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Home My WebLink AboutSuWa301 Alaska Resources Library & Information Services Susitna‐Watana Hydroelectric Project Document ARLIS Uniform Cover Page TK 1425 .S8 S92 no.301 Title: SuWa 301 Adult salmon distribution and habitat utilization study Author(s) – Personal: Bryan L. Nass, Michael R. Link, Jason J. Smith, Dave Robichaud, Sean E. Burril, Karl K. English, Steve T. Crawford, Justin T. Priest, and Matthew J. Nemeth Author(s) – Corporate: Prepared by LGL Alaska Research Associates, Inc. AEA‐identified category, if specified: AEA‐identified series, if specified: Series (ARLIS‐assigned report number): Existing numbers on document: Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project document number Published by: Date published: [Anchorage, Alaska : Alaska Energy Authority?, 2013] February 2013 Published for: Date or date range of report: Alaska Energy Authority Volume and/or Part numbers: Final or Draft status, as indicated: [Final] Document type: Pagination: xiv, 139, [53] pages Related work(s): Pages added/changed by ARLIS: SuWa 91 (draft dated April 30, 2012). SuWa 6 and SuWa 28 (the same January 2013 version released in two distributions). Notes: This version of the report was not posted on the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project's website. All reports in the Susitna‐Watana Hydroelectric Project Document series include an ARLIS‐ produced cover page and an ARLIS‐assigned number for uniformity and citability. All reports are posted online at http://www.arlis.org/susitnadocfinder/ UC/C00CCCCAdultSalmonDistributionandHabitatUtilizationStudySusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject(FERCNo.74247)PreparedforCOAlaskaEnergyAuthority_AL4Q4C:)ENERGYAUTHORITYCOPreparedbyLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.1UU Adult Salmon Distribution and Habitat Utilization Study Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project (FERC No.14241) Bryan L.Nass,Michael R.Link,Jason J.Smith,Dave Robichaud,Sean E.Buiril,Karl K. English,Steve T.Crawford,Justin T.Priest,and Matthew J.Nemeth1 Prepared for: Alaska Energy Authority $13 West Northern Lights Boulevard Anchorage,Alaska 99503 February 2013 1 LGL Alaska Research Associates,Inc.,2000 West International Airport Road,Anchorage,Alaska 99502 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIz4TIONTABLEOFCONTENTS)OSummaryxliOSpawningLocationsxiiOSalmonMigrationAboveDevilsCanyonxiiOSalmonMigrationBehaviorxiiiCurrentandHistoricalDistributionandHabitatUsexiii0EffectivenessofMethodsUsedin2012andRecommendationsfor2013—2014xiv1.Introduction1“52.StudyObjectives23.StudyArea303.1.UpperSusitnaRiver4)3.2.MiddleSusitnaRiver4)3.3.LowerSusitnaRiver4O3.4.FishesoftheSusitnaRiver50.Methods504.1.DeviationsfromStudyPlan64.2.Objective1—Capture,TagandTrackFishintheMiddleSusitnaRiver74.2.1.fishCaptureatCurry—DesignandOperation7o4.2.2.fishTaggingatCurry8o4.2.3.DiagnosticstoAssessEffectivenessandRepresentativenessof0CatchandTagMethods104.2.4.TrackingofSalmontoDescribeDistributionandMigrationBehavior13004.2.5.TelemetryDataManagement174.3.Objective2—SalmonMigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsintheLower,Middle,andUpperSusitnaRiver184.3.1.MiddleandLowerRiverTaggingandTracking18o4.3.2.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocations19)4.3.3.MigrationBehavior2104.4.Objective3—feasibilityofusingSonartoDetectSpawningLocationsin)TurbidWater224.4.1.DeviationsfromStudyPlan(Section4.1)23)4.5.Objective4—CharacterizeSalmonMigrationBehaviorandTimingAbove)DevilsCanyon23Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageiFebruary2013 cC)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONCC4.6.Objective5—DistributionAmongHabitats:CurrentVersusHistoricUseandRelativeAbundance24C4.7.Objective6—LocateIndividualandHoldingandSpawningSalmon,CCollectHabitatDatainLowerandMiddleRiverConsistentwithHSC(DataCollection254.7.1.SpawningandHoldingfishIdentified254.7.2.HabitatDataCollectionConsistentwithHabitatSuitability(Criteria254.8.Objective7—EffectivenessofMethodsusedin201226(4.8.1.CaptureandTaggingoffishatCurry26C)4.8.2.EffectivenessofRadioTelemetrytoAddressObjectives2605.Results2705.1.Objective1—fishCapture,Tagging,andTrackingintheMiddleSusitna0River27C)5.1.1.fishCapture—Operation,Effort,andCatch2705.1.2.fishTagging2905.1.3.Diagnostics—EffectivenessofCatch,RepresentationofRun295.1.4.TrackingofTaggedSalmon345.2.Objective2—MigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsintheLower,Middle,andUpperSusitnaRiver355.2.1.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocations—LowerRiver365.2.2.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocations—MiddleandUpperRiver385.2.3.MigrationBehavior405.3.Objective3—feasibilityofSonartoIdentifySpawningLocationsin“‘TurbidWater425.4.Objective4—CharacterizeSalmonMigrationBehaviorandTimingAboveDevilsCanyon05.4.1.SurveyEffort435.4.2.Species,Number,andDestination445.4.3.MigrationTimingforfishPassingAboveDevilsCanyon445.4.4.RelativeAbundanceofSalmonPassingAboveDevilsCanyon455.4.5.SizeofChinookSalmonTrackedInandAboveDevilsCanyon455.5.Objective5—DistributionAmongHabitats:CurrentVersusHistoricUseCandRelativeAbundance46Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityCFERCProjectNo.14241PageiiFebruary2013( REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBuTIONANDHABITATUTIuZ’moN5.6.Objective6—LocateIndividualandHoldingandSpawningSalmon,CollectHabitatDatainMiddleandLowerRiverConsistentwithHSCDataCollection485.6.1.HabitatDataCollection485.7.Objective7—Effectivenessof2012Methods495.7.1.CaptureandTaggingoffishatCurry495.7.2.EffectivenessofRadioTelemetrytoAddressQuestions495.7.3.HowOurStudiesofDistributionandCategorization(e.g.,HabitatUsed)Affect2013/2014506.Discussion506.1.fishCaptureatCurryforPurposeofMarkingfishtoDetermineDistributionoftheMiddleandUpperRiverPopulation(s)506.1.1.FishwheelEffectiveness506.1.2.SizeSelectivity516.2.MigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsofSalmonintheLowerMiddle,andUpperSusitnaRiver526.2.1.LowerRiver526.2.2.MiddleandUpperRiver526.3.CurrentVersusHistoricalSpawningLocations,UseofHabitatTypes536.4.SalmonMigrationAboveDevilsCanyon536.5.AbilitytoDetectSalmoninClearandTurbidWater,andtoCollectSpawningHabitatDatainTurbid,MainstemWater546.5.1.SonartoIdentifySpawningLocationsinTurbidWater546.6.OperationalLessonsabouttheEffectivenessofOurApproachesin2012,withImplicationsfor201355Acknowledgments56LiteratureCited57Tables60Figures91Photos131Appendices139Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageiiiFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONLISTOFTABLES0Table1.Useofvariousmethodstoaccomplisheachofsevenmajorobjectivesin201261Table2.TotalcatchofsalmonattwofishwheelsitesnearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012....62Table3.forklengthsandlinearregressionequationsforfishsampledattheCurryfishwheels,201262Table4.Numberoffish,byspeciesandlocation,sampledforDNAandotoliths62Table5.NumberofadultsahnontaggedandrecapturedattwofishwheelsitesnearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,201263Table6.Numberofrecapturedradio-taggedfish,bylocationoftagging,andtheelapsedtimebetweentagandrecaptureevents63Table7.StatisticalresultsofKohnogorov-Smirnovtestscomparingcumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishmeasuredattheCurTyfishwheels,201263Table8.ChinooksalmoncaptureefficiencybytheSite1fishwheel,201264Table9.TagrateestimateadjustmentsbasedontheoreticalobservationefficiencyduringstreamcountsofChinooksalmoninPortageCreekandIndianRiver,201264UTable10.SummaryofvisualgroundsurveysforliveChinooksalmoninPortageCreekandIndianRiver,2012650Table11.SummaryoftheChinooksalmonmortalitytagrecoveryeffortsinIndianRiver,2012.0650Table12.Comparisonofthenumberofradio-taggedChinooksalmondetectedduringanaerial-0trackingsurveyonJuly24,andthenumberofChinooksalmonvisuallycountedonanaerial0surveyconductedthesameday66Table13.Detectionefficienciesoffixed-stationreceiversintheMiddleRiver,byspecies67()Table14.Monitoringefficiency(percentoperational)offixed-stationreceiversintheMiddle)andUpperRiverin20l2,byweek68Table15.Monitoringefficiency(percentoperational)ofLowerRiverfixed-stationreceiversin)2012,byweek69Table16.Thenumbersandproportionsoftagsthathadmalfunctioningmortalityfunctions....70)Table17.Destinationsofradio-taggedfishbyspeciesandreleaselocation71)Table18.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforChinooksalmoninthe)MiddleRiver,201273)Table19.SununaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforchurnsalmonintheUMiddleRiver,201274Table20.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforcohosalmonintheMiddleRiver,201276Table21.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforpinksalmonintheMiddleRiver,201277Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageivFebruary2013I REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBuTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable22.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforsockeyesalmonintheMiddleRiver,201278Table23.SalmondisplayingroamingbehaviorintheMiddleRiver79Table24.Farthestupstreamdetectionlocationsforradio-taggedfishthateventuallyenteredatributarydownstreamofLane(forfishreleasedintheLowerRiver,toppanel)orGateway(forfishreleasedatCurry,bottompanel)80Table25.Minimum,medianandmaximumdatesoffishwheelandfixed-stationreceiverpassage,byspecies81Table26.SitesvisitedduringassessmentofsonartoidentifyChinooksalmonspawninglocationsinturbidwater82Table27.DetailsofthefishthatapproachedorpassedtheMiddleRiverimpediments83Table28.Destinationsofradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatpassedeachimpediment85Table29.Summaryofmigrationandspawningbehaviorfor12radio-taggedChinooksalmonaftertheypassedImpediment386Table30.Detailsofimpediment-passageevents.Detailsincludethedateoffirstdetectionsaboveeachimpediment,thedurationofholdingtimebeloweachimpediment,andtheflow(measuredatGoldCreek)atthetimeofthefirstdetectionupstreamoftheimpediment87Table31.AveragepercentdistributionofspawningsalmoninsloughhabitatsoftheMiddleRiverfrom1981—1985,andconfirmationofspawningin201289Table32.SitessampledforhabitatsuitabilitycriteriadataintheMiddleRiver,201290Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PagevFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONLISTOFFIGURESFigure1.SusitnaRiverwatershedshowingfishcapturesites(ADf&GandCurryfishwheels),fixed-stationreceivers,andtheproposedreservoirareafortheSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject92Figure2.MiddleandUpperRiversegmentsshowingfishcapturesites(sites1and2),fixed-stationreceivers,andtheproposedreservoirareaforthe$usitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject93Figure3.MiddleRiverSegmentshowingfishcapturesites(sites1and2),theLaneCreekandGatewayfixed-stationreceivers,andthecampsiteinCurry94Figure4.DailycatchbyspeciesattheCurryfishwheels(eastandwestbankcombined),1981—1985Figure5.Threepotentialimpediments(impediments1,2,and3)tofishpassageonthe$usitnaRiverlocatedbetweenPortageandDevilcreeksatthetopendoftheMiddleRiverSegment960Figure6.AveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136),May1to0November30,201297QFigure7.Dailyfishingeffort(hours)andfishwheelspeed(RPM)forthefishwheelsoperated0nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,201297QFigure8.DailycatchofadultsalmonatthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaQRiver,201298()Figure9.Dailycatch-per-unit-effortofadultsalmonatthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryonC)theSusitnaRiver,2012aFigure10.DailynumberoftagsappliedtoadultsalmonatthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012100Figure11.Cumulativeproportionofdailycatch,catch-per-unit-effort(CPUE),andtagsappliedtoadultsalmonatthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012101Figure12.Relativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsites1and2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012...102(NFigure13.Cumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsites1and2nearCurryonthe$usitnaRiver,2012103Figure14.Relativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtandradio-taggedatsites1and2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012104UFigure15.Cumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtandradio-taggedatsites1Uand2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012105figure16.DIDSONdatarevieweffortofChinooksalmonpassagebelowthefishwheelatSite1ContheMiddleRiver,June15toJuly4,2012106CFigure17.Catchperuniteffort(CPUE),orthenumberofChinooksalmoncountedusingtheCDIDSONperhour,belowthefishwheelatSite1intheMiddleRiver,June15—28,2012.106cCSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityCFERCProjectNo.14241PageviFebruary2013Ct REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION)Figure18.NumberofChinooksalmon,bysizecategory,countedusingDIDSONatSite1asa0functionofthedistancefromshorewheretheywerefirstdetectedinthefieldofview,JuneQ19—20,2012107QFigure19.LinearregressionofthedetectionrangewhereChinooksalmonwerefirstobservedbyDIDSONandfishlengthasestimatedfromDIDSONimages,June15toJuly4,2012.107Figure20.DielmigrationofChinooksalmonobservedatfishwheelSitelusingDIDSON—‘technology,June15—20,2012108Figure21.AveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136),andthedailynumberofradiotagsthat‘resurrected’(i.e.,changedfromtheirmortalitysignalmode,in)whichtheyweresupposedtobelocked,tothelivesignalmode)108)Figure22.Destinationsofradio-taggedfishreleasedintheLowerRiver(leftpanels)oratCurry0(rightpanels),byspecies109)Figure23.Relativefrequenciesoftributaryusebyradio-taggedfishreleasedintheLowerRiver110oFigure24.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012111Figure25.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedchumJsalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012112Ofigure26.PotentialmainsternspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedcohoQsalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesameomainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012113oFigure27.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedpink___salmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012114Figure28.PotentialinainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-tagged0ChinooksalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesameOmainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012115Ofigure29.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedchumQsalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesameomainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012116oFigure30.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedcohosalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesame]mainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012117Figure31.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedpink)salmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesame)mainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012118Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageviiFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONfigure32.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-tagged0sockeyesalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesameCmainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012119(figure33.Relativefiequenciesoftributaryusebyradio-taggedfishreleasedatCuny120(figure34.RuntimingintheMiddleRiver,byspecies121Cfigure35.Stock-specificruntimingintheMiddleRiver,byspecies122Cfigure36.Timingoffishwheelandfixed-stationreceiverpassageintheMiddleRiver,by(species123CFigure37.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedfishinfourmajorriverreaches,byspecies.1240figure38.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedforChinooksalmon,byriverreach1240figure39.MiddleRiver(downstreamofDevilsCanyon)travelspeedsforChinooksalmonthat0weredetectedatDevilStation,byfirst-detectiondate125C)figure40.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedfishinthe‘GatewaytoIndian’riverreach,for0PortageCreekandIndianRiverstocks,byspecies126()figure41.DailynumbersoffishthatapproachedandpassedeachofthethreeMiddleRiver0impediments127Qfigure42.Dailynumberofradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatheldorpassedImpediment3..128(Figure43.PotentialmainsternspawninglocationsandreddsitesforsockeyesalmonintheMiddleRiver129figure44.PotentialmainsternspawninglocationsandreddsitesforchumsalmonintheMiddleRiver130)00()0J)))00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageviiiFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONLISTOFPHOTOSPhoto1.FishwheelcomponentsbeingtakenoffarailcaratCurry,June4,2012132Photo2.Chinooksalmonbeingmeasuredforlengthwhileheldinawater-filledtroughatSite1,2012132Photo3.Aradio-taggedadultChinooksalmonjustpriortoreleasefromafishwheelatSite1,July16,2012133Photo4.Fixed-stationreceiversitenearChinookCreekontheSusitnaRiver,July19,2012..133Photo5.Helicopter(R44)setupforaerial-trackingsurveysconductedontheSusitnaRiverin2012134Photo6.Setupforboatsurveysusingsonartoassessspawningactivityinturbidwater,July28,)2012134Photo7.Aerialphotograph(downstreamview)oftheSusitnaRiveratCurryshowingthe)locationoftwofishwheelsites(RM119.4and120.6)usedin2012(phototaken:June19,2012)135)Photo8.Aerialphotograph(upstreamview)oftheSusitnaRivernearCurryshowingthelocationoftwofishwheelsites(RM119.4and120.6)usedin2012(phototaken:June19,2012)135Photo9.Fishwheel1operatingatSite1(RM120.6)ontherightbankoftheSusitnaRiver,June19,2012136Photo10.Fishwheel2operatingatSite2(4119.4)onthelefibankoftheSusitnaRiver,JulyD11,2012136OPhoto11.ChinooksalmoncarcassfoundalongthebankofPortageCreek,July30,2012137Photo12.Imageproducedfromtheside-scansonar(600kHz)takenwhilepointedupstreamatOthemouth0f4thofJulyCreek137OPhoto13.Pre-spawnsockeyesalmonholdinginSlough8A,August26,2012138Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PageixFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTIUzATI0NLISTOFAPPENDICESCAppendixA:RiverMileDesignationsTableA-i.Indexoflocationnamesandhistoricalrivermiledesignations2AppendixB:Fixed-receiverStationSetupandPerformance(TableB-I.NumberofradiotagsdeployedattheCurryfishwheelsonspecificradiofrequencies.C2TableB-2.Locationandantennaorientationoffixed-stationreceiversintheMiddleandUpperCSusitnaRiver,20122oTable3-3.Listofthemobile-trackingsurveysconductedin2012,bylocation,dateandvehicletype3figureB-i.Detectionactivityatfixed-stationreceivers,includingnumbersoffishdetections(blackline),beacon-taghits(blueline)andnoiseevents(redline),byday9C)AppendixC:FishwheelEffort,Catch,andTagsApplied()TableC-i.fishwheeleffortandspeedattheCunyfishwheels,201220TableC-2.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtoChinooksalmonattheCurryfishwheels,20123)TableC-3.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtosockeyesalmonattheCurry()fishwheels,20125TableC-4.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtopinksalmonattheCurryfishwheels,C)20127()TableC-5.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtochumsalmonattheCurryQfishwheels,20129QTableC-6.