Legal •20% Sublegal

Apportion Total Encounters into

4 Size/Mark groups

Compare toModel (FRAM)

predictions

Voluntary Trip ReportsVoluntary Trip Reports

Encounters by species.

Chinook mark rates and encounter rates by size/mark status.

Marine Area

Year(s)

Est. Number Angler Trips

Est. Number Marked Chinook

Harvested

Est. Number Chinook Released

Est. Number

Unmarked Mortalities

Area 5 2003-08 129,698 16,602 50,864 5,935

Area 6 2003-07 19,715 3,126 5,017 988

Area 9 2007-08 38,558 8,984 19,515 1,513

Area 10 2007-08 22,183 2,542 8,101 501

Area 11 2007-08 144,686 18,041 34,267 1,875

Total 354,840 49,295 117,764 10,812

Estimated Unmarked Chinook Mortalities Estimated Unmarked Chinook Mortalities (Summer Fisheries)(Summer Fisheries)

Providing Opportunity and Meeting Conservation GoalsProviding Opportunity and Meeting Conservation Goals

Unmarked Chinook impacts: similar to or

less than model predictions.

Unmarked Mortality Estimates vs. Unmarked Mortality Estimates vs. Modeled (FRAM) PredictionsModeled (FRAM) Predictions

Legal-sized, marked Chinook harvest:

consistent with model predictions.

Legal-size Marked Chinook Estimates vs. Legal-size Marked Chinook Estimates vs. Modeled (FRAM) PredictionsModeled (FRAM) Predictions

Test Fishery ResultsTest Fishery ResultsEmulating the FleetEmulating the Fleet

Mark Rates Total Lengths

CWT Recoveries For All Chinook Mark-Selective CWT Recoveries For All Chinook Mark-Selective Fisheries in Puget Sound 2005-08Fisheries in Puget Sound 2005-08

N = 1184

CWT Recoveries for Chinook Mark Selective CWT Recoveries for Chinook Mark Selective Fisheries in the Strait of Juan de Fuca 2003-08Fisheries in the Strait of Juan de Fuca 2003-08

High percentage landed catch and angler trips sampled overall, exceeding the 20% sample rate target:

38% (winter fisheries)

31% (summer fisheries)

Adequacy of Sampling ProgramAdequacy of Sampling ProgramSample Size GoalsSample Size Goals

Estimated Parameter

(Chinook)

Summer MSF

Fisheries CV

Winter MSF

Fisheries CV

Total Landed Catch 11% 9%

Unmarked Releases 12% 10%

Test Fishery Mark Rates 9% 3%

Adequacy of Sampling ProgramAdequacy of Sampling ProgramPrecision of EstimatesPrecision of EstimatesCoefficient of Variation (Coefficient of Variation (CVCV))

Opportunities to make sampling more efficient & cost-effective?

ConclusionsConclusions

Pilot selective Chinook fisheries enabled recreational fishing opportunities while meeting the conservation constraints defined for Puget Sound Chinook.

Sampling programs collected critical information necessary for evaluating and planning future pilot selective Chinook fisheries.

Measured impacts of the fishery were either less than or comparable to pre-season expectations (FRAM model) for unmarked Chinook salmon.

Enabled implementation and assessment of our comprehensive selective fishery monitoring program in Puget Sound marine areas.

Sampling ProgramSampling ProgramConclusionsConclusions

Dockside sampling and test fishery efforts succeeded in:Achieving agreed-to sampling objectives.Yielding precise estimates of key fishery

parameters. Test fishery emulated the fleet

Continue feedback loop to test boats --spatial data collection and dockside fishing method question.

If you would like to know more…..the place to find all of our documentation on Chinook MSF’s

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/ selective/techniques/ technical_documents.htm