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtocohosalmonattheCurryfishwheels,02012ii()AppendixB:RadiotelemetryResultsTableD-i.SunmaryofradiotagrecoveryinformationforfishreleasedattheCurryfishwheels,20122TableD-2.SummaryofradiotagrecoveryinformationforfishreleasedattheLowerRiverfishwheels4AppendixE:TrackingHistoryofChinookSalmonAboveImpediment3.AppendixF:BaseMapandFigureMapReferencesSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PagexFebruary2013(I REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION0000003030))00aa00000a0000U0a0a0000LISTOFACRONYMSANDSCIENTIFICLABELSAbbreviationDefinitionADF&GAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGameAEAAlaskaEnergyAuthorityARDGAAquaticResourcesDataGapAnalysisATSAppliedTelemetrySystemsCCelsiuscfsCubicfeetpersecondcmCentimeterCPUECatchperuniteffortDIDSONDualFrequencyIdentificationSonarFFahrenheitFERCFederalEnergyRegulatoryCommissionFLNosetotailforklengthftFeet,footGISGeographicInformationSystemHSCHabitatSuitabilityCriteriaILPIntegratedLicensingProcessinInch1SFInstreamFlowlanKilometerktKnotsKSKolmogorov-SmimovmMeterMEFMideyetotailforklengthmiMileIvll{zMegahertzmmMillimeterNEPANationalEnvironmentalPolicyActNTUNephelometricTurbidityUnitPADPre-applicationDocumentRMRiverMilesSecondTBTerabyteUCIUpperCookInletUSGSUnitedStatesGeologicalSurveySusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PagexiFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNSUMMARYfivespeciesofPacificsalmon(Oncorhynchusspp.)wereradio-taggedandtrackedinthe(NmainstemSusitnaRiverin2012aspartofamulti-objectivestudytodescribesalmonmigrationbehavior,identifysalmonspawninglocations,andevaluatetechniquesforfuturestudiesofsalmoninturbidwater.ThestudywasconductedtosupportthelicensingprocessfortheproposedSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject(Project).Thestudydesignallowedfor(Ncomparisonstosalmondistributionandhabitatuseinthe198Os,whensimilarstudieswere(conductedfortheAlaskaPowerAuthorityHydroelectricProject.The2012studyfocusedonthemainstem$usitnaRiverduetopossibleeffectsbothaboveandbelowtheProjectdamsitewheretheriverwasseparatedintoLower(rivermile[RM]0—98),Middle(RM98—184),andUpperC(upstreamofRM184)Riversegments.()SpawningLocations0Radiotelemetrywasusedtoassignfinaldestinations(eitherthemainstemSusitnaRiver,orotributaries)for79—100percentofsalmontaggedbytheAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame(ADF&G)intheLowerRiver(nearRM22and30),dependingonspecies.Foreachspecies,mostfinaldestinationswereintributariesupstreamfromtheportionofthetributariespotentially()impactedbyProject-inducedchangestotheSusitnaRiverhydrology(81percentofChinook0.(Ntshrn4ytscha,71percentofchum0.keta,82percentofcoho0.idsutch,93percentofpink0.gorbuscha,and99percentofsockeyesalmon0.nerka).AnadditionaltwoChinooksalmon(<1Upercentofthosetagged)hadafinaldestinationinatributaryupstreamoftheproposedProject0damsite.Fewsalmonhadfinaldestinationsinmainstemhabitatsthatmightbesusceptibleto(Nfloweffectsresultingfromfuturehydropoweroperations(2percentofChinook,8percentofchum,6percentofcoho,3percentofpink,and1percentofsockeyesalmon).SpawningcouldnotbevisuallyverifiedinmainstemriverhabitatsintheLowerRiverduetohighwaterturbidity.0Finaldestinationscouldnotbedeterminedfortheremainingproportionsofeachspeciestagged(NintheLowerRiver.Radiotelemetrywasusedtoassignfinaldestinationsfor67—90percentofsalmontaggedinthe(NMiddleRiveratCuny(RM120),dependingonspecies.BelowtheProjectdamsite(RM184),mostfinaldestinationsoftaggedfishweredocumentedintributaries(80percentofChinook,63percentofchum,66percentofcoho,67percentofpink,and14percentofsockeyesalmon).An0additionalfourChinooksalmon(1.1percentofthosetagged)hadafinaldestinationinatributaryupstreamoftheproposedProjectdamsite.Relativelyfewfinaldestinationsformostsalmonspecieswereinmainstemriverhabitats,exceptforsockeye(9percentofChinook,20percentofchum,13percentofcoho,4percentofpink,and53percentofsockeyesalmon).SomelocationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiverhadclearenoughwatertovisuallyverifyspawningandgenerallysupportedlocationsidentifiedusingradiotelemetry.FinaldestinationscouldnotbedeterminedfortheremainingproportionsofeachspeciestaggedintheMiddleRiver.SalmonMigrationAboveDevilsCanyonChinooksalmonwastheonlyspeciesidentifiedmigratingupstreamofanyofthethreehigh-velocityimpedimentsinDevilsCanyon(RM150—161).Onetaggedsockeyesalmonandonetaggedchumsalmonapproachedthefarthestdownstreamimpediment(Impediment1),butdid(NCSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityCFERCProjectNo.14241PagexiiFebruary2013( REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONnotmigrateaboveit.Ofthe313viableChinooksalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,23(7-jpercent)migratedaboveImpediment1,20(6percent)aboveImpediment2,and10(3percent)0aboveImpediment3.Four(1percent)oftheseChinooksalmonhadfinaldestinationsupstreamoftheProjectdamsite.Ofthe442ChinooksalmontaggedintheLowerRiver,threemigratedoaboveImpediment1;ofthese,twomigratedaboveImpediment3.Ofall26radio-taggedChinooksalmon(LowerandMiddleRivertagging-sitescombined)that-migratedupstreamofImpediment1,seveneventuallymigratedbackdownstreamandwereassignedtofinaldestinationsdownstreamofthelowerendofDevilsCanyon.Chinooksalmon)migratedthroughtheDevilsCanyonimpedimentsbetweenJuly7—20.Averagedailydischarge)oftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136)rangedfrom17,300—31,100cubicfeetpersecond(cfs)whenChinooksalmonpassedImpediment1,17,300—21,300cfswhenfishpassedQImpediment2,and17,300—19,000cfswhenfishpassedImpediment3.SalmonMigrationBehaviorRuntimingatCurrypeakedinearlyJulyforChinooksalmon,earlyAugustforchumandpink)salmon,mid-Julythroughmid-Augustforsockeyesalmon,andmid-Augustforcohosalmon.Theseresultsweresimilartothoseobtainedacrossfiveseasonsintheearly1980s;however,theChinooksalmonrunatCurrywaslaterelativetothreeofthefiveyearsinthel980s(1981,1983,and1984)andmostsimilartothe1982run.AveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136)approachedthe52-yearhigh(1950-2011)inJune2012andmayhaveC)delayedtheChinooksalmonruntimingatCurry.Approximately10percentofradio-taggedsalmonintheMiddleRiverexhibitedroamingbehavior,ascendingintotheMiddleRivertemporarilybeforemovingdownstreamofCurry.ThispatternofupstreammigrationfollowedbydownstreammovementtospawningdestinationsdidnotappeartobeanimmediatedropbackeffectfromtaggingbecauseitwasalsoexhibitedbyfishtaggedmanymilesdownstreamintheLowerRiver.OfthesalmontaggedatRM22or30intheLowerRiver,69(allspeciescombined)ascendedashighasLaneCreek(RM114)intheMiddleRiver,adistanceof83to91rivermiles.Ofthese,14(20percent)migratedbackdownstreamandwereultimatelyassignedtoareasintheLowerRiver(ChulitnaRiver,TailceetnaRiver,andMontanaCreek).OfthesalmontaggedsevenmilesupstreamofLaneCreekatCurry(RM120),902wereassignedfinaldestinations(allspeciescombined)and93(10percent)oftheseshowedthatfishmigratedbackdownstreamandwereultimatelyassignedtoareasdownstreamofCurry(e.g.,LaneCreek,ChulitnaRiver,TailceetnaRiver,WhiskersCreek,MontanaCreek,andDeshkaRiver).AllspeciesofsalmonshowedsomelevelofroamingbehaviorintheMiddleRiver(belowImpediment1)thatdidnotappearassociatedwithtimeordistancesincetagging.RoamingbehaviorwasalsoseeninChinooksalmonthatmigratedaboveDevilsCanyon.Forexample,4of12(33percent)ChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment3eventuallyenteredatributarydownstreamofDevilsCanyon.CurrentandHistoricalDistributionandHabitatUseIn2012,sockeyesalmonwerevisuallyconfirmedspawninginfivesloughsorsidechannels(SloughorSideChannel21andsloughs19,11,9,8A).Chumsalmonwerevisuallyconfirmedspawninginsixsloughsorsidechannels(SloughorSideChannel21andsloughs11,9A,9,8A,and4thofJuly)andtwotributarydeltas(IndianRiverand4thofJulyCreek)inthemainstemofSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PagexiiiFebruary2013 UREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION()C)theMiddleRiver.Eachofthesespeciesandlocationswasalsodocumentedinthe1980s.SeveralLowerandMiddleRiverspawninglocationsdocumentedinthe1980swerenotvisuallyconfirmedin2012,inpartbecauseofanabsenceofradio-taggedfishinthoseareasorhighwaterCturbidity.Surveysinthe19$Osdocumentedchumsalmonspawninginmultipletributarymouths(andin6to12othermainstemlocationsintheLowerRiver.Cohosalmonwerealsodocumented(spawninginmainsternhabitats,atthreesitesintheLowerRiverandfoursitesintheMiddleRiver.NomainstemriverspawninglocationswereidentifiedforChinooksalmoninthe1980s.In2012,radiotelemetrywasusedtoidentifypotentialmainstemspawningintheLowerandC)MiddleRiversegmentsbyChinook,coho,andpinksalmon,butthiscouldnotbevisually0verifiedduetohighwaterturbidity.MainstemspawningbysockeyesalmonwasdocumentedonlyintheMiddleRiverinboththel980sandin2012.Inbothtimeperiods,asubstantialportionofspawninginsloughs(20—92percent)occurredinthesamethreesloughs.Sonarhad0limitedefficacyforverifyingspawningactivityinturbidwaterin2012.C)EffectivenessofMethodsUsedin2012andRecommendationsfor(2013—2014CCfishwheelswereusedsuccessfullyforcapturingsalmonnearCurryanddescribingspecies-specificruntiming.Radiotelemetrywassuitablefortrackingtaggedsalmon,assigningfinaldestinations,identifyinglikelyspawninglocations,andguidingfieldcrewstopotentialspawninglocationsinseason.Radiotelemetrywasalsoeffectivefordescribingfishmovementbehavior,()includingpassagethroughDevilsCanyon,andwhatappearedtoberoamingbyindividualfish.Confirmingspawningactivityvisuallyorwithsonarwasdifficultduetohighwaterturbidityandvelocity,respectively.Toofewtagswererecoveredfromliveanddeadfishonthespawninggroundstothoroughlyassesshowfishwheelcatchrepresentedthemigratingfishpopulations.)Thefollowingaspectsofthe2013—2014study,asindicatedintheRevisedStudyPlan(RSP),)werebasedontheimplementationofthe2012study.TheRSPincludesthe2012study0objectivestoimprovedataqualityandquantity,andtoincreasecapturevariationacrossyears,environmentalconditions,andsalmonrunabundance.TaggingeffortswillcontinueforallspeciesintheMiddleRiver,andforChinook,coho,andpinksalmonintheLowerRiver.TheadditionofathirdtagginglocationjustdownstreamofDevilsCanyonwillbeassessedin20130asameanstoincreasethesamplesizeoftaggedfishmigratingintoDevilsCanyonandabovetheC)impediments.ThenumberofChinookandcohosalmonmigratingthroughtheLowerRiverwillbeestimatedusingmark-recapturemethods;thiswillrequiretaggingsalmonintheLowerRiverfishwheels,thenrecapturingsalmoninvariousdrainagesandlocationsupstream.Inaddition,wewillexaminethepotentialtoestablishamarkratefromChinooksalmontaggedatCurrythatcouldbeusedtoestimatetheabundanceofChinooksalmonpassingCurry(andaboveDevilsCanyon).Visualverificationofspawningwillbecontinuedduringperiodsoflowwatervolumeorturbidity.Non-visualverificationmethods(e.g.,sonar)willalsobeemployedagainin2013.0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241PagexivFebruary2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION1.INTRODUCTIONTheAlaskaEnergyAuthority(AEA)ispreparingaLicenseApplicationtosubmittotheFederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission(FERC)forthe$usitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject(Project)usingtheIntegratedLicensingProcess(ILP).TheProjectislocatedontheSusitnaRiver,anapproximately300-mile(mi)longriverinthe$outhcentralRegionofAlaska(figure1).TheProject’sdamsitewillbelocatedatrivermile(RM)184(seeTableA-iforalistofrivermiledesignations).TheresultsofthisstudywillprovideinformationthatwillserveasthebasisfortheRevisedStudyPlan(RSP)filedwithFERCDecember14,2012,inpreparingExhibitEofthelicenseapplication(18CfR4.41)andforuseinFERC’sNationalEnvironmentalPolicyAct(NEPA)analysisfortheProjectlicense.ConstructionandoperationoftheProjectasdescribedinthePre-applicationDocument(PAD;AEA201la)willmodifytheflow,thermal,andsedimentregimesoftheSusitnaRiver,whichmayalterthecompositionanddistributionoffishhabitat.Severalfisheriesstudyplanswereinitiatedduring2012todescribefisheriesresourcesintheProjectarea,priortodevelopmentoftheRSP,includingtheAdultSalmonDistributionandHabitatUtilizationStudy.ThisstudyisthefirstofthreeyearsofstudydesignedtohelpevaluatepotentialProject-relatedeffectstofishhabitatbycharacterizingadultsalmon(Oncorhynchusspp.)habitatuseintheSusitnaRiver.ThestudyplanoutliningtheproposedmethodswaspublishedontheAEAwebsite(AEA2012a;http:llwww.susitna-watanahydro.org).Proposedmethodsforthe2013and2014studyyearswereoutlinedinSection9.7(SalmonEscapementStudy)oftheRSP(AEA2012c).Thisreportdocumentsthefinalresultsfromthefirstyearofthestudyin2012.Earlier,aninterimreportwassubmittedtolicenseparticipantstoprovideanupdateontheprogressofthe2012studypriortoitscompletion,identifyanyissuesorobstaclesthatoccurred,andallowforfurtherrefinementoftheRSP(AEA2012b).ThefinalreportprovidedheresupersedestheinterimreportfromSeptember2012.ThisreportdescribesthemigrationbehaviorandspawninghabitatuseofsalmonintheLower(RM0—98),Middle(RM98—184),andUpper(upstreamofRM184)RiversegmentsofthemainstemSusitnaRiver(hereafter,LowerRiver,MiddleRiver,andUpperRiver),whileevaluatingapproachessuchassonarandradiotelemetryforfutureuseontheProject.Theworkin2012followeduponanextensiveseriesofsalmondistributionandspawningstudiesfromthe1980s,therebyprovidinganassessmentofsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthe1980sand2012.TheAquaticResourcesDataGapAnalysis(ARDGA;AEA201ib)andPAD(AEA2011a)summarizedexistinginformationandidentifieddatagapsforadultsalmonandresidentandrearingfish.AdultsalmonhabitatutilizationstudiesconductedbyADF&Gduringthe19$OsweresummarizedbyWoodward-ClydeConsultantsandEntrix,Inc.(1985).Inrecentyears,ADf&Gconductedadultsalmon(sockeye,chum,andcoho)spawningdistributionandabundancestudiesintheSusitnaRiver(e.g.,Merizonetal.2010;Yanuszetal.2011).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page1February2013 ()REPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION2.STUDYOBJECTIVESThegoalsofAdultSalmonDistributionandHabitatUtilizationStudyin2012wereto:1.Characterizethedistribution,migrationbehavior,andproportionalabundanceofadultanadromoussalmonanddeterminetheiruseofmainstem,sidechannel,andsloughhabitatsintheLower,Middle,andUpperRiverin2012.2.DeterminewhetherhistoricalstudyresultsandconclusionsareconsistentwiththecurrentdistributionandrelativeabundanceofspawningadultsalmoninthemainstemSusitnaRiver.3.Providespawninghabitatdatatosupporttheselectionofsitesfortheinstreamflow(1Sf)study,developsite-specifichabitatsuitabilitycriteria(HSC),anddevelopahabitatsamplingprotocolfor2013—2014.4.Developinformationtorefinethescope,methods,andstudysitesforstudyinghabitatusebyadultsalmonduringthefollow-on2013—2014studies.Toachievethesegoals,wedevelopedsevenspecificobjectivesforthe2012study:01.Capture,radio-tag,andtrackadultsfromfivespeciesofPacificsalmonintheMiddle0Riverinproportiontotheirabundance.C)2.Determinethemigrationbehaviorandspawninglocationsofradio-taggedsalmonintheC)Lower,Middle,andUpperRiver.3.Assessthefeasibilityofusingsonartodeterminespawninglocationsinturbidwater.4.CharacterizesalmonmigrationbehaviorandtimingaboveDevilsCanyon.05.Comparehistoricalandcurrentdataonrelativeabundanceanddistributionofspawning()andholdingsalmonacrossmainstem,side-channel,slough,andtributarydeltahabitattypes.6.Locateindividualholdingandspawningsalmoninclearandturbidwaterandcollect0habitatdatafromholdingandspawningsalmonintheLowerandMiddleRivermainstemC)consistentwithdevelopinghabitatsuitabilitycriteriaforinstreamflowmodeling.7.Evaluatetheeffectivenessofmethodsusedin2012toaddressstudygoalsandobjectives,andassesstheirsuitabilityforfutureyears’studies.Thisstudywascoordinatedwithbasin-wideradiotelemetrystudiesconductedbytheAlaskaDepartmentoffishandGame(ADf&G).ThegoalsoftheADF&Gstudiesweretocharacterize0thetiminganddistributionofthe2012salmonescapementtotheSusitnaRiveramongmajorandminortributaries,andtoestimatethesystem-wideescapementofchum0.ketaandcoho0.)kisutchsalmonaboveRIvI22.In2012,AEAsupportedanadditionalradiotelemetrycomponentbyADf&GtodescribethedistributionofadultChinook0.tshawytschaandpink0.gorbuschasalmoninmainstemandtributaryhabitats.The2012AEA-supportedADf&GstudyalsoC)examinedthefeasibilityofestimatingthesystem-wideescapementofChinooksalmontotheC)SusitnaRiver.In2012,ADf&Ganticipatedradio-tagging500Chinook,400churn,400coho,400pink,and100sockeyesalmonatcapturesitesatRM22and30,combined.Anarrayoffixed-stationreceiverslocatedatmainstemsitesandtributarymouthswascombinedwithfixed-C)wingaerialsurveystoapportiontheradio-taggedfishtovariouswaterbodies.Radio-taggedfishC)weretrackedtothenearestrivermileandatintervalsofapproximatelyfourteendays.0ThisstudydifferedfromADf&G’songoingstudiesinthatspatialdatawascollectedfromradio-Ctaggedfishonfinerspatialandtemporalscale;theobjectivewastoobtainlocationsofspawningSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page2February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONandholdingsalmonatthemacro-andmicrohabitatlevels.ThiscontrastedwiththetributaryapportionmentandthenearestrivermilespatialresolutionoftheADF&Gstudies.ThisstudyexpandedontheADF&GeffortbymorefrequenttrackingofbothAEAandADF&Gradio-taggedfishintheLower,Middle,andUpperRiver.Thisstudyalsousedhelicoptersurveystolocatetaggedfish,andthenboatandfootsurveystodeterminemorepreciselocationsofthosefishthatwereholdingand/orspawning.3.STUDYAREAC)TheSusitnaRiverisoneofthelargestriversinAlaskadraininganareaof49,210squarekilometers(19,000squaremiles).TheriverbeginsintheAlaskaRangeandTailceetna)MountainsandflowsintoUpperCookInlet(UCI)inSouthcentralAlaska(Figure1).Theclimatewithinthewatershedvariesfrommaritime,coastalconditionsinthelowerwatershedtoweathertypicalofinteriorAlaskaintheupperwatershed.ClimateconditionsatTailceetna,)Alaska(RM97)havebeenrecordedsince1918.From1918through2007,meanmonthly3minimumandmaximumairtemperaturesforthesummermonths(June—August)inTailceetna—rangedfrom6.7°Celsius(C)to20.3°C(44.l°Fahrenheit[F]to68.5°F;ACRC2012).PrecipitationtypicallypeakedinAugustat12.27centimeters(cm;4.83inches[in])fortheC)month.MeanmonthlyminimumandmaximumairtemperaturesarecoldestinJanuaryrangingC)from-17.3°Cto-12.1°C(0.9°Fto10.2°F;ACRC2012).TheSusitnaRiverfreezesinOctoberthoughpaniceisobservedinlateSeptember.Thoughmostoftheriverisfrozeninwinter,upwellingcancausesomeopensectionsofwater.Break-upoftherivertypicallyoccursinlateDApriltomid-May.Springmeltingofsnowfall(freshet)causestheriverdischargetopeakfromC)mid-Maytomid-June,dependentuponsnowlevels.DischargedatausedtoevaluatesalmonC)migrationatdifferentwaterlevelswereobtainedfromthegagingstationsatGoldCreek(RM136),operatedbytheUnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey(USGS)viatheNationalWaterInformationSystemwebsite(http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis).ThisstationhasaperiodofC)recordfrom1949to2012.WatertemperatureswerealsocollectedbythefishwheelcrewatOCurry(RM120)in2012,usingahandheldthermometer.OAsindicatedinthestudyplanforthisstudy,theSusitnaRiverwasinitiallydividedintothreeosections:theUpperRiver(aboveRM150),theMiddleRiver(RM98—150),andtheLowerRiver(RM0—98).However,duringsubsequentagencyconsultationandRSPdevelopment,astandardProject-widedelineationofriversegmentswasdesignatedasfollows:0•UpperRiverSegment—abovetheproposeddamsite(RM184).O•MiddleRiverSegment—ThreeRiversConfluence(RM98)totheproposeddamsite()(RM184).•LowerRiverSegment—CookInlet(RM0)totheThreeRiversConfluence(RM98).TheanalysisinthisreportfollowsthestandardProject-wideSusitnaRiversegmentdesignations.ThestudyareaforthisprojectencompassestheSusitnaRivermainstemfromCookInlet(RM0)totheOshetnaRiver(RM234).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page3February2013 ()REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONC)3.1.UpperSusitnaRiverTheUpperRiverSegmentisthestretchofriverabovetheproposeddamsiteatKIvI184(Figure02).Theheadwatersandtributariesarebraided,fedbyglaciersonthesouthslopesoftheAlaska(Range(Gattoetal.1980).TheUpperRiverisjoinedbytheMcLarenRiver(RM260),theTyoneRiverdrainingLakeLouiseandSusitnaLake(RM247),andtheOshetnaRiver(RM233).AftertheOshetnaRiver,theriverturnsnorthwestandismostlyconstrainedfortheremainderoftheUpperRiverandpassesthroughtwomajorcanyonswithrapids:VeeCanyonandWatanaCanyon.Elwoodetal.(1984)reportthattherivergradientintheUpperRiveris14feetpermile(ft/mi;4metersperkilometer[m!km]).C)3.2.MiddleSusitnaRiver0TheMiddleRiverSegmentisdefinedastheSusitnaRiverfromtheconfluenceoftheChulitna,Talkeetna,andSusitnarivers,referredtoastheThreeRiversConfluence(KIvI98),totheproposeddamsiteatRM184(Figure2).Theupperportionofthissegmentismostly0constrainedandpassesthroughasignificantcanyonwithrapids:DevilsCanyon.SeveralC)tributariesentertheMiddleRiverSegmentbetweenthecanyonandthedamsiteincluding:Tsusena(RM181),Fog(RM177),andDevil(RM161)creeks.WithinDevilsCanyonthechannelconstrictsformingthreeimpedimentsthatmayblockorimpedefishpassage(KM150—0161):Impediment1isthefarthestdownstream,Impediment3isthefarthestupstream.TwoC)tributariesentertheMiddleRiverSegmentinthecanyon;CheechakoCreekentersbetweenImpediment1andImpediment2atRM152,themouthofChinookCreekisbetweenImpediment2andImpediment3atRM157.Sectionsoftheriverwithinthecanyoncanhavea0steepgradient,upto31ft/mifromImpediment1(RM152)toDevilCreek(RM161;Elwoodet()al.1984).Sectionsoftheriverwithinthecanyonscanhaveasteepgradient,upto31feetpermile(ft/mi)(9.5metersperkilometer[m/km]);Elwoodetal.1984).BelowDevilsCanyon,theriverbecomeslessconfined;inlocationswherethevalleywidens,siltandgraveldepositionsallowfortheformationofsloughsandsidechannels(Elwoodetal.1984).Themajortributaries0inthissectionofriverarenon-glaciatedstreamsenteringfromthenorthincludingPortageC)Creek,IndianRiver,and4thofJulyCreek(Figure2).TherearenomajorlakesdrainingintotheMiddleRiverdownstreamofFogCreek.3.3.LowerSusitnaRiver)TheLowerRiverSegmentisthestretchofriverbelowtheconfluencesoftheChulitnaandTalkeetnariverswiththeSusitnaRiver(KM98;Figure1).TheChulitnaRivercontributesagreatersiltloadtotheLowerSusitnaRiverbecauseitisfedbymanyglaciersincludingthoseonMtDenali,MtForaker,andMtHunter.ImmediatelydownstreamofthemouthoftheChulitnaRiver,theTailceetnaRiverflowsintotheSusitnaRiverfromthewest(RM97).TheLowerRiverfloodplainisbroadandbraidedwithnumeroussidechannelsandgravelbars.SeveraltributariesentertheLowerRiver,includingtheKashwitnaRiver(RM61),WillowCreek(RM50),DeshkaRiver(RM41),andtheYentnaRiver(KM30;whichalonecontributesabout40percentofmeanannualtotaldischargeoftheentireSusitnaRiverdrainage).ThemouthoftheSusitnaRiverisapproximately38km(24mi)northwestofAnchorage,Alaska(Figure1).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page4February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION3.4.FishesoftheSusitnaRiverTheLowerandMiddleRiverbelowDevilsCanyonprovidehabitatforChinook,chum,coho,pink,andsockeyesalmon;combined,thesespeciesareimportantforsubsistence,commercial,andsportfisheries,eitherwithintheSusitnaRiverdrainageordownstreaminUpperCookInlet(Iveyetal.2009;ShieldsandDupuis2012).Preliminarystudiesinthe1980sdocumentedrelativeabundanceandhabitatusagebyspeciesforsalmonintheLowerandMiddleRiver,findingnoevidencethatChinooksalmonspawnoutsideofthetributaries(Barrettetal.1984,1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Mainstemhabitats(e.g.,sidechannelsandsloughs)provideimportantspawninghabitatsforothersalmonspeciesandrearinghabitatforjuveniles.Afteremergence,juvenileChinook,coho,andsomesockeyesalmonrearintheSusitnaRiverdrainageandoutmigrateasage1+or2+smolts.Chum,pink,andsomesockeyesalmonleavetheSusitnaRiverwithinseveralmonthsafteremergence(age0+).0ChinooksalmonaretheonlyanadromousspeciesdocumentedwithinandaboveDevilsCanyon.)Aerialcountsconducted1982-1985and2012foundChinooksalmonadultseachyearinbothCheechakoandChinookcreeks,whicharebelowImpediment3inDevilsCanyon.AboveImpediment3,ChinooksalmonhavebeenperiodicallydocumentedinDevil,FogandTsusenacreeks.Thoughstudiesinthe1980sdidnotfindsalmonintheUpperRiverSegment,recentQsurveysdocumentedjuvenileChinooksalmonrearinginKosinaCreekandtheOshetnaRiver(Buckwalter2011).Aerialsalmoncountsconductedin2012intheUpperRivertributariesdocumentedadultChinooksalmonspawninginKosinaCreek.InadditiontoPacificsalmon,atleast13anadromousandresidentfishesarealsopresentwithintheSusitnaRiverdrainage(CoutantandVanWinkle1984).ResidentfishspeciesandjuvenileCanadromousfishesarefoundinhigherdensitiesinclearwaterbecausethehighsedimentloadinQthemainstemriverimpairsfeeding(Schmidtetal.1984).Northernpike(Esoxlucius)areanon-indigenousspeciestotheSusitnaRiverandwerelikelyintroducedtothedrainageinthe1950s(Rutz1996).NorthernpikearemostoftenfoundinlakesandsloughsofthetributariesthatdrainOintotheLowerRiver.4.METHODSManyofthestudyobjectiveswereinterrelatedandsharedacommonapproachormethod.Severalobjectives,forexample,reliedondatafromfishoriginallycapturedandtaggedintwoareasofthedrainage.Sonarwasusedtoachievesomeobjectives,andtoevaluatetheeffectivenessofthefishcaptureeffortselsewhere.Habitatwassampledaspartofother,distinctlydifferent,objectives.Table1presentsanoverviewoftheapproachesandtheirvariouspurposes;thisoverviewissummarizedbelow,withmoredetaileddescriptionsofthefullmethodsusedtoachieveeachobjectivefollowing.SalmonwerecapturedandtaggedintheLowerRiver,neartheconfluencewiththeYentnaRiver.ThesesalmonwerecapturedinfishwheelsoperatedatRIvI22andRM30byADF&G(Yanuszetal.2013).Asubsetofthesalmonwastaggedwithradiotags;thesesalmonwerethentrackedbyADF&GtogenerateinformationforboththisstudyandongoingADF&Gresearch(Yanuszetal.2013).ThefishtaggedbyADF&GattheseLowerRiversiteswerealsotrackedaspartofthisstudyintheLower,Middle,andUpperRiversegments.TaggedsalmonwereusedSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page5February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONtoidentifyspawninglocationsinthemainstemriver(Objective2),toaddtothesamplesizeoffishpotentiallymigratingaboveDevilsCanyon(Objective4),andtoincreasethesamplesizesofspawninglocationstoclassifyandcharacterize(Objectives5and6;Table1).Geographicspawninglocationsidentifiedusingradiotelemetryweretermeddestinations.Destinationswereclassifiedintooneofthreegroups:tributary,mainstem,orother.fishcaptureandtaggingintheLowerRiverisdescribedinSection4.3.1below,andinYanuszetal.(2013).ThesecondsiteusedforsalmoncaptureandtaggingwasintheMiddleRiver,nearthehistoricsiteofCurry.Here,salmonwerecapturedintwoflshwheelsnearRIvI120.Asubsetofthesesalmonwastaggedwithradiotagsandthentrackedtogenerateinformationspecificallyforthisstudy.ThetagswereusedtotrackfishintheMiddleRiver(Objective1),todescribemigrationbehaviorandspawninglocationsinthemainstemriver(Objective2),todetectfishpassageaboveDevilsCanyon(Objective4),andtohelpidentifyandcharacterizesalmonspawninglocations(Objectives5and6;Table1).Radio-taggedfishweretrackedfromaircraft,fromboats,onfootfromthestreambank,andfromfixed-stationreceiversalongtheriver;fulldetailsaredescribedinSection4.2,below.()Anoverallgoalofthestudyin2012wastoidentifyandcharacterizespawninghabitatforeach0salmonspecies.Thisentailedclassifyingthetypeofhabitatused,andcollectingdataneededtodevelopHSCandinforminstreamflowmodelsbeingdevelopedbyABA.SincethemainstemSusitnaRiveristurbid,sonarwasusedtoverifyspawningactivityandtohelpcharacterize0spawninghabitatthatwasnotvisibleorwasotherwiseunabletobesampled.Sonarwasalso()usedtoevaluatethebehavioroffishswimmingpasttheflshwheelsinturbidwateratCurry.The0assessmentofsonarasastudytoolinfutureyearsisdirectlyaddressedasObjective3ofthisstudy(Table1).Datafromotherstudieswerealsousedtoinformimplementationofthisstudy.ADF&G’scaptureandtaggingintheLowerRiver(describedinSection4.3)wasonesuchstudy.OtherswereaveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136)from1949to2012(U.S.GeologicalSurveyviatheNationalWaterInformationSystemwebsite[http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis]);aerialsurveysofuntaggedsalmonconductedbyADF&Gforfisherymanagement(S.Ivey,ADF&GFisheriesBiologist,personalcommunication,July25,2012),andbyABAtodocumentadultChinooksalmonaboveDevilsCanyon.4.1.DeviationsfromStudyPlanStudyobjectivesandmethodsweredescribedindetailinthe2012StudyPlan(ABA2012a).Notableaspectsofthe2012fieldprogramthatdeviatedfromthestudyplanarelistedbelowand(furtherdescribedinthefollowingsections.)0)J00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page6February201300 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION•Spaghettitagswerenotplacedinsalmonradio-taggedatCurry(Section4.2.2.1).•FishscalesandDNAwerenotcollectedfromsalmonatCurry(Section4.2.2.1).•DualFrequencyIdentificationSonar(DIDSON)wasnotmountedontheoffshorecorneroffishwheelsatCurryandwasonlyusedatoneofthetwofishwheelsites(Section4.2.3.1.1).•Chinook,chum,andsockeyesalmonwerenotsampledinclear-watersidechannels,sloughs,ortributariestoassessmarkratesorsizeselectivity(Section4.2.3.7.1).•OneDIDSON/side-scansurvey,insteadofthree,wasconductedfromearlyAugustthroughSeptember(Section4.4.1).4.2.ObjectiveI—Capture,TagandTrackFishintheMiddleSusitnaRiverFishwerecapturedandtaggedinthelowerportionoftheMiddleRiveratCurry(RM120)toprovidethetaggedsalmonneededtoaddressmanystudyobjectives.SalmontaggedatCurryweretrackedtogenerateinformationsuchasmigrationbehaviorandspawninglocations(Objective2,describedinSection4.3)andpassagethroughDevilsCanyon(Objective4,describedinSection4.5).TaggingatCurrymirroredsimilareffortsdownstreamintheLowerRiver(RM22and30),therebyhavingalargesampleofupstream-movingsalmontaggedatthelowerportionofeachriversegment.DatafromthesalmontaggedintheLowerandMiddleRiverwerecombinedtoaugmenttheindividualdatasets.Thecapture,tag,andtrackingoperationintheMiddleRiverisdescribedinthefollowingsections.FortheLowerRiver,thestudyoperationissummarizedinSection4.3.1,below,anddescribedinfulldetailbyYanuszetal.(2013).4.2.1.FishCaptureatCurry—DesignandOperationFishwerecapturedusingthreefishwheels(fishwheels1,2,and3)operatedattwodifferentsites(sites1and2)onthemainstemSusitnaRivernearCurry,Alaska(Figure2;Figure3).Site1(RM120)waslocatedontherightbankoftheSusitnaRiverapproximately0.4milesdownstreamfromthemouthofDeadhorseCreek.Site2(RM119)waslocatedontheleftbankoftheSusitnaRiverapproximately1miledownstreamofSite1.Fishwheels1and3operatedatSite1(oneatatime),andFishwheel2operatedatSite2.AllfishwheelcomponentsweredeliveredtoCurrybytrainonJune4andthefishwheelswereassembledonsite(Photo1).Eachfishwheelconsistedoftwoaluminumpontoons(24feet[ft]longby30inwideby15indeep),twopartiallysubmergedlivetanksforholdingfishinriverwater(7ftlongby24inwideby46indeep),andthreebasketsbuiltfrom1.5-inaluminumtubingandlinedwith2.5-inknotlessnylonmesh.Atowerandwinchassemblywasusedtoadjusttheheightoftheaxlesandensurethebasketswerefishedwithin1ftoftheriverbottom.Allfishwheelbasketswere8ftwide,buttheirlengthsvaried:$8inforFishwheel1,76inforFishwheel2,and72inforFishwheel3(Figure2;Figure3).Typically,theaxlewasapproximately15inabovethewaterline,somaximumfishingdepthswere79in,61in,and57in,forfishwheels1,2,and3,respectively.Thebottomofeachlivetankhadtwopanelsofextrudedaluminummesh(21inby13ineach)toallowforamplewatercirculation.Thefishwheelsweresecuredalongtheriverbankusingwirerope(5/16in)andPolysteelrope(5/8in)attachedtolargetreesandsteelanchorpinssunkintobedrockorrip-rap.Sparpoles(2-insquareSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page7February2013 C’REPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTI0NANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTelespar)wereusedtoholdthefishwheelsoffshoreinwaterdeepenoughtoallowthebasketstorotateeffectively.Leadnetsweredeployedatbothsitesbetweenthefshwheelsandadjacentriverbankstodirectfishawayfromshoreandintothepathofthebaskets.Forsafetyreasons,allfishweresampledduringdaylighthours(encompassingthetimes0604—0045hoursovertheseason)andaminimumoftwopeoplewerepresentoneachfishwheel.Ifthecrewswerenotontheriver,theflshwheelbasketswerestopped.Allfishweresampledandreleasedimmediatelyafterbeingcapturedtominimizeholdingtimesinthelivetanks.Fishingeffortwascalculatedasthenumberofhoursthatafishwheeloperatedonagivencalendardayfrommidnighttomidnight.Catch-per-unit-effort(fish/hour)wascalculatedbydividingthenumberoffishcaughtonagivendaybythefishingeffort.Fishwheelspeed(RPM)wasdetenninedoneormoretimeseachdaybymeasuringthetimerequiredforthefishwheelbasketstocompletethreerevolutions.4.2.2.FishTaggingatCurryC’Onlyhealthyfishheldinthelivetanksfor30minutesthatmetorexceededaspecificlength()thresholdwereradio-tagged.Lengththresholdswere?500millimeters(mm;19.7in)mideyeto()tailfork(MEF)forChinooksalmon;400mm(15.7in)MEFforchum,coho,andsockeye0salmon;and330mm(13.0in)MEFforpinksalmon.fishmeasuringlessthanthesethresholdlengthswereeitherjacksorconsideredtoosmalltoaccommodatearadiotag.Adipnetlinedwithknotlessnylonmeshwasusedtotransferindividualfishfromthelivetanks(ordirectlyC)fromtheflshwheelslides)toawater-filled,foam-lined,V-shapedtrough(Photo2).CrewsC)recordedthelengthoftimethatindividualfishwereheldinalivetank(holdtime),aswellasthelengthoftimeittooktotransferafishfromalivetanktothesamplingtrough,applyatag,collectbiosamples,andrelease(processtime).Tominimizehandlingtimeandtagging-related)effectsonfishbehavior,anestheticwasnotused.Radiotagswereinsertedorallyintothe)stomachofthefishusingapieceofplastictubing(3/8indiameterby8inlong).Thewhipantennaoftheradiotagwasleftprotrudingfromthemouth(Photo3).Theoveralltaggingprocessanduseofgastrictagswasconventionalforsalmonradiotelemetrystudies,includingrecentonesontheSusitnaRiver(e.g.,Merizonetal.2010;Yanuszetal.2011).0Alltaggedsalmonweremeasuredforlengthtothenearest1centimeter(cm;0.39in)andsexed0usingexternalmorphologicalcharacteristics(coloration,bodyandfinshape,andjaw()morphology).BothMEFandnosetotailfork(FL)lengthswererecordedforeachtaggedfishuntilareliablelinearregressionrelationshipwasestablished.Withtheexceptionofpinksalmon(whichareallage2spawners),scales(age)werecollectedopportunisticallyfromalltaggedfishthatremainedrelativelycalminthesamplingtrough.Scalesweretakenfromthepreferred)location,posteriortothedorsalfinandabovethelateralline.Allnon-targetfishspeciescapturedwerecountedandmeasuredtothenearest1cmFL(0.39in).AttherequestofADF&G’sGeneConservationLab,non-lethaltissuesamples(axillaryprocessorpelvicfinclip)forgeneticanalysisweretobecollectedfromallnon-targetspecies.DollyVardenSalvelinusmalma,humpbackwhitefishC’oregonuspidschian,leastciscoCsardinella,andBeringciscoC.iaurettaemeasuring?250mmFL(9.84in)weretobesacrificedfortheirotoliths(uptoamaximumof12individualsperspecies).Theinitialgoalofthisstudywastoradio-tag400Chinooksalmonand200eachofchum,coho,3pink,andsockeyesalmoncapturedattheCurryfishwheels.EarlyseasontaggingratesoffishSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page8February2013()0C) REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONcapturedatthefishwheelswasbasedontheaveragehistoricalruntimingattheCurryflshwheels(1981—1984forChinook;1981—1985forchum,coho,andsockeye;and1982and1984forpinksalmon;Figure4).Acrossthefiveyearsfrom1981to1985,ChinooksalmonwerecaughtatCurryfromasearlyasJune9(range:June9—20)toaslateasAugust20(range:July29toAugust20),withmidpointsrangingfromJune25toJuly9(ADF&G1981;Barrettetal.1983,1984,1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Duringthosestudies,catcheswere201—379(mean:301)sockeyesalmon,93—350(mean:215)cohosalmon,861—4,228(mean:2,131)chumsalmon,and17,394forthe1984even-yearpinksalmonrun.MidpointsofthemigrationsatCurryrangedfromaboutAugust4—5forsockeye,July31toAugust7forpink,August3—15forchum,andAugust12—13forcohosalmon.The2012tagdeploymentschedulewasadjustedin-seasonusingrun-timinginformationfromtheLowerRiverfishwheelsandtheratioofdailycatchesatCurrytotheexpectedcatchesbasedonhistoricaldata.4.2.2.7.DeviationsfromtheStudyPlan(Section4.1)0Everysecondradio-taggedfishwastoreceiveabluespaghettitagsewnthroughthedorsalmmusculature.Fishwithbothradioandspaghettitagswouldhelptoassesstagloss,theeffectsofspaghettitaggingonpost-handlingbehaviorandfinalspawningdestination,and,inthecaseof0Chinookandcohosalmon,provideanexternalmarkforanglerstorecognizethatafishhasaOradiotag.Inaddition,itwasanticipatedthatthefishwheelswouldcapturemorefishthantheonumberofradiotagsavailableforeachspecies.Oncetheradio-tagginggoalshadbeenmetforagivenday,asystematicportion(i.e.,oneoutofeverynfishcaught)oftheChinook,chum,and1%]sockeyesalmonweretoreceiveagreenspaghettitag(uptoanadditional400Chinook,700)chum,and400sockeyesalmon).Theseadditionaltaggedfishwouldhelptestassumptionsaboutotherepresentativenessofthefishcapturedtoreflectthespecies-specificMiddleRiverpopulations.However,throughanemergencyorder(EONo.2-KS-2-20-12)effectiveJune25,2012,ADF&GclosedthesportfisherytargetingChinooksalmonintheSusitnaRiverandallits0tributariesinanefforttomeetminimumspawninggoals.Itwasthereforeunlikelythatany0taggedChinooksalmonwouldberecovered.Asaresult,andinanefforttoreducetheprocessingtimeforeachfish,itwasdecidedafterthefirstfourdaysofsamplingthatnoadditionalspaghettitagswouldbedeployedforanyspecies.Consequently,welostonepotential0waytoestimatemarkrates(whichwasnotneededforanyprimaryobjective).OFishscaleswereonlycollectedopportunisticallyfromtaggedfishthatremainedrelativelycalmOinthesamplingtrough.Similartospaghetti-tagging,thecollectionofscalesceasedlessthana0weekintosamplinginordertominimizeprocessingtimesonallspecies.Forsimilarreasons,tissuesamples(DNA)werealsonotcollectedfromradio-taggedfishatCurry.Consequently,thisdelaystheeventualdevelopmentofgeneticbaselinesandparentagestudiesforsalmonintheMiddleandUpperRiver,whichwasalsonotaprimaryobjectiveofthisstudy.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page9February2013 (jREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION4.2.3.DiagnosticstoAssessEffectivenessandRepresentativenessofCatchandTagMethods04.2.3.1.UsingDIDSONtoAssessFishwheelEffectivenessADIDSONsonarsystemwasusedtoguidefishwheelplacement,characterizechangesinfishCbehavioraroundthefishwheelsovertime,andhelpdetectsubstantialchangesinfishwheeleffectivenessovertime.ThefollowingquestionswereaddressedusingDIDSON:1.Whatproportionofthesalmonthatmigratenearshoreandinthepathofthefishwheel(basketsaresubsequentlycaptured,anddoesthischangeovertimeandacrossdifferentwaterconditions?2.Dosalmonmigrateinhighervelocitywatersoffshoreofthefishwheelbaskets,orareCtheystrictlybank-oriented,anddoesthischangeovertimeandacrossdifferentwaterQconditions?3.Isthereasizedifferencebetweenfishcapturedatthefishwheelsandthosethatmigratenearshoreandoffshore?4.Whatisthedielpatternofsalmonmigrationpastthefishwheels?0OnestandardDIDSONunitwasdeployedatSite1justofftheshoredownstreamofthe0fishwheelandaimednearlyperpendiculartotheflow.Thisconfigurationallowedthelateral()distributionofChinooksalmontobeassessedastheyapproachedthefishwheelatSite1(Figureo2;Figure3).Thesamplingwindowlengthwasapproximately10m(33fi),whichincludedtheoffshoreportionofthenetweirandthewidthofthefishwheelcapturearea.Thedatacollectionsystemincludedthesonarhead,DIDSONcable,topsidecontrolbox,laptopcomputer,andQexternalharddrive.Theelectroniccomponentswerehousedinanenvironmentalboxonshoreandpoweredbyaportablegenerator.Datawerecollectedincontinuous(24hoursperday)successive15-minutefiles,andeachfilenameincludedthedate,time,anddeploymentlocation.Datawereporteddirectlytoa1terabyte(TB)externaldriveandperiodicallybackedupand0archivedtoadditionalharddrives.Datawerecollectedusingthehighestoptimalframerates.QDatareviewinvolvedreplayingthefilesthroughtheDIDSONsofiwaretoobservedetectedsalmontargets.Foreachtargetobserved,thefollowingwerenoted:deploymentlocation,date,time,firstandlastrangedetected,directionofmovement,andestimatedbodysize.Avoidance)ofthefishwheelwasassessedbycomparingtheestimatednumberoffishobservedusing)DIDSONwiththefishwheelcatch.4.2.3.1.1.DeviationsfromStudyPlan(Section4.1)AtCuny,theDIDSONwasnotmountedontheoffshorecornerofthefishwheels.Instead,theDIDSONwasinstalledjustoffshoreneartheriverbanktodeterminefishpassageinproximitytothefishwheelandhelpwithfishwheelplacement,asdescribedinSection4.2.3.1.Also,theDIDSONwasonlyoperatedatSite1in2012.FurthercharacterizationoffishpassageforeffectivefishwheelplacementwasdeemedunnecessaryfollowingtheseinitialDIDSONsurveys.CatchesatSite2werecomparabletoSite1,andatanacceptablelevel.4.2.3.2.TestsforHandling-InducedChangesinBehaviorOneassumptionofthisstudywasthatthecaptureandhandlingprocessdidnotaffectthefinal)spawningdestinationand/ormigrationbehaviorofafishonceitrecoveredfrombeingtagged0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page10February20130) REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONandresumeditsupstreammigration.Thisassumptioncouldnotbetesteddirectly,buttherewereseveralindirectwaystoassessitspotentialmagnitude.first,estimatingpost-releasesurvivalandtraveltime(days)tofirstdetectionatupstreamfixed-stationreceiverswouldhelpidentifyhandling-inducedchangesinbehavior.Longdelaystoresumeupstreammigrationandhighmortalityrateswouldbeindicativeofsignificantchangesinbehavior;littledelayandlowmortalityrateswouldbeindicativeoflittleeffect.Travelspeedsaftertaggingthroughriversegmentsboundedbythetelemetryarraywouldhelpquantifyanyevidenceofthis“sulking”behaviorbyfishaftertagging(e.g.,Yanuszetal.2011).Second,ifsufficientcontrastinhandlingtimeswasavailable,itwouldallowcomparisonofsurvivalandmigrationbehavior(delays,migrationrates)ofradio-taggedfishsubjectedtodifferenthold(inthelivetanks)andprocess(sampling)times.Finally,comparingpost-releasesurvivalandmigrationbehaviorofradio-taggedfishcapturedtwice(i.e.,recaptures)intheCurryfishwheelswouldhelpassessthepotentialforcumulativecaptureandhandlingeffects.4.2.3.3.TestsforEqualCaptureProbabilitiesatCurryMeetingseveralgoalsofthisstudyrequiredthattheradio-taggedfishofeachspecieswererepresentativeoftherespective“populations”intheMiddleRiver.Taggingparticularstocksand/orsizesoffishatdifferentratesthanotherswouldweakeninferencesabouthabitatusesoftheMiddleRiversuchastherelativedistributionofspawningfish,migratorybehavior,andanyfishpassageaboveDevilsCanyon.Therefore,therewasaneedtoexaminewhetherallfishpassingthetaggingsitewereequallyvulnerabletocapture.Iftheywerenot,therearewaystostratifythedatatomitigateoreliminateeffectsonresultsduetounequalcaptureprobabilities.Equalprobabilityofcapturecanbeevaluatedbytime,area(stock),andsize.4.2.3.4.CaptureProbabilitiesbyTimeOurintentwastotestwhetherallsalmon(byspecies)hadthesameprobabilityofbeingtagged,regardlessofwhentheypassedthetaggingsite,bycomparingweekly(orsomeothertemporalstratification)markratesoffishsampledonthespawninggroundsusingcontingencytableanalysis(Chi-squaretest).Significanttestresultswouldsuggestfishwerenotsampledproportionallyovertime.However,insufficientspawninggroundsamplesprecludedthesetests.AsdescribedinSection4.2.3.1,wealsocomparedtherelativeeffectivenessofthefishwheels,asdeterminedfromtheratiooffishcaughtbyafishwheelandthenumberoffishobservedwithDID$ONacrossdifferenttimeperiodsandriverdischarge.DIDSONwasalsousedtoqualitativelyassessfishapproachbehavioratthefishwheelrelativetodischargeandfishabundance.Toensurecompletecoverageoftheruns,sampling(marking)attheCurryfishwheelsbeganpriortosignificantpassageoffishandcontinuedthroughtherununtilpassagedroppedtonearzero.4.2.3.5.CaptureProbabilitiesbyArea(Stock)Ourintentwastotestwhetherallsalmon(byspecies)hadthesameprobabilityofbeingtagged,regardlessoftheirspawningdestination(stock),bycomparingthemarkratesoffishsampledindifferentspawningareasusingcontingencytableanalysis(Chi-squaretest).Significanttestresultswouldsuggestfishwerenotsampledproportionallyacrossstocks.ThisapproachisSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page11February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONo0bettersuitedforfishthatarereadilyaccessibleinclear-watertributariesandsidechannels,butnotforfishinmainstemareas.Again,insufficientspawninggroundsamplesprecludedthesetests.ItispossiblethatmainstemspawningpopulationscouldbemorevulnerabletocaptureinthefishwheelsduetohigherresidencetimeandmillingaroundCurry.Ifthisweretooccur,theradio-taggingwouldoverestimatethecontributionofmainstemfishandhabitatusebytheMiddleRiverpopulation.Toevaluatethispotentialsourceofbias,wecomparedtheproportionofradio-taggedfishthatwasrecapturedattheflshwheelsacrosssubsequentspawninglocations(mainstemvs.tributary).Toassesswhetherfishfromaparticularspawningareawererightorleftbank-orientedwithrespecttocaptureatCurry,weusedcontingencytableanalysestocomparetheproportionoffish0migratingintospecificareaswiththecollectionbankatCurry.4.2.3.6.CaptureProbabilitiesbyFishSizeFishwheelscanbesize-selectiveacrossarangeofadultPacificsalmonbodysizes(Meehan1961;ADF&G1983;LinkandNass1999;Smithetal.2005;Robichaudetal.2010).Thepotentialforsize-relatedbiasattheCurryflshwheelswastestedusingKolmogorov-$mirnov(KS)two-sampletests.Todetenninewhetherfishsizewasindependentofcapturelocation,cumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatSite1werecomparedtothoseoffishcaughtatSite2.Also,thecumulativelength-frequencydistributionsofradio-taggedfishwerecomparedtothoseofallfishcapturedatCurrytodeterminewhethertaggedfishwererepresentativeofallfishcaughtattheflshwheels.Size-relatedbiascanusuallybeeliminatedbysizestratificationofresults(LinkandNass1999;Smithetal.2005).4.2.3.7.StreamCountsandCarcassSurveysStreamcountsandcarcasssurveyswereconductedforliveanddeadChinooksalmoninIndianRiverandPortageCreektogeneratediagnosticsusefulforinterpretingfishwheelcatchesandanalyses.Thethreemainobjectivesofthesurveyswereto:(1.Assessflshwheelcatchratesbasedontheproportionoftaggedtountaggedfish(i.e.,Cmarkrate)observedonthespawninggrounds.C2.Assesssizeselectivityattheflshwheelsbycomparingthesizedistributionsoftaggedand(untaggedfish.3.Assesshandling-relatedeffectsonsurvivalbycomparingthemortalityratesoftaggedanduntaggedfish.Historicaldatasuggestupto90percentofthespawningChinooksalmonpopulationabovetheThreeRiversConfluencespawninPortageCreek(70percent)andIndianRiver(20percent;Thompsonetal.1986).TheproportionoftaggedtountaggedfishinthesetributariesshouldthereforeprovideareasonableestimateofthemarkrateforthepopulationofChinooksalmonintheMiddleandUpperRiver.Forground-basedsurveys,atwo-personfieldcrewwastransportedbyhelicoptertothetopofaparticularriversection,typicallyneartheupstreamextentofwherethebulkoftheradiotagsweredetectedonpreviousaerial-trackingsurveys.Asthecrewwalkeddownstream,they(countedthenumberofliveanddeadChinooksalmon.ThecrewestimatedtheirobservercSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page12February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONefficiencybasedontheenvironmentalconditions(e.g.,waterlevelandturbidity)andproportionofhabitatsurveyedwithineachriversection.Foreachcarcassencountered,crewsrecordedaGPSlocation,measuredthelength(FLandMEF),inspectedfortags,andcollectedtissueforDNAanalysis.Crewsalsousedmobilereceiversandhand-heldantennastorecoverradiotagsemittinginactivecodes(andthesewerere-deployedinfishattheCurryfishwheels).Onthesamedayofeachground-basedsurvey,anaerial-trackingsurveywasconductedtodeterminethenumberofactive(live)radiotagspresentinthesameriversection.Additionally,onJuly24,ADF&Gconducteditsannualaerial-countingsurveysforChinooksalmoninIndianRiverandPortageCreek.Anaerial-trackingsurveywasconductedonthesamedaytodeterminethenumberofradiotagspresentineachriver.4.2.3.7.7.DeviationsfromStudyPlan(Section4.1)Chinook,chum,andsockeyesalmonwerenotsampledinclear-watersidechannelsandsloughsbecauseconditionsduringthetargetsamplingperiodsprecludedvisualassessmentsinthemainstemriver.Tributariesthatwereclearweresurveyedformarkedfish,asdescribedinSection5.1.3.6,butyieldedonlycoarseinformation.Earlyintheseason,waterlevelswerenearrecordhighsandturbid,soverylittleclear-waterhabitatexistedinthemainstemriver.Thereafter,waterlevelsdroppedsofastandfarthatmuchsidechannelandsloughhabitatwasinaccessiblebyboat.Giventhatonlycoarseinformationcamefromsurveyingtributaries,whichwerelikelythesourceofgreatestsamplesizes,itisunlikelythatsidechannelsorsloughswouldhaveaddedmuchmark-rateinformation.4.2.4.TrackingofSalmontoDescribeDistributionandMigrationBehavior4.2.4.1.RadioTransmittersAppliedTelemetrySystems(ATS;Isanti,MN)pulse-coded,extended-rangeradiotagswereappliedtoasubsetofsalmoncapturedintheMiddleRiverfishwheels.TwelvefrequencieswereallocatedtotheMiddleRivertagsite(151.713—151.994megahertz[MHz]range;Table3-1),andeighteenfrequenciestoADF&G’sLowerRivertagsite(151.033—151.633MHzrange).ModelFl835Btransmitterswerepurchasedforpiiiksalmon(0.6oz,12inantenna,96daybatterylife),ModelF1840Btagsforsockeye,coho,andchumsalmon(0.8oz,12inantenna,127daybatterylife),andModelFl845BtagsforChinooksalmon(0.9oz,16inantenna,162daybatterylife).Thesetransmittersareequippedwithasensorthatchangesthesignalpatterntoa“motionless”oran“inactive”modeoncethetagbecomesstationaryfor24consecutivehours.Taggedfishwerepresumeddeadwheninactivecodeswerereceived;effortwasmadetorecoverinactivetagsandredeploythemonotherfishcapturedatCurry.Eachrecoveredtagwastestedimmediatelypriortodeploymenttoensureitwasfunctioningproperlyuponrelease.4.2.4.2.Fixed-StationReceiversFixed-stationreceiverswereoperatedattenstrategiclocationsintheMiddleandUpperRiver::LaneCreekStation(RM113),Gateway(RM125,locatedneartheFifthofJulyCreekconfluence),Slough11(RM135),IndianRiverconfluence(RM139),Slough21(RM141),PortageCreekconfluence(RM149),CheechakoStation(RM152,locatedupstreamoftheCheechakoCreekconfluence),ChinookCreekconfluence(RM157),DevilStation(RM164,Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page13February2013 -jREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONcClocatedupstreamoftheDevilCreekconfluence),andKosinaCreekconfluence(RN’l207;Figure(2;TableB-2).Rivermilesreportedforeachstationarehistoricrivermiles.Thesesiteswerechosenbasedon:1)theneedtoprovidebasicgeographicseparationoftheMiddleRiverarea(belowDevilsCanyon)todescribemigrationandspawningbehaviors;2)monitoringattheCappropriateresolutiontoquantifypassagethroughDevilsCanyon;and3)theneedtofocusmobilesurveyeffortoveranexpansivearea.Inadditiontothesefixed-stationreceivers,ADF&Goperatedthreefixed-stationreceiversintheLowerRiver(Sunshine,Talkeetna,andChulitna)thatscannedthefrequenciesoffishtaggedatCurry(Figure2).Fixed-stationreceiverCdatawereusedtotrackfishmovements,calculatereach-specifictravelspeeds,anddeterminethetimingoffishmovementsthroughmigratoryimpediments.oIntheMiddleandUpperRiver,eachfixedstationincludedawaterproofhousingunit,telemetryCreceiver,referenceradiotag,12-voltbattery,50-waftsolarpanel,and4-elementYagiantennas(Photo4).Thereference(orbeacon)tagsweredeployedtoprovideacontinuousrecordofknownsignaldetections.Manysiteshadadditionalantennasanda4-wayantennaswitcherthat(allowedthetelemetryreceivertoscaneachantennaindividually.SomelocationsalsoincludedanadditionalreceiverforscanningADF&Gradiofrequencies.Somesiteswereenclosedwithinabearfence.DuringinstallationoffixedstationsatLaneCreek,Gateway,IndianRiver,andPortageCreek,areferenceradiotagwasusedtocalibrateeachreceiverandverifythatitwouldbecapableofdetectingtagspassingalongtheoppositeriverbank.Theresultsfromtestingatthesesiteswere()usedasaguidewheninstallingthestationsinaccessiblebyboat.C)AllMiddleandUpperRiverfixed-stationreceiversusedthesametypeoftelemetryreceiver()(ATSmodelR4500).Thereceivershaduser-programmablesettingsforscantimeandstorerate,roomforfourfrequencytables,andtheabilitytostoreupto100,000blocksofdata.Ingeneral,areceiverwouldscanallavailableantennasforthreeseconds.Ifnoradiotagwasdetected,the0receiverscannedthenextfrequencyinthetable.Ifaradiotagwasdetected,thereceiverwould0scaneachantennaindividuallyfor12secondsbeforemovingtothenextfrequencyinthetable.oAntennaswereorientedtoallowfordeterminationofafish’sdirectionofmigration,beitupstream,downstream,orinsomecasesintoatributary.Datawerestoredatdifferentratesthroughoutthestudyarea,dependingonthenumberoftagslocatednearastation,inorderto0bestavoidthedatalossthatresultsfromfillingmemorybanksbeyondtheircapacity.)FrominstallationuntilearlySeptember,theMiddleandUpperRiverfixed-stationreceiverswerevisitedatleastonceperweek.DataweredownloadedfromtheR4500receiversusingafieldlaptopcomputerequippedwithATS’sATSWinRec_C(Version1.0.14)software.Referencetagrecordswerecheckedtoensurethatallantennaswereworkingproperly.Themostcommonproblemencounteredatstationsinvolvedanimalschewingonthecoaxialcableconnectingtheantennastothereceiver.Laterintheseason,asthedaysbecameshorter,thesolarpanelsdidnot(produceasmuchelectricity,sothatthe12-voltbatteriesneededreplacementduringtheweeklyvisits.Thedate,time,batteryvoltage,ifiename,memory-bankstatus,andanychangesmadetothestationwererecordedontoadatasheetlogstoredatthestation(abackupcopywasalsoCmaintainedinthelaptopcase).DuringtheperiodfromJuly1—10,receiversatthemouthsofIndianRiverandPortageCreekstoppedfunctioningafterbeingover-taxedbythenumberoftagswithintheirdetectionranges.Themanufacturerassessedthisbehaviortobearesultofasoftwareflaw,andprovidedSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority/FERCProjectNo.14241Page14February2013C REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONreplacementreceiverswhiletheyrepairedtheoriginalreceivers.Duringthisperioddatawasnotcollectedatthesetwofixed-stationreceivers(seeFigureB-ifordetailsofreceiverperformance).Theprojectobjectiveswerestillmetbecausethereceiverswerevisitedmorefrequentlythanplannedtodownloadthedata,andtheproblemswerefixedrelativelyquickly.However,thesystemdowntimemayhaveaffectedestimatesoftraveltimes.Toavoidbias,detectiondatafromJuly1—11attheIndianRiverandPortageCreekstationswerenotusedfortraveltimeandtravelspeedanalyses.Forallfixed-stationreceivers,detectionefficiencieswereestimatedbydividingthetotalnumberofuniqueradio-taggedfishdetectedatthesitebythetotalnumberofuniqueradio-taggedfishknowntohavepassed.Thenumberoffishdetectedateachsiteincludedonlyfishmovingintheupstreamdirection(detectionefficiencieswouldbeartificiallyinflatediftheyincludedfishthatweremissedastheypassedareceiverintheupstreamdirection,butwhichweresubsequentlydetectedastheydroppedbackpastthereceiverinadownstreamdirection).Thetotalnumberknowntohavepassedeachreceiverincludedallthoseradio-taggedfishdetectedatthatsite,oratanysitelocatedfartherupstream.Thedetectionefficiencyofsomereceiverscannotbecalculatedastherearenoupstreamreceiverstoactasdetectionzones(e.g.,KosinaCreekstation).Inthisstudy,onlytagsdeployedfromtheCurryflshwheelswereincludedindetectionefficiencycalculations.Receiverperformancewasalsoassessedasthepercentageofdeploymenttimeduringwhichthereceiverwasactivelyrecordingdata.Activityanddeploymentwereassessedonaper-hourbasis,andthensummedoverdaysorweekstocalculatedailyorweeklyactivitypercentages.Receiverswereconsideredactiveinagivenhourifatleastonefishdetection,beacon-taghit,ornoiseeventwasrecordedduringthehour.Anydetection(frequency-code)thatdidnotcorrespondtoavalidfishwasconsideredasnoise.4.2.4.3.MobileTrackingAerial-trackingsurveyswereconductedbyhelicopter(RobinsonR44)toallowrelativelyaccuratepositioningoftaggedfish(ascomparedtoafixed-wingaircraft),locatespawningareas,andidentifysalmoninclearwaterareas.A4-elementYagiantennawasmountedtothecargoracksoneachsideofthehelicopter(Photo5).Theantennaontherightsideofthehelicopterwasorienteddownwardandwasusedtopinpointthelocationofataggedfish.Theantennaontheleftsideofthehelicopterwasorientedforwardandwasusedtoscaninfrontofthehelicopterforupcomingtags.Coaxialcablefromtheantennaswasrunintothebodyofthehelicopterandconnectedtoanantennaswitcherthatallowedthetelemetryoperatortoscanfortagsononeorbothantennas.CoaxialcablefromtheantennaswitcherwasconnectedtoabankoftwoATSR4520andtwoR4500receivers.EachreceiverwasequippedwithaGarminGPSantenna,sothereceiverscouldrecordthecoordinatesofeachtagdetected.AGarminGP$wasalsousedtotracktheflightpathoneachsurvey.Priortothefirstsurveyoftheseason,theaerialsetupwastestedforaccuracyinlocatingatag’sposition.Aradiotagwasattachedtoapieceofropewithabuoyandplacedintheriver.Thehelicopterthenflewmultiplepassesoverthetagduringwhichdifferentcombinationsofflightpath,antennaorientations,andreceiversettingswereusedtodeterminethebesttechniqueforachievinghigh-powerreadingswhennearthetag.Ingeneral,theforwardantennacouldbeuseduntilthepowerreadingreachedapproximately95(scale:40—154),atwhichpointitwasbesttoswitchtothedownwardorientedantennatopinpointthetag.AstheseasonprogressedandmoreSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page15February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONtagswerepresentintheriver,oftenallriverchannelswereflownandthedownward-orientedantennawasusedalmostexclusively.Beforeeachflight,theaerialsetupwastestedtoensurethatitwasworkingproperly.Anextraradiotagwasleftinthevicinityofthelandingarea.Afterallthetelemetrygearwasattachedtothehelicopterandconnectedtothereceiverbankinsidethehelicopter,eachreceiverwascheckedtoensureitwasreadingthetagcorrectly(antennasweretestedindividuallyandcombined).(AerialsurveyswereconductedinthemainstemSusitnaRiverfromRIvI10toapproximatelyRM223,about16rivermilesabovetheKosinaCreekconfluence.AerialsurveyswereflownupstreamoftheKosinaCreekconfluenceifthefixed-stationreceiveratKosinaCreekdetectedaradio-taggedfishpassing(anditwasnotdetectedlaterinKosinaCreekorelsewhere).()Additionally,approximately20tributariesintheMiddleandUpperRiver,andtwotributariesinQtheLowerRiver(theChulitnaandTalkeetnarivers)werecoveredduringaerialsurveys.MuchoftheriverdownstreamoftheconfluencewiththeChulitnaRiverwashighlybraidedandrequiredmultiplepassesduringeachsurveytoensurethatalltaggedfishwerelocatedas0accuratelyaspossible.Areaswithlargenumbersoffish,suchascreekmouths,wereoftenflown()overmultipletimes,orthehelicopterhoveredoverthesites,toensurethatalltagsweredetected.SomeareasoftheMiddleandUpperRiverwerewithinbufferzonesimplementedtoprotectknownraptornestingareas.Thebufferzonearoundthesenestshadaradiusof1,000ftwithin0whichaerialsurveyscouldnotbeconducted.Inparticular,Impediment3nearDevilCreekand0themouthofKosinaCreekweresurveyedfromthefringesduetoraptorbufferzones.Focusedaerial-trackingsurveyswereconductedfromJune29toNovember12(seeTable3-3Qfordetailsofmobilesurveyeffort).TrackingtypicallyoccurredweeklyuntillateOctober,atwhichtimesurveysweredoneapproximatelyeveryotherweek.Trackingeffortwasdependentonweatherconditions,helicopteravailability,whetherfishhadbeendocumentedpassingfixed-()stationreceivers,andwhetherfishweremovingintoareaswheremorefrequenttrackingQinformationwassought.TheMiddleRiverwassurveyedconsistently;someareasweresurveyedduringcertainpartsoftheyear,andotherareaswereonlysurveyedastimeallowed.TheMiddleRiveraboveDevilsCanyonandtheUpperRiverweresurveyedheavilyduringtheChinooksalmonrunbutneverthereafterbecausenootherfishweredocumentedmigratingQthroughDevilsCanyon(asindicatedbyfixed-stationreceiversdownstream).Nosurveyswere0conductedbelowMontanaCreekafterSeptember27andtherewasonlyonefixed-wingsurveyoftributariesintheLowerRiverinOctober.ThemainstembelowtheconfluencewiththeDeshkaRiver(RM41)wasonlysurveyedafewtimesduetotheeffortinvolvedtogetthere0fromupriver,andthefewtagsinthatstretchofriver.QDataweredownloadedfromthereceiversandGPSunitaftereachflight,andthedigitaldatawerebackedupatthattime.SurveytrackinformationwasrecordedasabackuptotheGPStracklog,includingthestart/endtime,riversection,andGPScoordinates.Foreachtaggedfishdetected,thehabitattype(mainstem,sidechannel,slough,andtributarydelta)andrelativewaterturbiditywasrecorded.Alaptopcomputerwithfishlocationsfromthemostrecentsurveyswasusedbythehelicoptercrewtohelpidentifypossiblespawninglocationsinrealtime.Usingtheguidanceoffixed-stationreceiverandaerialsurveydataontheknownpositionsoftaggedfish,mobiletrackingwasalsoconductedopportunisticallybyboattoobtainhigh-resolutionlocationinformationforanyconcentrationsoftaggedfish.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page16February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION4.2.5.TelemetryDataManagement42.5.1.Fixed-StationReceiverDataFilesdownloadedfromfixed-stationreceiverswereuploadedintocustomprocessingsoftware,TelemetryAssessor.TelemetryAssessorwasusedtorundiagnosticsbeforeerasingtheinternalmemoryinthereceiver,toensurethatalldataweretransferred,thefilewasreadable,andthereceiverandantennaswereoperatingproperly.Thediagnosticsincludedthenumberofdetectionsperantennaperday,andthenumberofbeacon-taghitsperantennaperday.Oncediagnosticswerechecked,TelemetryAssessorwasusedtoproduceaprocesseddownloadfilecontainingthereceivernumber,andthedate,time,antenna,frequency,code,andmaximumsignalstrengthforasetoftag(orbeacontag)detections.Next,thereceivers’memorybankswereerased,andthereceiverwassettocontinuerecordingdetectiondata.Theprocesseddownloadfileswereuploadedintocustomdatabasesoftware,TelemetryManager.4.2.5.2.MobileDataDuringeachmobiletrack,severalreceiverswererun,eachscanningadifferenttableoffrequencies.Datafromallaerialreceiversweredownloadedandcheckedforcompleteness.Startandendtimeswerecheckedtoensurethatalldatawerepresent.GPScoordinateswerecheckedtoensurethatthereceiverrecordedlocationsforalldetections.Missingcoordinateswereinterpolated.AllfilesfromagivensurveywereloadedintoTelemetryAssessor,whichprocessedallthefilestogethertogenerateasinglefilepersurveycontainingthetimestamp,coordinatesandsignalstrengthofthehighestpowerdetectionforeachtag(i.e.,onerecordpertag),alongwiththenumberofdetectionspertag,andtheproportionofdetectionsthatwereininactivemode.Theprocessedmobilefilewasfedintogeographicinformationsystem(GIS)softwarewhichassignedzonenumberstothedetectioncoordinates,afterwhichitwasuploadedintoTelemetiyManager.04.2.5.3.TagReturns0oAlltagswerelabeledwiththeprincipleinvestigator’saddressandphonenumbersothatanyfishrecoveredinin-riverfisheriescouldbereportedand/orreturned.Aformwaskeptattheprincipleinvestigator’sAnchorageofficetorecordallrelevantrecoveryinformation,including:0anglername,contactinformation,datereported,datefishcaught,capturelocation,species,radiotagfrequency/code,andspaghettitagnumber.Ingeneral,recoverydataweretreatedasmobiletrackingdataforthepurposesofdataprocessing.Thus,therecoveriesdatasetwasfedintoGISsoftwarewhichassignedzonenumberstotherecoverycoordinates,afterwhichitwasuploaded3intoTelemetryManager.Toavoid‘tracking’fishtoanangler’sresidence,weremovedall3detectionsofarecoveredfishthatwererecordedafterthereportedrecoverydatefromthe3compressedTelemetryManageroperationaldatabase.4.2.5.4.DataProcessingAllfilesproducedbyTelemetryAssessor(fixed-stationreceiverandmobile-trackingfiles)andalltag-recoveryfileswereprocessedandanalyzedusingTelemetryManagerwhichfacilitatesdataorganization,recordvalidation,andanalysisthroughthesystematicapplicationofuser-definedcriteria.Rawdatawerearchivedsothatthetemporalorspatialresolution,ornoiseSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page17February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONC’filteringcriteriacouldbechangedbytheuseratanytimewithoutalteringtherawdata.Anoimportantaspectofradiotelemetryistheremovaloffalserecordsinreceiverfiles,forexample,thosethatarisefromelectronicnoise.Inthisstudy,thefollowingcriteriaweresetforrecordstobeconsideredvalid:1)forfixed-stationreceiverdata,theremusthavebeenatleastfiveC’detectionsrecordedperscancycle(singlerecords,orrecordsseparatedbymorethanthescanC’cycletimeminuteswererejected);2)formobiledata,singledetectionwereallowed;3)alldetectionshadtoberecordedatzonesthatweregeographicallylocatedbetweenthelocationsofpreviousandsubsequentvaliddetections;and4)anydetectionsrequiringunrealistictraveltimesCwereremoved.Oncefalserecordswereremoved,TelemetiyManagercreatedacompressed0databaseofsequentialdetectionsforeachfish.Eachrecordincludedthetagnumber,location(coordinatesandzonenumber),thefirstandlasttimeanddateforsequentialdetectionsinthatlocation,andthemaximumpowerforalldetectionsinthatinterval.formobiledata,theCproportionofdetectionsthatwereininactivemodewasalsoincluded.Thecompressed(i.e.,C’“operational”)databasewasusedtodeterminewheneachfishenteredthestudyarea,residencetimesateachfixed-stationreceiverorspawningarea,ratesofmovementbetweendetectionsites,probablespawninglocationsandsitesoflastdetection.4.3.Objective2—SalmonMigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsintheLower,Middle,andUpperSusitnaRiveroSalmonmigrationbehaviorandspawninglocationsweredescribedbytrackingthesalmon0taggedwithradiotransmittersintheLower,Middle,andUpperRiversegments.Radio-tagged0salmonwereassignedtospawninglocationsattheendoftheseasonbasedonmobileandfixeddatacollectedthroughouttheseason,whichincludedcombinedresultsfromABAandADF&Gsurveys.0Inseason,wealsousedthepotentialspawninglocationsidentifiedfromradiotelemetrytoguidefieldactivitiesneededforotherobjectives,suchastestingtheabilityofsonartodetectspawning()fish(Section4.4),anddescribingspawninghabitatcharacteristicsandcollectionofdataneededtodevelopHSCmodels(Section4.6).Forthisreason,weattemptedtovisuallyconfirmspawningactivityatsitesidentifiedusingradiotelemetry.4.3.1.MiddleandLowerRiverTaggingandTrackingoMostmobilesurveysandmanyofthefixedstationscollectedtelemetrydatafromfishtaggedby0bothABAandADF&G.ToprovidecomprehensivedescriptionsofbehaviorandspawningDthroughouttheentiremainstemriver,ABAandADF&Gcraftedanagreementtoshareradiotelemetrytrackingdatacollectedbyeachgroup.MiddleRivertaggingandtrackingwasdescribedindetailinSections4.2.2and4.2.4,above.IntheLowerRiver,salmonwerecapturedandtaggedbyADF&Gatsitesdevelopedaspartofaseparate,existingstudytoestimateabundanceandspawningdistributionindifferentpartsoftheSusitnaRiverdrainage(Yanuszetal.2013).TheexistingstudywasexpandedtoassistProjecteffortstodescribespawningandmigrationofallsalmonspeciesinthemainstemSusitnaRiver.SalmontaggedbyADF&GweretheonlyfishavailableforstudyintheLowerRiver,andaugmentedthenumberofsalmontaggedatCurryforstudyintheMiddleandUpperRiver.SalmonintheLowerRiverwerecapturedandtaggedinsixfishwheelsin2Ol2jhelowestfourfishwheelsweregroupeddownstreamoftheconfluenceoftheSusitnaandlçarivers,nearSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page18February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONRM22,andwereusedtocatchandtagchum,coho,pink,andsockeyesalmoi1.jTheptwofishwheelswereinapairlocatedabovetheconfluenceoftheSusitnaandRM30,andwereusedtocaptureChinooksalmon.fishwheelswereoperatedforvariouslengthsof0timeduringthe2012fieldseason,dependingontheruntimingofthetargetfish.Salmonwereotaggedwithinternal(esophageal)tags,followingthescheduledevelopedapriori.Tagswereplacedin500Chinooksalmon,400eachofchum,coho,andpinksalmon,and100sockeyesalmon.FulldetailsofsamplingandtaggingprotocolsintheLowerRiverfishwheelsaredescribedinYanuszetal.(2013).fishtaggedinthelowerriverwerenotabletobeusedforall)aspectsoftheProjectbecausethestudydesignwasdevelopedforotherpurposes.Forexample,sockeyesalmonweretaggedatalocationdesignedtocapturefishmigratinguptheYentnaRiver,andthesetaggedfisharethereforenotrepresentativeoftheentirepopulationintheLowerSusitnaRiver(I.Erickson,ADF&GRegionalResearchCoordinator,february8,2013).Aftertagging,fishweretrackedwithacombinationoffixed-stationreceiversandmobile)surveys.ADF&Ginstalledfourfixed-stationreceiversonthemainstemriver.ThelowestwasSusitnaStation(RM26),whichwasupstreamofthelowestgroupoffourfishwheelsandservedasthegatewaytothestudyforchum,coho,pink,andsockeyesalmon(Figure1).Nextupstream,DeshkaStation(RM40)servedasthegatewayforChinooksalmon.Continuingupstream,SunshineStation(RM83)wastheuppermoststationontheLowerRiver,andLane()CreekStation(RM113)wasthelowermoststationontheMiddleRiver.DevilStationatRM164wastheuppermoststationabletomonitortagsdeployedwiththetagfrequenciesusedbyADF&G,andthereforetheuppermostfixedstationabletodetectfishtaggedintheLowerRiver.ThefractionofsalmontaggedintheLowerRiverthatdidnotmigrateintotributaries(e.g.,theDeshka,Yentna,Tailceetna,orChulitnarivers,orothersmallertributaries)becamepartofthestudyofdistributionandmigrationintheMiddleandUpperRiversectionsofthemainstemCSusitnaRiver.ThesizeofthistaggroupwasincreasedbytaggingmoresalmonatCurry,inthelowerpartoftheMiddleRiver(RM120).AtCurry,another400Chinook,200chum,200coho,and200pinksalmonwereintendedtobetaggedandthentrackedupstreamintheMiddleandOUpperRiver;fulldescriptionofthetaggingatCurryisabove,inSection4.2.04.3.2.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocationsTrackinghistories(i.e.,detectionhistories)ofradio-taggedsalmonwereusedtodescribedistribution,straying,runtiming,traveltiming,andtravelspeeds.ThecompressedoperationaldatabaseproducedbyTelemetiyManagerwasusedtodisplaytrackinghistoriesofindividualfish,andwasqueriedtoquantifybehavior.4.3.2.1.ClassificationofTributaryStocksandMainstemSpawnersThedetectionhistoryofeachradio-taggedsalmonwasusedtoassignthesalmontooneofthree“destinations”(TributaryDestination,MainstemSpawning,orMainstemOther),basedontemporalpatternsindetectionpositionswithinthestudyarea.Fishwithdetectionsthatwererestrictedtothereleasearea,fishthatwereneverdetected,fishwhosetagwasremoveduponrecapture,andthosethatmovedonlyinadownstreamdirectionwereexcludedtoavoidpotentialhandling-relatedbiases.Weuseddetectionhistories,insteadoffinaltaglocations,toassignadestinationbecausesalmoncandriftdownstreamafterspawningordeath,obscuringthetruedestinationanddistributionofthesalmon.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page19February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONCTheTributaryDestinationcategoryconsistedofallsalmonthatmovedintoatributaryriverorstreamflowingintotheSusitnaRiver,presumablyforspawning,regardlessofwhethertheysubsequentlyreturnedtothemainstemSusitnaRiver.ThetributaryintowhichthefishenteredCwasrecordedasits“stock.”Anyfishthatenteredonetributary,exited,andsubsequentlyentered(anothertributarywasgivenastockassignmentbasedonthelattertributary.Theoneexception,notedunderObjective4,wasaChinooksalmonassignedtotheDevilCreekStockdespitethefactthatitlatermovedintoFogCreek(specifically,thefishspentmorethanaweekinDevilCreek,thenmovedupstreamintoFogCreekforlikelylessthantwodaysbeforeexitingandmovingdownriver).ThestudywasnotdesignedtoidentifyexactspawningpositionsintheCtributaries,sotributaryspawninglocationswerenotdescribed.oAllremainingfishwereclassifiedonafish-by-fishbasisintooneoftworemainingcategoriesC’,bothofwhichwereinthemainstemSusitnaRiveronly(“MainstemSpawning”and“OtherMainstern”).Classificationswereassignedtoeachindividualfishafterdisplayingitscompletedetectionhistoryonabasemapandexaminingeachdetectioninsuccession.BeforeproceedingCwithclassification,severaldetectionswereeliminatedfromconsideration.First,movementsC’wereignoredafterthetagenteredmortalitymode.Second,downstreammovementsfollowingthemostupstreamlocationweretypicallyignoredasthefishmayhavealreadybeendeadormoribund,unlessthefishshowedsubsequentupstreammovements.Theremainingdatawere0examined,lookingforanygeographicallyaggregatedclusterofdetectionswhichmightindicateC)thatthefishshouldpotentiallybeincludedintheMainstemSpawningcategory.Clustersinwhichthelastlivedetectionwasobviouslybeforethepublishedspecies-specificspawn-timingwindowwereignored.Eachremainingclusterwasscrutinizedbeforeplacingitintooneoftwo0‘relativespawningprobability’groups:()•Clusterswereclassifiedas“likely”spawninglocationsiftheclusterconsistedofseveralC)detectionsinrelativelycloseproximitytooneanother.ThenumberofdetectionswasC’variable,butwasgreaterthantwo;thedistancebetweendetectionsalsovaried,butwasgenerallywithinafewhundredmeters(<1,000ft).Inthesecases,thefishwasassignedtotheMainstemSpawninggroup.C)•Clusterswereclassifledas“possible”spawninglocationsiftheclusterwasmadeupof0fewdetections,ifthelocationsweremorelooselyaggregated,oriftheywereclusteredinC)anareawherefishmaybeholding(ratherthanspawning,e.g.,tributarymouths).These)fishwerealsoassignedtotheMainstemSpawninggroup.()•Whentagswerephysicallyrecoveredinaspawningarea,therecoverylocationwaslistedasa“likely”mainstemspawninglocation,regardlessofthenatureofthedetectioncluster.Asdescribedabove,theMainsternSpawningcategoryincludedsalmonwhosetagswereeitherphysicallyrecoveredinahistoricmainstemspawningareas(e.g.,sloughs),orsalmonwhosemovementbehaviorfittheabovecriteriaconsideredtoresemblespawning.HabitatusedbyfishtintheMainstemSpawninggroupwasclassifiedasSideChannellSlough,TributaryMouth,orMainsternProper,basedonpositionofthepotentialspawninglocation.oAllotherremainingfishwereassignedtothecatch-all“OtherMainstem”classification.Mostsalmoninthisgroupwereonlydetectedonce,diedwellbeforethepublishedspecies-specificspawntimingwindow,showednoclusteredmainstemlocations,ormoveddownstreamafterCbeingtaggedatCurrybutthenneversubsequentlymovedintoatributary.CSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page20February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNDeterminingtherepresentativedistributionoffishwasonlypossibleforsalmonintheMainstem-‘Spawninggroup.Salmoninthisgrouphadaclusterofdetectionsinthepotentialspawningarea,)andasinglelocationwasselectedfromwithinthecluster.Toselectthesinglepoint,weQidentifiedeitherthelastlivedetectionoradetectionthatappearedtorepresentthecenterofmassoofthecluster.4.3.3.MigrationBehavior4.3.3.1.RoamingBehaviorintheMiddleSusitnaRiverOByassigningfinaldestinationstoalltaggedfish,wewereabletodeterminetheproportionoffishthatmovedthroughdifferenthabitatsandultimatelymovedintocertainareasforspawning.OnecategoryofinterestwassalmonthatweredetectedintheMiddleRiver,butthatsubsequentlymoveddownstreamtospawn.Forthis,wedecidedtouseonlythosesalmonwith)swimmingbehaviorindicativeofhealthyfishnotaffectedbytheprocessofhandlingand)tagging.WechosefishthatweredetectedatLaneCreekStation(forfishtaggedintheLowerRiver)orGatewayStation(forfishtaggedintheMiddleRiver),thenmoveddownstreamfromthatlocationbeforeascendingintoatributary.DetectionoffishatLaneorGatewaystationswas)takenasindicationofthefishhavingrecoveredfromtaggingenoughtomigrateupstream;ascentOintoafinaltributarywastakenasanindicationthatfishdroppingdownstreamwerenotinjuredormoribund.NotethatnoneoftheseroamingfishwereincludedintheMainstemSpawning5category.4.3.3.2.SalmonRunTimingTheruntimingofeachsalmonspeciesintheMiddleRiverwasassessedusingfishwheelcatchdatafromCurry(RM120).Runtimingestimatesassumedthat1)salmonwerecaughtinasequencethatwasrepresentativeofthetimingoftheirarrivalinthestudyarea,and2)species-specificcatchratesdidnotvaryovertime.Tocreatearun-timingcurve,catchdatesforalljfishofagivenspeciesweresortedsequentially,andtheneachwasgivenanindexnumberfrom1toj,startingat1fortheearliestdate,2forthenextearliestdate,etc.,andendingatjforthelatestdate.Eachindexvaluewasthenmultipliedby(fr)tocalculatethecumulativeproportionvalue,whichforthespeciesrangedfromf’to1.0.Toshowtheirsimilarity,species-specificrun-timingcurvesfromtheCurryfishwheelswereplottedtogetherwiththeLaneStationpassagedatesforfishthatwereradio-taggedintheLowerRiver.Taggedsalmonthatwereassignedtoastock(Section4.3.2.1)weregroupedtogethertocalculatestock-specificrun-timingdistributions.Stock-specificrun-timingcurveswereproducedinthesamemannerasthespecies-specificcurves,exceptthatonlyfishwithradiotagswereused(ratherthanthewholefishwheelcatch—onlytaggedfishcouldbeassignedtoastock).Tocreateastock-specificrun-timingcurve,thecatchdatesforalltaggedfishofagivenspeciesthatwereassignedtoagivenstockweresortedsequentially.Onlystocksrepresentedbyatleastsixtaggedfishwereplotted.RuntimingwasalsodescribedforsalmonpassingeachfixedstationintheMiddleandUpperRiver,usingplotssimilartothoseusedforruntimingatCurry.Cumulativepassagetimingcurvesweregeneratedforeachspecies’passagebyCurry(releasedatesfromfishwheels),Gateway(RM125),IndianRiver(RM139),andPortageCreek(RM149).ForChinooksalmon,wealsogeneratedcumulativepassagecurvesfortimingpastCheechakoStation(RM152),Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page21February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONChinookCreek(RM157),DevilStation(RM164),andtheKosinaconfluence(RM207).Forthisanalysis,passagetimeswereinterpolatedfromdetectionsatneighboringsites(assumingaconstanttravelspeed)wheneverafishpassedastationwithoutbeingdetected.Median,Cminimum,andmaximumpassagedateswerealsotabulatedforeachreceiver,byspecies(noCinterpolateddatapointswereincluded).PassagebytheSlough11andSlough21receiverswerecnotplottedortabulatedduetothelownumbersoffishdetectedinthoselocations.DuetothemalfunctioningofreceiversattheIndianandPortagestationsfromJuly1—10,(accuratetraveltimescouldnotbecalculatedfromdetectionsduringthisperiod.DetectiondatafromJuly1—11atthesetworeceiverswereremovedfromanalysisofruntimingpastthesetwoCstations.Stationpassagetimingmayhavebeenaffectedbytheinterpolationofmissingvaluesif()fishtraveledatdifferentspeedsduringtheperiodofthemalfunctionrelativetotheremainingostudyperiod.4.3.3.3.TravelSpeedsQTravelspeedforeachindividualradio-taggedfishwascalculatedbasedonthetimingbetween0detectionsatthevariousfixed-stationreceivers.Traveltimebetweentworeceiverstationswas()calculatedasthetimebetweenthefirstdetectionatthedownstreamreceiverandthatattheupstreamreceiver.Travelspeedswerecalculatedbydividingthedistance(inkm)betweenreceiversbythetraveltime.Travelspeedstendedtobenon-normal.Fornon-parametriccomparisons,mediantravelspeedswerecomparedamongstocks,andamongreachesusing0Kruskal-Wallistests.0DuetothemalfunctioningoftheIndianandPortagereceiversfromJuly1—10,travelspeeds0measuredfromdetectionsmadeduringthisperiodcouldnotbeconsideredaccurate.Assuch,detectiondatafromJuly1—11atthesetworeceiverswereexcludedfromthetravelspeedanalyses.Iffishtraveledatdifferentspeedsduringtheperiodofthemalfunctionrelativetotheremainingstudyperiod,thenourtravelspeedestimatesmaybebiased.GiventheearlydateofQthemalfunctionrelativetospecies-specificruntiming,thisproblemwouldconceivablyonly0affectChinooksalmondata.4.4.Objective3—FeasibilityofusingSonartoDetectSpawning()LocationsinTurbidWater)Sonarhasthepotentialtodetectreddsinturbidwaterandconfirmspawningactivitybydirectlyobservingfishbehavior.Radiotelemetrycanbeusedtoidentifysuspectedspawninglocations(baseduponholdingdurations),butsubsequentsamplingwithsonarmaybeneededtoverify)whetherspawningactuallyoccurred.Toexaminethefeasibilityofusingsonarforthispurpose,DIDSONandhigh-resolution,side-scansonarwereoperatedinsuspectedclearandturbidwaterspawningareas,andifpossible,theresultswouldbecomparedtovisualsurveysofspawningfish(inclearwater)andcountsofredds(inclearbutpreviouslyturbidwater).Twosurveyswere)plannedforthe2012fieldseason:thefirstsurveywasintendedtocoincidewithChinookCsalmonactivelyspawning,andthesecondsurveywastooccurlaterintheseasonwhenturbidityhaddecreasedtomaximizethechancesofobtainingvisualcomparisons.AnEdgeTech4125600/1600kHzside-scansonarsystemwasusedwhichgeneratesstaticimageswithadown-rangeresolutionof0.6cm(0.2in)andanacross-rangeresolutionat10m0(33fi)rangeofapproximately4—6cm(1.6—2.4in).Thetransducer“towfish”wasdeployedQSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page22February20130C REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION—withachainandcablethatwereattachedtoaverticalpolemountedonthegunneloftheboatapproximately1.5m(4.9ft)aftofthebow.Thelengthofthecablewasadjustedsothatthe)transducerwassuspendedatadepthof20cm(7.9in)whiletheboatwasmoving.Side-scanJ)sonardatawerecollectedatboatspeedsof1—2knots(kt)witha25m(82fi)samplingrangeoneachside(leftandright)ofthetransducer.Theminimumwaterdepthrequiredforthedeploymentofthetransducerwasapproximately0.5m(1.6ft).DynamicsonardatawerecollectedwithanunmodifiedDIDSONsystemdeployedonaswivelpolemountedinthesamepositionastheside-scansonar.Datawerecollectedwiththeboat)stationaryorataslowdrift(<1kt;Photo6).Forstationarysamples,thetiltanglewasadjusted)untiloptimal,andmanuallyrotatedtoscanupstreamanddownstream.Whilesearchingforfish,-datawerecollectedinlow-frequencymode(0.8MHz)toamaximumrangeof25m(82ft).Fordetailedobservationsoffishbehavior,datawerecollectedinhigh-frequencymodetoa0maximumrangeof10—15m(33—49ft).FishobservedusingDIDSONwerecategorizedbysize)class.AlthoughDIDSONdatacannotbeusedtoidentifyfishbyspecies,sizeclassesprovidesomeabilitytodistinguishlargeadultsalmon(e.g.,Chinooksalmon)fromsmallerresidentfishes.Allsonardatawerecorrelatedtopositionaldata,acquiredbyaTrimbleDSM212DGPSJwitha10HzupdaterateanddifferentialcorrectionsreceivedfromtheAlaskaCoastGuardOstationinKenai,Alaska.04.4.1.DeviationsfromStudyPlan(Section4.1)0()OneDIDSON/side-scansurveywasconductedfromearlyAugustthroughSeptember,insteadofthree,asproposedinthestudyplan.FollowingthefirstDIDSON/side-scansurvey,describedinSection5.3,theabilityofthesonartechnologiestoprovidethelevelofdetailneededtoassess0spawningactivityatmainchannellocationswasunclear.HighwaterlevelsandpooraccesstoQsuitablesamplesitesledtothecancellationoftwoscheduledtrips.Thefirstsamplingtripwasanotoverlysuccessful,andthecrewconsidereditunlikelythattwomoretripswouldhaveyieldedsubstantiallymorespawninghabitatvalidations.o4.5.Objective4—CharacterizeSalmonMigrationBehaviorandoTimingAboveDevilsCanyonOThreepotentialimpedimentstofishpassagewereidentifiedbetweenPortageandDevilcreeksatC)P.M152,RM156,andRIvI161(Figure5).Allfishradio-taggedattheLowerandMiddleRiverC)fishwheelswereincludedinthepassageevaluationthroughDevilsCanyon.Radio-taggedfishapproachingorpassingthefarthestdownstreamofthese,Impediment1(RM152),wereanalyzedforspecies,length,sex,tagreleasedate,andtagreleaselocationbasedondatarecorded0atthetimeoftagging.Thedatesofdetectionnearoraboveeachimpediment,holdtimes,andaC)briefsummaryofthefish’sfmaldestinationwerealsosummarized.Riverflowswerecomparedtofishpassagetoassessmovementatdifferentlevelsofdischarge.Itwasbeyondthescopeofthisstudytouseradio-taggedfishtoestimatesalmonabundance,whichwouldrequirea0substantiallydifferentstudydesign.HoldtimeswerecalculatedasthetimefromthefirsttothelastdetectiondownstreamofanJimpediment.Whenonlyasingledetectionwasmadedownstreamofanimpediment,holdtimeswereestimatedfromthetimingofadjacentdetections(i.e.,thetimebelowimpedimentmust)havebeenlessthanthetimebetweentwoadjacentdetectionsawayfromtheimpediments).AsSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page23February2013 t)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONholdtimestendtobenon-normal,Kruskal-Wallistestswereusedtocomparemedianholdtimesbetweenfishthatpassedandthosethatdidnotpass,witheachimpedimentanalyzedseparately.AllflowsusedinthisreportweremeasuredatGoldCreek(RM136),wheredischargeislikelyhigherthanattheDevilsCanyonimpedimentsduetowaterinputsinbetween.Whenassessingindividualfishpassage,thisreportusesaveragedailydischargeatGoldCreekondateseachfishwasfirstdetectedupstreamofanimpediment.Instantaneousdischargesmayvaryacrossa(calendarday.Forfishthatdidnotpassaboveanimpediment,flowsweredeterminedonthedatethatafishwasfirstdetectedbelowtheimpediment.Becausedischargeswerefoundtobehighlyskewed,Kruskal-Wallistestswereusedtocompareflowsexperiencedbyfishtothoseoffish0thatdidnotpass,witheachimpedimentanalyzedseparately.()4.6.Objective5—DistributionAmongHabitats:CurrentVersus0HistoricUseandRelativeAbundance00From1981through1985,ADF&Gconductedradiotelemetry,aerial,andgroundsurveystolocatemainstemspawninghabitatforChinook,chum,coho,pinic,andsockeyesalmonintheLowerandMiddleRiver(Barrettetal.1984,1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Mainstemspawningwasseparatedintofourmainstemhabitattypes:mainchannel,sidechannel,slough,andtributary0delta.Duringpeakspawningtimes,ADF&Gfieldcrewsenumeratedspawningsalmonat0variousmainstemhabitatsonaweeklybasis.ThesecountswereusedtoproduceestimatesofpercentdistributionofasalmonspeciesatamainstemhabitatlocationrelativetothetotalnumberofthatspeciesenumeratedatallsimilarmainstemhabitatlocationswithintheMiddle0River.0Methodologyin2012wassimilartothatusedinthe1980sstudies(radiotelemetrysurveysin0conjunctionwithaerialandgroundvisualsurveys)tolocateandcoiiflrmmainstern(main)channel,sidechannel,slough,andtributarydelta)spawninglocationsforChinook,chum,coho,pink,andsockeyesalmon.Spawninglocationsforeachsalmonspecieswerecomparedtoresultsfromthe1980sspawninggroundsurveys(Barrettetal.1984,1985;Thompsonetal.1986).()Becauseindicesofrelativeabundancewerenotachievedin2012,allinferencesandcomparisonstohistoricpercentdistributiondatawerebasedon2012fieldobservations.Thesecomparisonshighlightspecificspawninglocationsimportant(asindicatedbypastandpresentconsistenciesinusage)tomainstemspawningsalmonspecies.Becausenosalmonspecieswerefoundtospawn0withinthemainstemLowerRiverinthe1980s,allcomparisonswiththe2012resultsweremade0fortheMiddleRiver.Otherstudiesconductedsincethe1980sprovideadditionalinsightintosalmondistributionandarereferencedthroughoutthisreport,butwerenotdesignedtobedirectlycomparabletoourstudiesofproportionalhabitatuse(i.e.,Objective5)in2012.Chumandcohosalmondistributionwasstudiedin2008usingradiotelemetry,forexample,butspawningsiteswerenotidentifiedtothesamespatialand/orhabitattyperesolutionasinour2012studywhichwasbasedonradiotelemetryandvisualconfirmationofspawning.Further,somesalmonshowedbankorientationbehaviorthatmayhaveinfluencedspawningsitechoice(Merizonetal.2010).Asockeyesalmonstudybeginningin2009taggedfishinlocationsthatwouldnotyieldsufficientsamplessizesinareasneededforcomparisontoourstudyin2012(Yanuszetal.2011).)CSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority0FERCProjectNo.14241Page24February20130C REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoN4.7.Objective6—LocateIndividualandHoldingandSpawningSalmon,CollectHabitatDatainLowerandMiddleRiverConsistentwithHSCDataCollection4.7.1.SpawningandHoldingFishIdentifiedFromJune26toOctober29,2012,weusedconcurrentradiotelemetrystudies,recentADF&Gradiotelemetrystudies,and1980sdatatolocatesalmonholdingandspawningsitesinmainstemhabitatsoftheLowerandMiddleRiver.Thesepotentialspawningsiteswerethenassessedusingvisualaerialandgroundsurveysforconfirmationofspawningactivity.formoredetailonthisprocessseeSections4.3.1and4.3.2.4.7.2.HabitatDataCollectionConsistentwithHabitatSuitabilityCriteriaPotentialspawninglocationsweresurveyedbyairorboattoverifythepresenceofspawning3salmon(Section4.7.1).Onceidentified,asubsetoflocationswaschosenforspawningground3sampling,whichwasdesignedtoacquiredataneededfordevelopingHSCtobeusedinthehabitatmodelsaspartoftheinstreamflowstudy.oSurveystocollectHSCdatawereconductedfromAugust11toOctober29intheMiddleRiver.Thegoalwastosample10to20reddsforeachsalmonspeciesformicrohabitatdata(waterdepth,watervelocity,turbidity,substratesizeandcomposition,surfacewatertemperature,andOpresence/absenceofupwelling).Potentialspawningsitesinturbidwaterareaswereidentifiedbyradiotelemetry.Someofthesesiteswerealsousedtoassessthefeasibilityofusingsonar(combinationofDIDSONandside-scansonar)technologiestocollectHSCdata.AdditionalsurveyswereconductedbyAEAintheMiddleandLowerRiveraspartoftheinstreamflowOstudy.Somepre-selectedsites,basedonhistoricdata,werealsosampledin2012.Thesesitesincludedsloughs21,11,9A,9,and8A,allofwhichprovidedspawninghabitatforalargepercentageofthechum,pink,andsockeyesalmonthatspawnedwithinthemainstemMiddleRiverfrom1981through1985(seeSection5.6).Additionalsitesweredeterminedin-seasonfromtelemetrytrackingandaerialvisualsurveys.Spawningsiteslocated,butnotsampledformicrohabitatdatain2012,willbere-visitedaspartofthe2013—2014study.Habitatsurveyswereconductedbywalkingthehabitatreachorsub-plotinanupstreamdirectionandidentifyingthelocationofnewlyconstructedredds.Onlyreddsoccupiedbyspawningsalmonweresampledtoensureaccuratespecies-specificHSCdatacollection.Ateachsite,uptofivereddsweresystematicallysampled.Adigitalimage,whenpractical,wastakenofeachsampledredd.Coordinateswererecordedfortheupperandlowerextentofeachspawningpatch(groupingofredds)thatwassampled.Foreachreddsampled,thefollowingmeasurementsofmicrohabitatandobservationsweremade:1.Redddimensions,lengthandwidth,tonearest1.0cm(0.39in),toallowcomputationofarea;2.Waterdepthtothenearest1.0cm(0.39in)attheupstreamendofeachreddmeasuredusingatopsettingwadingrod;3.Meanwatercolumnvelocityattheupstreamendofeachreddtothenearest0.01meterspersecond(m/s;0.033ft/s)usingaSwofferModel2100flowmeter;Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page25February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION4.Turbiditytothenearest1.0NephelometricTurbidityUnit(NTU)usingaHachModel2100Qturbidimeter;5.Substratesize(dominant,sub-dominant,andpercentdominant);C’6.Surfacewatertemperaturetothenearest0.2°C(0.36°F);andC7.Presence/absenceofupwelling.çThisfieldeffortanddatacollectioncriteriawerecoordinatedwiththeInstreamFlowPrograminvestigatorstoensurequalityandconsistentdatacollectionwereachievedfordevelopingHSC.Aspartoftheintegrationofthisstudywiththeinstreamflowstudy,spawninglocationsandmicrohabitatdatawereprovidedtotheinstreamflowstudyteamforuseinthedevelopmentoftheirmodels.Acompilationofsitelocationswasalsosuppliedtotheaquatichabitatandgeomorphicmappingteamtoensurethatnecessarysectionsofriverweredigitized.4.8.Objective7—EffectivenessofMethodsusedin2012Cileconductingthestudy,effortwasspenttoevaluatetheeffectivenessofthemethodsusedin2012andtosuggestchangesornewapproachesin2013and2014.Ourevaluationofmethodsconsistedmainlyofassessingtheeffectivenessoffishwheelstocapturerepresentative(Thproportionsofthesalmonpopulations,andtheusefulnessofradiotelemetrytodescribesalmonQmigrationbehaviorandhabitatuse.Becausethisstudywasalsointerconnectedwithothersconductedbydifferentorganizations,communicationandinformationtransferwerealsoevaluatedtofacilitatecoordinationinfutureyears.Finally,resultsofsalmoncapture,0distribution,andhabitatusewereincorporatedintodevelopmentoftheRSPfor2013—2014studyQyears.oTheuseofsonartosamplefishandhabitatinturbidwaterwasanadditionalevaluation()addressedspecificallyasObjective3,andisdescribedinSection4.4.o4.8.1.CaptureandTaggingofFishatCurry0Inadditiontostreamcountandcarcasssurveydata(Section5.1.3.6),fishcountdatafrom0ADF&G’sinseasonaerialsurveys(SamIvey,AreaManagementBiologist,ADF&G,personal0communication,July25,2012)wereusedtofurtherrefinetheestimatesoftheproportionof0ChinooksalmoncapturedandtaggedattheMiddleRiverfishwheels.C’4.8.2.EffectivenessofRadioTelemetrytoAddressObjectivesTheeffectivenessofradiotelemetryfordescribingmigrationbehavior,spawninglocations,stock-specificrun-timing,post-spawningmortalityandpassagethroughDevilsCanyonwasCassessedusingtheextensivedatacollectedfromfixed-stationreceiversandmobilesurveys.Estimatesofmigrationspeedsandpost-releasetrackingsuccesswerecomparedwiththosefromotherradiotelemetrystudiesconductedonPacificsalmon.Thereliabilityofthetelemetryequipmentwasassessedbycalculatingdetectionefficienciesforeachfixedstationandexaminingthesequentialrecordedforeachradiotagtodetermineifthemortalitysensorswere0functioningproperly.U0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page26February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5.RESULTSFromJune10toOctober20,2012,dailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136)averaged23,073cfsandrangedfromahighof73,584cfsonSeptember22toalowof5,051cfsonOctober20(Figure6).FromJune29toAugust30,watertemperatureoftheMiddleRivernearCurry(RM120)rangedfromalowof9°C(48°F;July9—10)toahighof17°C(63°F;July17—18).5.1.ObjectiveI—FishCapture,Tagging,andTrackingintheMiddleSusitnaRiver5.1.1.FishCapture—Operation,Effort,andCatch5.7.7.7.FishwheelOperationin2072AsstatedinSection4.2.1,threefishwheelswereoperatedattwodifferentsitesnearCurryin2012(Figure3;Photo7;Photo8).Fishwheel1operatedatSite1fromJune17toJuly15,andthenitwasreplacedatSite1byFishwheel3fromJuly16toSeptember1(Photo9).Theriverbankatthissitehadagradualslope,sothefishwheelswereheld20—30ftoffshoreusingsparpolestokeeptheminwaterwithsufficientdepthandvelocitytoturnthebaskets.Asaresult,ablocknetwasrequiredbetweentheriverbankandfishwheelbasketstodirectfishfromthenearshoreareaintothefishwheel.Fishwheei3wasbuiltinmid-JulywithshallowerbasketsthatwerebettersuitedforSite1,particularlywhenriverdischargedecreased.Fishwheel2operatedatSite2fromJune18toAugust22(Photo10).Thissitewasheavilyrip-rappedwithlargeboulderstosupporttheadjacentrailroad.Thefishwheelwaslocatedontheinsidebankofariverbend,soitwassomewhatprotectedfromdebris.Asdischargesdecreasedovertheseason,thefishwheelwasmovedupstreamtokeepitinfast-flowingwater.ODuetohighlyvariablewaterlevels,frequentfishwheeladjustments(inshore/offshore),androckysubstrates,picketweirscouldnotbeusedateithersitetodirectfishawayfromshoreandintothepathofthefishwheel.NoleadswereusedateithersitepriortoJune30.OnJune30,leadswereOinstalledatbothsitesconsistingofnylonnet(2.5-inmesh)strungbetweentheshore-sideOpontoonandriverbank.Rocksweretiedalongbottomofthenetstoholdtheminplace.AreviewofDIDSONfootagecollectedatSite1revealedthatsomefishwerepassingunderneaththeleadnet.OnJuly16,anewleadnet(3.5incoatednylonmeshnet,2.5lb/ftchainforaleadLIline)wasinstalledatSite1.AlthoughtheDIDSONhadbeenremovedfromSite1bythistime,Qthecrewconsideredthenewleadnetimpenetrabletoupstream-migratingfish.5.7.7.2.EffortOTwofishwheeisoperatedatSite1foratotalof807hours(FW1=373hours;FW3=434hours)between11:45A.M.onJune17and7:08P.M.onSeptember1,whichrepresented44.1percentoftheavailabletimetheywereinplace(Figure7;TableC-i).DailyfishingeffortatSite1ranged3from0.0to17.7hours,andfishwheelspeedrangedfrom1.7to4.7RPM.Fishingeffortwas)reducedto4.2hoursonAugust27,and0.0hoursonAugust28,duetoasuddenriseinriver)dischargeandthepresenceoflargewoodydebris.FishingendedfortheseasononSeptember1atSite1whencohosalmoncatchesdroppedtozero.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page27February2013 )REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONfishwheel2operatedforatotalof646hoursatSite2between10:00A.M.onJune18and1:05P.M.onAugust22,whichrepresented41.3percentoftheavailabletimeitwasinplace.DailyfishingeffortatSite2rangedfrom0.0to16.8hours,andfishwheelspeedrangedfrom2.1to4.5RPM.Fishwheel2wasnotoperatedonJuly15ascreweffortswerefocusedonbuildingathirdfishwheel.FishingendedfortheseasononAugust22atSite2afterfiveconsecutivedaysofnocohosalmoncaught.5.1.1.3.Catch(Atotalof566Chinook,1,734chum,265coho,4,705pink,and100sockeye,salmonwere(capturedattheCurryfishwheels(includingjacksandrecaptures;Table2;TableC-2toTableC-C)6).Ofthe566ChinooksalmoncapturedatthefishwheelsfromJune18toAugust9,422(74.6C)percent)wereadultsand144(25.4percent)werejacks(Table2).Themajority(59.9percent)ofChinooksalmonwerecapturedatSite1.PeakdailycatchesoccurredonJune30atSite1(26fish)andJuly2atSite2(21fish;Figure8).Catchperuniteffort(CPUE)peakedat1.8(fish/houratSite1(June30)and1.5fish/houratSite2(July2;Figure9;TableC-2).ChinookC)salmon(n=492)averaged71cmFL(28.0in)andrangedfrom33to123cmFL(13.0to48.4in;Table3).Ofthe100sockeyesalmoncapturedfromJuly2toAugust22,92(92percent)wereadultsandeight(8percent)werejacks(Table2).Themajority(63percent)ofsockeyesalmonwerecapturedatSite2.PeakdailycatchesoccurredonAugust8atSite1(3fish)andAugust6at0Site2(6fish;Figure8).PeakCPUEwas0.3fish/houratSite1(August8)and0.7fish/hourat()Site2(August6;figure9;TableC-3).Sockeyesalmon(n=91)averaged54cmFL(21.3in)andrangedfrom32to72cmFL(12.6to28.3in;Table3).FromJuly16toAugust31,4,164(89percent)pinksalmonwerecaughtatSite1and541(11percent)werecaughtatSite2(Table2).PeakdailycatchesoccurredonAugust3atSite1(451fish)andAugust2atSite2(125fish;Figure8);whileCPUEpeakedat49.5(August6)and14.4(3(August2)fish/hour,respectively,atsites1and2(Figure9;TableC-4).TheaveragelengthofC)pinksalmon(n=588)was49cmFL(19.3in)andrangedfrom34to59cmFL(13.4to23.2in;Table3).ChumsalmonwerecapturedfromJuly10toSeptember1incomparablenumbersatSite1(877fish)andSite2(857fish;Table2).PeakdailycatchesoccurredonAugust2atSite1(66fish)C)andSite2(115fish;figure8).PeakCPUEwasonAugust2(7.5fish/houratSite1,13.2C)fish/houratSite2;Figure9;TableC-5).Chumsalmonaveraged67cmFL(26.4in)andrangedC)from52to77cmFL(20.5to30.3in;n=867;Table3).)FromJuly28toAugust31,264adultcohosalmonandonejackwerecaptured(229atSite1and35atSite2;Table2).DailycatchespeakedonAugust11atSite1(21fish)andAugust7atSite2(7fish;Figure8).PeakdailyCPUEwashigheratSite1(2.3fish/houronAugust11)thanSite)2(0.8fish/houronAugust7;Figure9;TableC-6).Theaveragelengthofcohosalmonwas55cmFL(21.7in)andrangedfrom35to69cmFL(13.8to27.2in;n=250;Table3).Site1wasfishedlonger(807hours)andcapturedmoreChinook,chum,coho,andpinksalmon(3thanSite2(646hours);butdespiteconsiderablylessfishingeffort,Site2capturedmoresockeyesalinonthanSite1.00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page28February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSixotherfishspecieswerecapturedandreleased,including29roundwhitefish,23rainbowtrout,22longnosesucker,sixhumpbackwhitefish,onearcticgrayling,andtwoDoilyVarden.Tissuesamplesandotolithswerecollectedfromaportionofthesefish(Table4).5.1.2.FishTaggingRadiotagswereappliedto352Chinook,279chum,184coho,230pink,and70sockeyesalmonFigure10;TableC-2toTableC-6).Oftheuntagged,healthyadultsalmon(i.e.,excludingjacks)capturedattheCurryflshwheels,radiotagswereappliedto87.6percentofChinook,16.2percentofchum,70.5percentofcoho,4.9percentofpink,and77.8percentofsockeyesalmon.Thesepercentageswerecalculatedbydividingthenumberoftaggedfishofeachspeciesbythetotalnumberofadultfishcaptured,lessanyrecaptures.figure11showsthecumulativeproportionofdailycatch,CPUE,andradiotagsappliedforeachspecies.Thedailynumberofradiotagsappliedpeakedat37forChinook,30forchum,19forcoho,24forpink,andfiveforsockeyesalmon.)SpaghettitagswereappliedtoeverysecondChinooksalmoncapturedfromJune19—22.Ofthe)352radio-taggedChinooksalmon,338(96.0percent)receivedaradiotagonlyand14(4.0)percent)receivedbotharadiotagandspaghettitag.QAnumberoftaggedsalmonwererecapturedattheflshwheels,including20Chinook,sevenchum,threecoho,onepink,andtwosockeyesalmon(Table5).Ofthese,fourchumandonepinksalmonwerespaghetti-taggedbyADf&GattheLowerRiverflshwheels.Ofthesalmon0bothtaggedandrecapturedatCurry,23wererecapturedatSite1and10atSite2.Theradio)tagsfromtwoChinooksalmonrecaptureswereremovedpriortorelease(onewastaggedinthe-LowerRiverandonewastaggedintheMiddleRiver).5.1.3.Diagnostics—EffectivenessofCatch,RepresentationofRun5.1.3.7.TestsforHandling-InducedChangesinBehaviorForChinooksalmonradio-taggedattheCurryfishwheels,theelapsedtimebetweentagandrecaptureeventsrangedfrom3minutesto11days(median=6.9hours,n=13;Table6).NineoutofthirteenChinooksalmonwererecapturedthesamedayastheyhadbeentagged(0—7hourdelay),twowererecapturedthedayafterbeingtagged(15and23hourdelay),andtwowererecapturedseveraldayslater(6and11daydelay).ThreeChinooksalmonradio-taggedintheLowerRiverwererecapturedattheCurryflshwheeis26to29days(median=26.7days)afterreleaseintheLowerRiver.Twosockeyesalmonradio-taggedattheCurryflshwheelswererecaptured2.6hoursand20.7daysafterbeingtagged;twochumsalmonwerecaptured0.6and2.2hoursafterbeingtagged;andthreecohosalmonwererecaptured1.6hours,1.9hours,and8daysafterbeingtagged.NopinksalmontaggedatCurrywererecaptured.Basedontravelspeeds,onlychumsalmonhadapotentialpost-taggingsulkingeffect(seesection5.2.3.4foradetailedassessment).OfthethirteenCurry-taggedChinooksalmonrecaptured(i.e.,capturedtwice),eightweredetectedtravellingupstreamattheGatewaystationandcouldthusbeusedfortravelspeedcomparisonswithfishcapturedonlyonce(note:theotherfivefishweretrackedelsewhere,theyjustwerenotdetectedattheGatewaystation).fromCurrytotheGatewaystation,radio-taggedfishcapturedtwicetravelledslower(mean=9.1kmlday[5.7milday],n=8)thandidfishSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page29February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONcapturedonlyonce(mean=10.6km/day[6.6mi/day],n=204).Thesampleofeightfishwastoosmallandthevariationaroundthemeantoolargetoattemptstatisticstocorrectforanyconfoundingoftimetrendsindischargeandanypotentialvariationinfishwheelcatchefficiencies,bothofwhichcouldinfluencethismetric.RecapturedChinooksalmonwereassessedforevidenceofmultiplecapturesaffectingtheirCabilitytomigrateawayfromthetaggingsite,andforevidenceofdisproportionatecaptureoffish(boundformainstemriverhabitats.Fourteenradio-taggedChinooksalmon(12taggedatCurryandtwotaggedintheLowerRiverwithsufficientdataforanalysis)wererecapturedatCurryandreleasedasecondtimewiththeirradiotagsintactandthetagcoderecorded(note:some0codeswerenotrecordedandthereforecouldnotbeincludedintheanalysis).Forthissmall0samplesize,one(7.1percent)waslastdetectedatthereleasesite(potentialhandlingeffect)and0theremaining13(92.9percent)weretrackedintotributaries.Ninety-sevenpercentoffish(allspecies)radio-taggedspentlessthan10minutesinthefishwheellivetankspriortotaggingand84percentspentlessthanfiveminutes.Noradio-taggedfish(allspecies)wereheldinthelivetanksforlongerthan2$minutes.Duetoalackof()contrastinholdingtimes,wedidnotevaluatepost-releasesurvivalandmigrationbehaviorasa()functionofholdingtime.5.7.3.2.TestforEqualCaptureProbabilitiesbyTimeC)Temporallystratifiedmark-ratedatawerenotobtainedfromspawninggroundsurveysduetoa0combinationoflimitedaccesstoclear-waterspawningareasandtoofewcarcassesavailablein0accessibleclear-waterhabitats(seeSection5.1.3.6).AsaresultwecouldnotdirectlytestforC)equalcaptureprobabilil25ltiesovertimeatthefishwheels.Section5.1.3.5describestheresults)ofusingDIDSONtoevaluatefishwheeleffectiveness.)Duetonear-recordhighwaterlevelsatthestartoftheseason,thefishwheelatSite1didnotbeginoperatinguntilJune17(targetstartdatewassecondweekofJune).Despitethisdelay,nofishwerecaughtonthefirstdayofoperationandonlyoneChinooksalmonwascaughtonJune018.ThisinitialzeropointsuggeststhatitwasunlikelythatmanyChinooksalmonpassedCurry0priortotheonsetofsampling.Historically,0.0—3.5percent(mean=1.7percent)ofChinook)salmoncatchesattheCurryfishwheelsoccurredpriortoJune17.FishingatCurrywasstoppedfortheseasononSeptember1.Nocohosalmonwerecapturedthatday,andonlyonecohosalmonwascapturedonAugust31.Historically,0.0—13.7percent(mean=6.5percent)ofcohosalmoncatchesattheCurryfishwheelsoccurredafterSeptember1.Itwaspossiblethatasmallportionoflate-runcohosalmonpassedCurryafterthefishwheelswereshutdownandwaterlevelssubsidedafterSeptember1.5.7.3.3.TestsforEqualCaptureProbabilitiesbyArea(Stock)ForthesamereasonsdescribedinSection5.1.3.2,geographicallystratifiedmark-rateinformationwasnotcollectedin2012whichprecludeddirecttestsforequalcaptureprobabilities0byareas(stock).)Ofthe21radio-taggedsalmonrecapturedattheCurryfishwheelswithknownfinaldestinations,)two(9.5percent)wereclassifiedasmainsternspawners(slough/sidechannel),whereas19fishQ()Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page30February20130 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoN(90.5percent)wereclassifiedastributaryspawners.Theseresultsindicatemainstemspawningpopulationswerenotmorevulnerabletocapturethantributaryspawners.AtCurry,therewassomeevidenceofpossiblestock-specificbankorientationbycohosalmon,butnotbytributarystocksofChinook,chum,orpinksalmon.Samplesizesforsockeyesalmon0weretoosmalltoevaluate.AlargerproportionofcohosalmontaggedontheeastbankatCurryo(25percent)returnedtoPortageCreekcomparedtothosetaggedonthewestbank(9.6percent;=5.3,P=0.02);oneofthecellsinthecontingencytableanalysis,however,hadanexpectedvaluelessthanfivebecauseofsmallsamplesizes.Conversely,alargerproportionofcoho)salmontaggedonthewestbank(41.0percent)returnedtoIndianRivercomparedtothoseOtaggedontheeastbank(14.3percent;=7.3,P=0.01).TheproportionofChinooksalmonreturningtoPortageCreekdidnotdifferforfishtaggedontheeast(48.1percent)andwest(42.6percent)banksatCurry(x2=1.0,P=0.32).Similarly,theproportionofChinooksalmonreturningtoIndianRiverdidnotdifferorfishtaggedontheeast(20.2percent)andwest(26.5)percent)banks(x2=1.8,P=0.18).5.1.3.4.TestsforEqualCaptureProbabilitiesbyFishSizeSizeselectivityatthefishwheelscouldnotbedirectlytestedin2012becausetherewerenotenoughindependent,unbiasedlengthsamplesavailableforcomparison.AsperSection5.1.3.6,groundsurveysconductedtocollectlengthdataobservedthattherewerefewcarcassesavailabletomeasure.OnlythreeadultChinooksalmonweremeasuredforlengthonthespawninggrounds(allfromtheIndianRiver).forallspecies,therewerenosignificantdifferencesdetectedbetweenthecumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsites1and2(Table7;Figure12;figure13).Similarly,thecumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsites1and2(combined)werenotsignificantlydifferentthanthoseforfishthatwereradio-tagged(Table7;Figure14;figure15).Theseresultsindicatethatfishcaughtatsites1and2,aswellasthosethatwerecaughtandtagged,hadsimilarlengthdistributions.However,wecouldnotdeterminewhetherthelengthdistributionsoffishsampledatthefishwheelswerenecessarilyrepresentativeofthepopulationpassingCurry.5.1.3.5.UseofDIDSONtoAssessFishwheelEffectivenessTheDIDSONwasoperatedconsistentlyfromJune15toJuly4belowthefishwheelatSite1.TheDIDSONhelpedtoestablishinitialfishingsites,evaluateleadnetconfigurationsandfishwheeleffectiveness,andtoobservesalmonswimmingbehavior(Table8;figure16)inproximitytothefishwheel.TheDIDSONwasnotoperatedoncethefishwheelsappearedeffectiveatmeetingthetagginggoalsandfishwheelCPUEappearedtobeagoodindicationofruntiming.DatafromtheDIDSONwasalsonotusedtoaddresstheextendedtemporalaspectsofthequestionsbelow(i.e.,acrosstheseason)5.1.3.5.1.Werefishwheelsestablishedintimetocapturetheleadingandtrailingendsofeachspeciesrun?DIDSONcountscorrectedforsamplingeffort(countsperhour)providedagoodindicationthattheleadingedgeoftheChinooksalmonrunwascaptured(figure17;figure18).ThisconclusionwasfurtherreinforcedbytheCPUEofthefishwheelatSite1(figure10).Reviewoffull24-hourDIDSONfilesfromJune15—16providedcountsofthreeandfiveChinooksalmon,Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page31February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONrespectively.ThefishwheelCPUEgenerallyconformedtotherelativechangesinChinooksalmonobservedintheDIDSONdata,althoughdatawasnotanalyzedthroughthepeakoftheChinooksalmonrun.TheDIDSONwasnotoperatedafterthefishwheelswereremovedonSeptember1andthereforeitwasnotusedtocharacterizetheendoftherunatCurry.TheDIDSONcouldnotbeusedtoaddresstheendofspecies-specificrunsthatmayhaveoccurredatCurrypriortothefishwheelsshuttingdownbecausedistinguishingamongthefishspeciesmigratinginAugustwouldhavebeenimpossible.Instead,fishwheelCPUEwasusedtoassessthetailendofeachrun.5.7.3.5.2.CantheDIDSONbeusedtoassessfishwheel(andnetlead)placement?ShorterblocksofDIDSONdatawerereviewedfromJune21—28andonJuly4tohelpanswer3questionsaboutmigrationbehaviorandpotentialchangestofishwheeleffectivenessfollowinga3weirinstallation.Thesedataprovidedcrewsinthefieldwithexcellentnearvideo-qualityimageryofthefishapproachingthenetleadandthefishwheelbaskets.fishwereobservedmovingunderthenetpriortoimprovementstotheanchoringsystem,andfishwereseenmoving0throughtheareabetweentheendoftheleadandthefishwheelbaskets.05.7.3.5.3.Werefishmigratingoffshoreofthefishwheel?0ThemajorityofChinooksalmonreviewedonDIDSONdataappearedtobebankorientedandwereobservedbetween1and6m(3and20if)fromshore,withthemajorityoffishdetectedat4m(13if;figure18).GiventhatdetectabilityoffishbytheDIDSONgenerallydecreaseswith0range,Figure16shouldbeinterpretedwithcaution.However,intheareaofwhatwouldbe0consideredhighdetectability(outtoatleast8inor26if),thefishpeakat4m(13if)andbegintodecline.Ofpossiblygreaterimportancewasthatthefishsize(asmeasuredfromtheDIDSONimagery)didnotshowapatternorsignificantdifferenceacrossthelengthsofChinooksalmon0andthedistancetravelledfromshore(Figure19).35.1.3.5.4.Wasthereadie!patternofmigrationatthefishwheelsites?03AnalysisofvideofilesfromJune21—28,duringhourswhenthefishwheelwasnotoperational,alongwithcomplete24-hourvideoanalysisfromJune15—20,coirfirmedthatthemajorityofChinooksalmonweremigratingbetween8:00A.M.and22:00P.M.andthatthemajorityofthismigrationoccurredduringhoursofdailyfishwheeloperations(Figure20).Infact,thesedata,3combinedwithfishwheelCPUE,wereusedtooptimizetheperiodsoffishingforthefishwheels.)5.1.3.6.StreamCountsandCarcassSurveys)Ground-basedstreamcountsandcarcasssurveys,aerial-trackingsurveys,andaerial-countingsurveys(ADF&G)wereusedtoestimatethemarkrateofChinooksalmoninPortageCreekandIndianRiver.Riverdischargeandturbiditywerelowduringallsurveysmakingvisibilityverygoodorexcellentforcountingfish.Thesedataweregenerallyinsufficientforrigorouslytestingassumptionsaboutcatchratesandrepresentativenessofthetaggedfishbutarepresentedhereforcompletenessandtoinfonnplanningeffortsfor2013.0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page32February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5.1.3.6.7.GroundandAerial-TrackingSurveysVisualgroundsurveys(streamwalks)ofChinooksalmonwereconductedinsectionsofPortageCreek(July30)andIndianRiver(July31andAugust8;Table9;Table10).Forallofthegroundsurveys,crewsconsideredtheirobserverefficiencytoberoughly80percent.OnJuly30inPortageCreek,surveyorsonfootcounted146liveChinooksalmon,andestimatedanother34inpartofasidechannelblockedbyabrownbear(Ursusarctos).Basedonanobserverefficiencyof80percent,the180fishcountedrepresentedapproximately225fishpresentinthesurveyarea.Aconcurrentaerial-trackingsurveydocumented29tags,andwasassumedtohave100percentdetectionefficiencyinthestudyarea.Basedontheseresults,themarkrateofChinooksalmoninPortageCreekwas13percent(29tags/216fishtotal).Toboundthisestimate,anobserverefficiencyof50percent(unreasonablylow)yieldsamarkrateof11percent(29radiotags/270fish),andanobserverefficiencyof100percent(anunrealisticallyhighnumber)yieldsamarkrateof16percent(29radiotags/180fish).OnJuly31,82liveChinooksalmonwerecountedduringagroundsurveyinIndianRiver(Table9;Table10),and11activetagsweredetectedduringtheaerial-trackingsurvey.Again,assuminganobserverefficiencyof80percentduringthegroundsurveys,themarkrateofChinooksalmonwithinthesampledreachofIndianRiverwas11percent(11tags/98fishtotal).OnAugust8,43liveChinooksalmonwerecountedduringagroundsurveyinIndianRiver,and17activeradiotagsweredetectedduringanaerial-trackingsurveyofthesamearea(Table9;Table10).However,becausetheground-surveycrewfoundthreecarcassesinthewoodscontainingradiotagsthatwereemittinganactivesignal,theestimatednumberofactivetagswasdecreasedto14.Assuming80percentobserverefficiencyforgroundsurveys,theestimatedmark-ratewas27percent.Webelievethisestimatemaybebiasedhighbecauseofuncertaintyinthenumberoftagsemittinganactivesignalthatwereunavailabletotheground-surveycrew.Surveysthatoccurpriortosignificantnumbersofdeadfishappearinginthestreamlikelyprovidebetterbutstillpotentiallybiased(high)mark-rateestimates.OneChinooksalmoncarcasswasfoundduringthesurveyofPortageCreekonJuly30(Photo11).Thisfishwasapre-spawnradio-taggedmalethathadbeenpartiallyconsumedbyabear(conditionofcarcassprecludedmeasuringforlength).NocarcasseswerefoundinIndianRiver.OnAugust2,5,and8,effortsweremadetorecoverinactiveradiotagsinIndianRiver.Intotal,20radiotagswererecovered,ofwhichthemajoritywereassumedtobeassociatedwithbearpredation(Table11;TableD-1).Indicatorsofbearpredationincludedfishremainsincloseproximitytoaradiotag,aradiotagfoundinthewoods,oracombinationofboth.Itcouldnotbedeterminediftheactualcauseofmortalitywasbearpredation,natural,orhumaninduced.DuetobearsremovingcarcassesinIndianRiver(andlikelyPortageCreek),carcassrecoverywasnotasuitablemethodofobtainingsamplestoevaluatefishwheelmarkrates,sizeselectivity,orhandling-relatedeffectsonmortality.5.1.3.6.2.Aerial-CountingSurvey(ADF&G)OnJuly24,ADf&Gaerial-countingsurveyscountedatotalof338and501liveChinooksalmoninIndianRiverandPortageCreek,respectively(Table12;SamIvey,ADF&G,pers.comm.,July25,2012).Anaerial-trackingsurveywasconductedonthesamedayand77radio-taggedSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page33February2013 UREPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONChinooksalmonweredetectedinIndianRiver(69live,$dead)and153tagsweredetectedinPortageCreek(139live,14dead).Overall,4.4ChinooksalmonwerecountedforeveryradiotagpresentintheIndianRiverand3.5fishwerecountedforeveryradiotaginPortageCreekC)(Table12).BasedondetectionsoflivetagsfromCurry-taggedfish,andassuming100percentC)observerefficiencyduringtheADF&Gaerial-countingsurveys,theestimatedmarkrateofCurry-taggedfishwas23percent(19percentforIndianRiverand26percentforPortageCreek).Theobserverefficiencyduringtheaerial-countingsurveyswaslikelylessthan100percent.Weconductedasensitivityanalysistoillustratehowtheobserverefficiencyduringtheaerial-CcountingsurveyswouldaffecttheestimatedmarkrateofCurry-taggedfish(Table12).ForC)example,iftheobserverefficiencyduringaerial-countingsurveyswasintherangeof50percent,thentheoverallmarkrateofCurry-taggedfishwouldbeapproximately12percent.Notethat9.6percentofthe230radiotagsdetectedinPortageCreekandIndianRiveronJuly24weretransmittinginactivesignals;however,nodeadChinooksalmonwereobservedduringthe0aerial-countingsurvey.Thesedatashouldnotbeusedtoestimatetheefficiencyoftheaerial(observertoseecarcassesbecauseaportionofthesefishmayhavebeeninthewoodsorotherwiseoutsideofthesurveyedarea.C)Insummary,the2012spawnersurveysresultedincrudemark-rateestimatesofunknownprecisionandbias.Theseresultswillbeusedtoimprovetheprogramin2013.5.1.4.TrackingofTaggedSalmon5.1.4.1.Fixed-StationReceiverDetectionEfficiency0Detectionefficienciesandoperationalperiodsweresummarizedforeachmajorfixed-stationreceiversite(Table13;Table14;Table15).Slough11andSlough21weredeliberatelylocatedawayfromthemainstemriverbankandnotdesignedtodetectfishmigratingupthemainstemC)river;thelowdetectionefficienciesatthesestationsisthereforenotindicativeofpoorC)performance.AsnotedinSection4.2.4.2,theIndianRiverandPortageCreekstationshadsignificantperiodsofreceiverinactivitywhenmanyfishwerepotentiallymissed(July1—10,andAugust2—4forbothsites;August10—14againforIndian).C)5.7.4.2.TagReturnsEightsalmontaggedintheMiddleRiverwererecoveredbyanglers(TableD-l).TwoChinooksalmontagswerefoundintheIndianRiveronAugust18.OnechumsalmonwasrecoveredonAugust8intheByersCreekdrainage(ChulitnaRiver).Itmigrated22milesdownstreamafterreleaseatSite1onJuly22,andthen27milesuptheChulitnaRiverpriortorecovery.Threecohosalmonwerecaughtbyanglers:twoatthemouthofByer’sCreek(August15andSeptember13)andoneatthemouthofPortageCreek(August26).TwopiiiksalmonwererecoveredinClearCreek(August16andOctober3).Thesefishmigrated22milesdownstreamafterreleaseatSite2onAugust10,thenapproximately6milesuptheTailceetnaRiverpriortocapture.Forty-fouroftheradiotagsdeployedintheLowerRiverwererecovered(presumablybyanglers;TableD-2).Thisincluded15ChinooksalmonrecoveredintheDeshka(8),Tailceetna(2),andChulitna(1)rivers,aswellasWillow(1),Sheep(1),Montana(1),andSunshine(1)creeks.FivechumsalmonwererecoveredfromtheYentnaRiver(1)andWillow(2)andMontana(2)creeks.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page34February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTwentycohosalmonwererecoveredfromavarietyoftributaries,includingtheDeshka(6),Yentna(5),Tailceetna(3)andKashwitna(1)rivers,andonefromeachofAlexander,Willow,Goose,Sunshine,andRabideauxcreeks.Threepinksalmonwererecovered:oneinIndianRiver,oneinWillowCreek,andoneinMontanaCreek.Andlastly,onesockeyesalmonwasrecoveredintheYentnaRiver.5.7.43.RadioTagPerformanceNoproblemsweredetectedwiththeperformanceoftheradiotagsin“active”mode.Ofthe1,115salmonreleasedwithradiotagsatCurry,onlyonewasnotdetectedafterrelease.Radiotagswerereadilydetectedatdistancesupto2km(1.2mi)duringaerialsurveysandupto500m(0.3nil)duringon-watersurveys.Mirecoveredradiotagsweretransmittingwhenrecovered.QThemortalitysensorsmalfunctionedinsometags.AsdescribedinSection4.2.4.1,eachradiotagwasequippedwithamortalitysensorthatchangedthesignalpatterntoan“inactive”modeoncethetagbecamestationaryfor24hours(i.e.,thefishispresumeddead).OftheradiotagsOdeployedintheMiddleRiveranddetectedduringAEAmobilesurveys,87percententered)mortalitymode.Ofthese,10.2,7.5,and6.7percentofsmall,midsizedandlargemodeltags‘resurrected’(i.e.,changedfromtheirmortalitysignalmode,inwhichtheyweresupposedtobelocked)tothelivesignalmode(Table16).Themajorityofresurrectioneventsoccurredduringperiodsofincreasingriverdischarge,presumablytheresultofcarcasseswashingdownstreamO(Figure21).Additionally,asmallfraction(0.0to1.7percent)ofradiotagshadfaultysensors,asotheyremainedinlivemodewhentheywerelikelyinfishthathadbeendeadforlongerthan24hours.Theproportionofmalfunctioningtags(resurrectionsandsensorfailurescombined)waslargestforsmallmodeltags(10.1percent),followedbylarge(6.4percent)andmidsized(6.3Opercent)modeltags.AlthoughtagmalfunctionscanmakeitmoredifficulttodeterminetheObehaviorandsubsequentfateofaradio-taggedfish,thiswasnotasignificantissuein2012dueatothefrequencyofmobilesurveys.O5.2.Objective2—MigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsinOtheLower,Middle,andUpperSusitnaRiver0Radio-taggedsalmonwereassignedtospawninglocationsbasedonmobileandfixed-stationOreceiverdatacollectedfromMay9throughOctober16intheLowerRiver,June17throughONovember12intheMiddleRiver,andJune29throughSeptember4intheUpperRiver.IntheLowerRiver,mobilesurveyswereflown11timesbelowtheDeshkaRiverconfluenceand18—21timesbetweentheDeshkaandTailceetnarivers(TableB-3).IntheMiddleRiver,aerialandgroundreconnaissancesurveyswereconducted23timesfromTallceetnatoLane,andfrom34toO37timesalongthemainstembetweenLaneandImpediment1(dependingonthearea),31timesOinthereachfromImpediment1toCheechakoCreek,22to24timesbetweenCheechakoCreekandDevilStation,and16timesfromDevilStationtoWatanaCreek(TableB-3).IntheUpperRiver,therewere14aerialsurveysinthereachfromWatanaCreektoKosinaCreek.Thereach0aboveKosinaCreekwassurveyedonce(TableB-3).0PotentialspawninglocationsintheMiddleandUpperRiverwerevisuallyvalidatedinseason)whenwaterconditionsweresuitabletoguideadditionalsonarandphysicalhabitatdataOcollections(seeSections5.3and5.6).WaterturbidityinthemainchanneloftheLowerRiverwasalwaystoohightovisuallyconfirmanypotentialspawningsalmon.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page35February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONEachofthe1,742radio-taggedfishreleasedintheLowerRiverand1,115radio-taggedfishreleasedintheMiddleRiverwasassignedafinaldestinationusingallavailablefixedstationandmobiletrackingdata(Table17).Theportionofeachspeciestrackedtotributaries,thevariousmainstemhabitattypes,andotherlocationsispresentedinFigure22foreachreleasesite.Trackingresultsbyspeciesaredescribedinthefollowingsections.5.2.1.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocations—LowerRiver(AllfivespeciesofsalmontaggedintheLowerRiverweretrackedasdescribedin4.3.1,thenassignedacategoryofspawningdestination(MainstemorTributary)ifpossible.Asdescribedin4.3.2.1,MainstemspawningdestinationswerethemainstemoftheSusitnaRiver(only),andTributaryspawningdestinationswerewithintheallriversandstreamsflowingintotheSusitnaRiver.TaggedfishthatcouldnotbeconfidentlyassignedtooneofthesedestinationcategorieswereclassifiedasOther;thesefishdidnotshowspawningbehaviororwereunabletobelocatedaftertagging(Table17).Destinationsaredescribedbyspecies,below,anddonotaccountforpotentialfactorssuchasbankorientationatthetaggingsites(e.g.,Merizonetal.2010),whichcanaffectresultssuchastheproportionaldistributionofsalmonthatremaininthemainstemofariverormigrateintotributaries(e.g.,Yanuszetal.2011).5.2.7.7.ChinookSalmonC)Ofthe442ChinooksalmontaggedintheLowerRiver,371(84percent)wereclassifiedby0destination.Ofthese,360(97percent)wenttotributaries(mainlytheDeshka,Chulitna,C)Talkeetna,andYentnarivers),and11(3percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaC)River(Table17;Figure22;Figure23).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination(see“otherclassifications”inTable17)exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries.Chinooksalmonweretaggedupstreamof0theYentnaRiverconfluence(Yanuszetal.2013),therebyreducingthepotentialnumberUmigratingintothismajortributaryandincreasingtheproportionavailableformainstemspawning(relativetospeciestaggeddownstreamoftheYentnaRiverconfluence).Telemetrycrewstracked10radio-taggedChinooksalmontoninemainstemspawninglocationsclassifiedas“possible”withintheLowerRiver(Figure24).SixoftheninelocationswerebetweentheconfluencewiththeYentnaandDeshkarivers,andthreeofthetenfishwereattheC)mouthoftheDeshkaRiver.Initially,oneChinooksalmonwasclassifiedas“likely”ata)spawninglocationduetothecloseproximityofthesequentialdetections,butthefirstdetectionofthattaginmortalitymodewasJune29andthuswellbeforethespawningperiod.5.2.7.2.ChumSalmonOfthe400chumsalmontaggedintheLowerRiver,315(79percent)wereclassifiedbyC)destination.Ofthese,283(90percent)wenttotributaries(mainlytheYentna,TallceetnaandC)Chulitnarivers;Table17;Figure22;Figure23)and32(10percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page36February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTelemetrycrewstrackedfourradio-taggedchumsalmontomainstemspawninglocationsclassifiedas“likely”and26tolocationsclassifiedas“possible”withintheLowerRiver(figure25).ThegreatestconcentrationofdetectionswasfromimmediatelydownstreamoftheDeshkaRiverconfluence,upstreamtotheKashwitnaRiverconfluence.Ofthefourchumsalmonclassifiedas“likely”mainstemspawners,oneappearedtobewithinmainchannelhabitatsandthreewerelikelyassociatedwithsidechannel/sloughhabitattypes.5.2.7.3.CohoSalmonOfthe399cohosalmontaggedintheLowerRiver,349(87percent)wereclassifiedbydestination.Ofthese,326(93percent)wenttotributaries(mainlytheYentna,Chulitna,Ta&eetna,andDeshkarivers)and23(7percent)andwenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22;Figure23).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).)Telemetrycrewstrackedthreecohosalmontomainstemspawninglocationsclassifiedas3“likely”and20tolocationsclassifiedas“possible”withintheLowerRiver(figure26).Ofthethreecohosalmonclassifiedas“likely”spawners,onewasassociatedwithmainchannelhabitat,onewithsidechannel/sloughhabitat,andonewithtributarymouthhabitat.AggregationsofpossiblespawnersweredistributedthroughouttheLowerRiverfromjustabovetheflshwheel0taggingsitestositesneartheconfluencewithWhiskersCreekabovetheChulitnaRiverjunction.D5.2.7.4.PinkSalmonDOOfthe401pinksalmontaggedintheLowerRiver,383(96percent)wereclassifiedbydestination.Ofthese,372(97percent)wenttotributaries(mainlytheYentna,Chulitna,DeshkaandTailceetnarivers)and11(3percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiverO(Table17;Figure22;Figure23).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecific0destination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemorotributaries(Table17).0Telemetrycrewstrackedtwopinksalmontomainstemspawninglocationsclassifiedas“likely”andninetolocationsclassifiedas“possible”withintheLowerRiver(Figure27).Ofthetwopinksalmonclassifiedas“likely”spawners,onewasassociatedwithasidechannel/sloughOhabitatincloseproximitytotheconfluenceofWillowCreek,andtheotherwasinamainOchannelhabitatjustdownstreamoftheconfluencewiththeKashwitnaRiver.Allaggregationsoofpinksalmondetectionswereincloseproximitytotributaryconfluences.5.2.7.5.SockeyeSalmonAll(100%)ofthe100sockeyesalmontaggedintheLowerRiverwereclassifiedbydestination,withmost(96)migratingtothenearbyYentnaRiver.OftheremainingfourfishtwoweretrackedtotheChulitnaRiver,onetotheDeshkaRiver,andonetoamainstemlocationintheMiddleRiverupstreamofLaneCreek(Table17;Figure22;Figure23).DestinationsofLowerRiversockeyesalmonlikelyreflectadisproportionateuseoftheYentnaRiverafterbeingtaggedjustdownstreamoftheYentnaRivermouth(J.Erickson,ADF&GRegionalResearchCoordinator,February8,2013).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page37February2013 0REPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTI0NANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNU5.2.2.StockClassificationsandSpawningLocations—MiddleandUpperRiverIntheMiddleSusitna,wedidnotdistinguishbetween“possible”and“likely”spawninglocationsbecauseitwasmoreimportanttodisplaytheconsistencybetweentheSeptemberandFinaltrackingresultsforeachspecies(figures28—32)andthedataavailablefortheMiddleRiverwasmuchmoreextensivethanthatfortheLowerRiver.Consequently,wehaveclassifiedallthemainstemspawninglocationsontheMiddleRiverderivedfromradiotelemetrydataas“potential”spawninglocations.Latersectionsofthereportpresentthelocationsofvisuallyconfirmedspawningsitesandcomparethesewiththe“potential”spawninglocations.5.2.2.1.ChinookSalmon0Ofthe352ChinooksalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,317(90percent)wereabletobe0classifiedbydestination.Ofthese,286(90percent)wenttotributaries(mainlyPortageCreekorUIndianRiver;Figure33)and31(10percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstem$usitnaRiverC)(Table17;Figure22).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,0exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).Thetelemetrycrewstrackedradio-taggedChinooksalmonto13potentialmainstemspawning0locationsinbetweenCurryandPortageCreek,priortotheendofAugust.Eachofthese0locationswasvisuallyexaminedduringmobilesurveys(helicopterorboat;Table18;Figure28).0Ourfinalanalysisoftheradiotelemetrydatarevealedoneadditionalfishtrackedtoa“potential”0mainsternspawninglocationjustupstreamofCheechakoCreekaboveImpediment1(figure28).Noevidenceofspawningwasdetectedatanyofthe13locationssurveyed.Holdingbehaviorwasdocumentedatthreetributarydeltalocations(4thofJulyCreek,IndianRiver,andPortageQCreek)andtwomainstemlocations(betweenGatewayandSlough11,andbetweenIndianRiverC)andSlough21;Table18).AllmainstemlocationsweretooturbidtoassessusingvisualsurveytechniquesduringthepeakspawningperiodforChinooksalmon(July25—August15).ChinooksalmonwastheonlysalmonspeciesdetectedspawningupstreamofPortageCreek.Thetelemetrycrewtrackedradio-taggedChinooksalmonupstreamofPortageCreektoone0potentialmainsternspawninglocationandfourpotentialspawningtributaries(oneofwhichwasQintheUpperRiver).HighwaterturbiditypreventedvisualconfirmationofspawningintheC)mainstemlocation,whichwasneartheCheechakoCreekstation.Ofthefourpossiblespawningtributaries,Cheechako,Chinook,andDevilcreeksweretooturbulenttoverifyspawningactivityfromtheair,andsteepterrainprecludedlandingthehelicopterforgroundsurveys.ThepotentialspawningareainbothCheechakoandChinookcreekswasthelower0.5mileofeachstream.TheDevilCreekpotentialspawningareawasthelower1.5miles(belowabarrierwaterfall).IntheupperRiver,KosinaCreekwastheonlypotentialspawningarealocated.TheKosinaCreeklocationwas6.5milesupstreamfromtheSusitnaRiver;mostofthetaggedChinooksalmonwerelocatedinalowgradientreach.AgroundlevelsurveyonJuly27visuallyconfirmedthepresenceofChinooksalmonupstreamfromwhereTsisiCreekentersKosinaCreek,butspawningactivitywasnotvisuallyconfirmed.5.2.2.2.ChumSalmonC)Ofthe279churnsalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,230(82percent)wereabletobeclassified0bydestination.Ofthese,175(76percent)wenttotributaries(mainlyPortageCreekandIndian3Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page38February20130)( REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONandTailceetnarivers)and55(24percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainsternSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22;Figure33).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).Radiotelemetrycrewstrackedtaggedchumsalmonto19potentialmainstemspawningorholdingsitesintheMiddleRiver;thesesiteswerethenvisuallysurveyedusingaerialorboat-basedobservations(Table19;Figure29).Spawningwasvisuallyconfirmedatsixsloughsandtwotributarydeltalocations.ChumsalmonwereinitiallyvisuallyconfirmedspawningonAugust15in4thofJulySloughandSlough21,andwerethefirstsalmonspeciesvisuallyconfirmedspawninginmainstemSusitnaRiverhabitats.Holdingwasvisuallyconfirmedatsixsloughsandfourtributarydeltalocations(Table19).Noevidenceofholdingorspawningwasdetectedatthesixpotentialmainstemlocations,wherewaterwastooturbidtoseechumsalmoninlateAugustduringthepresumedpeakofspawning.5.2.2.3.CohoSalmonOfthe184cohosalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,145(79percent)wereabletobeclassifiedbydestination.Ofthese,122(84percent)wenttotributaries(primarilytheIndianRiverandPortageandJackLongcreeks)and23(16percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22;Figure33).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).Radiotelemetrycrewstrackedtaggedcohosalmonto10potentialmainstemspawningorholdingsitesintheMiddleRiver;thesesiteswerethenvisuallysurveyedusingaerialorboat-basedobservations(Table20;Figure30).Crewsdidnotvisuallyconfirmspawningatanysites,butvisuallyconfirmedholdingatonesiteinthetributarydelta.RadiotelemetryandaerialvisualsurveysforcohosalmoncontinueduntilNovember12.Visualobservationsofmainstemspawningactivityduringthepeakofthecohosalmonrunwerecomplicatedbyhigherthannormalriverdischarge,heavyflooding,andassociatedhighturbiditylevels.NoevidenceofmainstemspawningbycohosalmonwasseeninfiveaerialsurveysconductedafterwaterlevelssubsidedinearlyOctober.5.2.2.4.PinkSalmonOfthe230pinksalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,163(71percent)wereabletobeclassifiedbydestination.Ofthese,154(94percent)wenttotributaries(primarilyIndianRiver,PortageCreek,4thofJulyCreek,andTalkeetnaRiver)and9(6percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22;Figure33).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).RadiotelemetrycrewstrackedtaggedpinksalmontosixpotentialmainstemspawningorholdingsitesintheMiddleRiver;thesesiteswerethenvisuallysurveyedusingaerialorboat-basedobservations(Table21;Figure31).Crewsdidnotvisuallyconfirmspawningatanysites,butvisuallyconfirmedholdingbehavioratthreetributarydeltas(themouths0f4thofJulyCreek,IndianRiver,andPortageCreek;Table21).Surveysincluded.multiplevisitstoSloughs11andSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page39February2013 c)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION()021,whichcontainedasubstantialproportionofpinksalmonspawninginmainsternhabitatsfrom1981through1985(seeSection5.5.1.4).5.2.2.5.SockeyeSalmonOfthe70sockeyesalmontaggedintheMiddleRiver,47(67percent)wereabletobeclassifiedbydestination.Ofthese,10(21percent)wenttotributaries(threetoPortageCreek,threetoChulitnaRiver,twoto4thofJulyCreek,andoneeachtoIndianandTailceetnarivers)and37(79percent)wenttodestinationsinthemainstemSusitnaRiver(Table17;Figure22;Figure33).Theremainingsalmon,notabletobeclassifiedbyaspecificdestination,exhibitedmovementsthatpreventedconclusiveassignmenttothemainstemortributaries(Table17).Radiotelemetrycrewstrackedtaggedsockeyesalmonto13potentialmainstemspawningor()holdingsitesintheMiddleRiver;thesesiteswerethenvisuallysurveyedusingaerialorboat-()basedobservations(Table22;Figure32).SockeyesalmonwerefirstvisuallyconfirmedCDspawningonAugust22,andspawningwasvisuallyverifiedinatotaloffiveSusitnaRivermainstemhabitats(foursloughsandasidechannel).Noevidenceofholdingorspawningsockeyewasdetectedattheothereightlocationswithtaggedsockeye,wherewaterturbiditywasQhigh(Table22).05.2.3.MigrationBehavior05.2.3.1.RoamingBehaviorintheMiddleSusitnaRiveroSeveralfishtaggedattheCurryflshwheelsmovedupstreamafterrelease(i.e.,weredetectedat0leastasfarasGateway),thenmoveddownstreambelowCurrybeforeagainswimmingupstream()intoaLowerorIvliddleRivertributary(Table23).Basedonwhatappearedtobedirectedmovementsbyunimpairedfish,thesesalmonappearedtohavetemporarilyenteredtheMiddleRiverinthecourseofmigratingtofinalspawningdestinationselsewhere.ThepurposeofthisQbehaviorisnotclear,andwasclassifiedasroamingbehavior.TheproportionsofsalmontaggedQatCurrythatexhibitedthisroamingbehaviorwere7percentofChinooksalmon,13percentofchumsalmon,12percentofcohosalmon,12percentofpinksalmon,and9percentofsockeyesalmon.Similarly,therewereseveralsalmontaggedintheLowerRiverthatshowedthissameC)behavior:thesefishmigratedasfarupstreamasLaneStation(intheMiddleRiver),thenmoved)downstreamintotheLowerRiverbeforeswimmingupstreamintoaLowerRivertributary.ThesewerealsoroamingfishintheMiddleRiver,butwereevaluatedseparatelyfromfishtaggedatCurrytodiscernanydifferencesinbehaviorbetweenfishtaggedintheLowerRiver0versusthosetaggedatCurry.TheproportionoffishtaggedintheLowerRiverthatexhibitedC)thisroamingbehaviorwas13percentofChinooksalmon,15percentofchumsalmon,17)percentofcohosalmon,46percentofpinksalmon,and67percentofsockeyesalmon.SomeroamingfishintheMiddleRiverlatermovedasfarupasthePortageCreekmouth(fishtaggedatCurry)orthemouthofIndianRiver(ChinookandpinksalmontaggedintheLowerRiver;Table24),beforedroppingbacktoenterdownstreamtributaries(e.g.,theChulitnaRiver,TailceetnaRiver,andLaneCreek;Table23).OneChinooksalmon(Fish505)taggedatCurryonJuly13movedupstreamtoPortageCreekonJuly17andthendroppedbacktoentertheDeshkaRiveronJuly31.ThistributarymigrationwaslatewithrespecttoruntimingontheDeshkaRiver.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page40February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5.2.3.2.RunTimingChinooksalmonmovedpasttheCurryfishwheelsitesfromlateJunetoearlyAugustwiththef)midpointofcatchesoccurringonJuly2(figure34;TableC-2).Amongmajorstockgroupings(asdefinedinSection4.3.2.1),onlyfivedays(range:June29—July3)separatedthe50thpercentilesofpassageatCurry(andthiswaslikelywithintherangeofexpectedmeasurementE)error).ThoseChinooksalmonthatmigratedupstreamofDevilsCanyonhadpassedCurrytheOearliest,andthosethathadmainstemdestinationsbelowthecanyonstartedrunningthelatest(Figure35).oChumsalmonmovedpasttheCurryfishwheelsitesfrommid-JulytoearlySeptemberwiththemidpointoccurringonAugust7(figure34;TableC-5).Onlysixdaysseparatedthe50thpercentilesofpassageamongfourstockgroupingsatCurry(August2—7),withtheIndianRiver)stockpassingtheearliestandtheTalkeetnaRiverstockthelatest(figure35).OCohosalmonmovedpasttheCurryfishwheelsitesfromlateJulytotheendofAugustwiththemidpointoccurringonAugust15(Figure34;TableC-6).Therewaslittledifferentiationintheo50thpercentilesofpassageamongfivestockgroupings(range:August11—14),exceptthatthe)IndianRiverstockranlatest(Figure32).Thepinksalmonrunwasrelativelyshortcomparedtotheruntimingofothersalmonspecies.PinksalmonpassedCurryfrommid-JulytotheendofAugustwithamidpointofcatchesC)occurringonAugust6(Figure34;TableC-4).Again,therewaslittledistinctioninruntimingC)amongfivestockgroupings(50thpercentilesrangedfromAugust3—7),althoughfishthatheadeddownstreamtotheTailceetnaRiverpassedCurryonrelativelylatedates(Figure35).SockeyesalmonmovedpasttheCurryfishwheelsitesfromearlyJulytolateAugust(figure34;TableC-3).Toofewsockeyesalmonwereassignedtotributariestoidentifyruntimingbytributarystock.FishclassifiedasmainstemspawnersarrivedatCurryconsistentlybutinlowOnumbersfrommid-Julytomid-August,withnoobviouspeak(50percenthadpassedbyAugustO3;Figure35).O5.2.3.3.TravelTimingMedianChinooksalmontraveltimeswere0.9daysfromreleaseattheCurryfishwheelstoGateway,2.0daysfromGatewaytoIndianRiver,1.1daysfromIndianRivertoPortageCreek,07.7daysfromPortageCreektoCheechakoStation,0.3daysfromcheechakoStationtoChinookC)Creek,3.8daysfromChinookCreektoDevilStation,and2.2daysfromDevilStationtoKosinaoCreek(Table25).Minimum,median,andmaximumarrivaldatesarealsoshowninTable25.OAllotherfishspeciesmigratedfromCurrytoPortagerelativelyquickly,withlittledifferentiationinarrivaldatesamongfixed-stationreceivers(Figure36).MediantraveltimesfromCurryto‘a’Portagewere3.3daysforchumsalmon,3.5daysforcohosalmon,2.3daysforpinksalmon,and03.1daysforsockeyesalmon.5.2.3.4.TravelSpeedsTravelspeedsareshownbyspeciesandriver-reachinFigure37.ChinooksalmontravelspeedsfromDeshkatoSunshineweresignificantlyslower(median8.9lan’d[5.1mild])thanthoseineithertheSunshinetoLanereach(16.9kmld[10.5mild]),ortheIndiantoPortagereach(14.6Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page41February2013 tCREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONluiild[9.1mi/d];=15.3,F=0.0016).AlthoughthefastestmediantravelspeedswereobservedforfishreleasedintheLowerRiver(betweenSunshineandLane),theslowestmedianspeedswerealsoobservedthere(betweenDeshkaandSunshine;Figure37).C)ForChinooksalmonreleasedatCurry,travelspeedsvariedsignificantlyamongreaches(x2=(67.6,F<0.0001;Figure38).ChinooksalmontravelspeedsbetweenCheechakoStationandCChinookCreek(median24.7kmld[15.3mild]),andthoseupstreamofDevilStation(31.0lcmld([19.3mild])weresignificantlyfasterthanthoseinotherreaches.Moreover,travelspeedsbetweenPortageCreekandCheechakoStation(0.8km/d[0.5mild]),andthosebetweenChinookCreekandDevilStation(3.0km/d[1.9mild])weresignificantlyslowerthanthoseinCallotherreaches.ThisresultsuggeststhatImpediment1andImpediment3posedgreaterdelaystoChinooksalmontravelthanImpediment2(betweenCheechakoStationandChinookCreek).C)ForChinooksalmonthatpassedallimpedimentsandwerelaterdetectedatDevilStation,thereC)wasnotrendfortraveltimestohavebeenaffectedbyarrivaldateorreleaselocation(Figure39).ChumsalmontravelspeedsfromIndiantoPortageweresignificantlyfaster(median22.1km/d[13.7mild])thanthoseinanyotherreach(medians12.5—16.7kmld[7.8—10.4mi/d];x2=22.3,F<0.0001;Figure37).ChumsalmonweretheonlyCurry-taggedsalmonthathadsignificantly0slowertravelspeedsfortheGatewaytoIndiansegmentcomparedtotheIndiantoPortage0segment(Figure37);thisdifferencecouldindicateaninitialsulkingbehavioraftertaggingasoobservedinotherstudies,oritcouldreflectchangesfromnaturaleffectssuchaswaterflowsorstockdifferences.Among-reachdifferencesintravelspeedwerenotstatisticallysignificantforcoho,pinkand0sockeyesalmon(x2=3.9,4.2,and0.7,respectively;F=0.27,0.24,and0.87,respectively;0Figure37).C)Stock-specifictravelspeedswerecompared(Portagevs.Indianstocks)foreachspecies(FigureC)40).Forchumandpinksalmon,fishthatenteredPortageCreektraveledfasterbetweenC)GatewayandIndianthandidfishthatenteredIndianRiver(chumsalmon:x2=4.2,F=0.04;pinksalmon:x2=5.4,F=0.02).Nootherstockdifferencesintravelspeedwerestatisticallysignificant(Chinook,cohoandsockeyesalmon:x2=0.7,0.7,and1.0,respectively;F0.41,C)0.39,and0.32,respectively).C)5.3.Objective3—FeasibilityofSonartoIdentifySpawning0LocationsinTurbidWaterC)()InlateJuly,sixpotentialsonarsamplingsiteswereidentifiedintheMiddleRiverusingin-C)seasonradiotelemetrydataandaerialobservations(Table26;Figure28).FromJuly28—29,DIDSONandside-scansonarwereusedtosamplefourofthesites(sites2,4,5,and6)locatedinthemainstemSusitnaRiver.Thetworemainingsites(sites1and3)wereinsidechannelstooshallowtoaccessbyboatandthuswerenotsampled.FourtransectsweremadeatSite2(mouth0f4thofJulyCreek)usingtheside-scansonar,C)coveringalengthofriverapproximately170m(558ft)longinanupstream-downstreamdirectionandapproximately100m(328ft)fromtheriverbank.Noneoftheside-scanimagesshowedobvioussignsofsalmonredds(noreddswereseenduringvisualobservationsoftheclear-waterareasdownstreamfromthemouthofthecreekeither).AgravelbaranddifferentC)substratetypescouldbeidentifiedfromtheside-scanimages.Gravel(<8cm[3.1in])wasseenSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page42February201300(-) REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONonthebar,whilecobbleandrockwereseenalongtheshoreandoffshoreofthegravelbar.ADIDSONoperatedatthissitecollectedapproximately90minutesofdata:imageswerecollectedwhilepullingtheboatalongshoreandwhilestationary(manuallypanningthetransducer).TheQmaximumrangesampledalternatedbetween10and20m(33and66if).Weusedthelongerrangewindowtofindfishandtheshorterrangewindowtowatchthebehaviorofthefish.Themaximumnumberoffishvisibleonasingleframewas15fish.Thesefishweremillingand)appearedtostaymostlywithinarestrictedbandthatroughlycoincidedwiththeclear-turbidwaterinterface.Wedidnotobserveanyredddiggingactivity,nordidweseeanyredd-shaped)depressionsintheriverbottom.VisualobservationsconductedfromtheboatidentifiedChinook,chum,andonesockeyesalmonintheclear-waterarea.AtSite4,theside-scansurveycoveredanareaofapproximately280m(919if)inlengthfromupstreamtodownstream,andwithawidthof50m(164if)extendingfromshore.Fartherr)offshorethecurrentwastoofasttokeeptheboatstableenoughtoprovideusefulimages.Photo‘Th12showsanexampleimagetakenathighfrequency(1600kHz).Thoughtheimageincludesosomeartifactsintroducedbytheboatrollinginthecurrent,itdoesprovideagoodpictureofthesubstrateatthissite(primarilygravelwithabandofsand).ThesonardidnotrecordanyJobvioussignsofredds,andthewaterwastooturbidforanyvisualobservations.Wealsoarecordedapproximately30minutesofDIDSONdata.Overthistime,asolitaryfishmoved)throughthefieldofviewontwooccasions,butnoobvioussignsofreddswereobserved.OSide-scandatacollectionwashinderedatSite5byhighwatervelocitieswhichmadeitdifficulttomaneuvertheboat.Imagequalitywaslessthanoptimalbecauseofthepitchandrolloftheboat.Wecollectedapproximately80minutesofDIDSONdataatSite5,lessthan100m(328if)0upstreamofthemouthofGoldCreek.MostDIDSONdatawerecollectedwiththeboattiedto)shore,withthetransduceraimedatdifferentpanangles.NofishwereobservedatGoldCreekeventhoughradio-taggedfishweredetectednearby.AnattempttosamplewiththeDIDSONwhiletheboatwasmovingwasabortedbecausethestrongcurrentputtoomuchpressureonthetransducerandsidemount.0Approximately45minutesofDIDSONdatawerecollectedatSite6whiletheboatwastiedto0shoreandthetransducerwaspannedinsearchoffish.Onseveraloccasionsweobserveda43solitarylargefish(>75cm[29.5in]);andononeoccasionasecondfishwasobservedfollowingthefirstone.Noobviousspawningorholdingbehaviororsignsofobviousredds.Side-scansonardatawasnotcollectedatSite6becauseofhighwatervelocities(similartoSite5).05.4.Objective4—CharacterizeSalmonMigrationBehaviorandoTimingAboveDevilsCanyon5.4.1.SurveyEffortAerialsurveysaboveDevilsCanyonwereguidedbydataontaggedfishpassingfromthefixed-stationreceiversinthecanyon.SurveyswerenotconductedintheUpperRiveruntilradio-taggedChinooksalmonhadpassedDevilStation.SurveyswerenotconductedupstreamofKosinaCreekuntilaradio-taggedsalmonhadmoveduptheSusitnaRiverbeyondthatlocation.FromJulyintoNovember,atotalof31aerialtrackingsurveysincludedreachesaboveImpediment1;14ofthesesurveysextendedupstreamtoKosinaCreek.ThemajorityofthesesurveyswereconductedduringJulyandAugust(TableB-3).ThesurveysintheUpperRiverSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page43February2013 ()REPORTADULTSALMONDisTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION(0primarilyfocusedoneighttributariesupstreamofPortageCreek,withtaggedChinooksalmondetectedinsixofthosetributaries(Cheechako,Chinook,Devil,Fog,Watana,andKosinacreeks).(Atleastonefixed-stationwasmonitoringforradio-taggedsalmoninDevilsCanyonfromJune21toNovember12(Table14).AllfixedstationsinDevilsCanyonwereoperationalover95percentofthetimetheyweredeployeduntiltheweekofAugust27,whenareductionofsolarenergypartiallyinterruptedcoverageatsomestations.Coverageamongallstationsremainedsufficienttooperateeffectively,despitethisinterruption.TheKosinaCreekfixedstationwas100percentoperationalduringthetimeitwasdeployed.5.4.2.Species,Number,andDestination0ChinooksalmonweretheonlyspeciestrackedaboveImpediment1.Ofthe313radio-taggedChinooksalmonreleasedattheCurryfishwheelsthatenteredthestudyarea(i.e.,weredetectedaboveGatewayStationaftertagging),23(7.3percent)weretrackedaboveImpediment1,20(6.4percent)aboveImpediment2,and10(3.2percent)aboveImpediment3.ThreeoftheChinooksalmonradio-taggedandreleasedattheRM32fishwheelsintheLowerRiverweretrackedaboveImpediment1;twoofthesewerethentrackedaboveImpediment3(Table27).Basedonfinaltagassignments,thelilcelyspawningareasforeachofthe26Chinooksalmonthat()passedImpediment1areprovidedinTable28.Ofthe12ChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment3,five(42percent)droppedbackandlikelyspawnedintributariesdownstreamofImpediment3.Ofthe10ChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment2butnotImpediment3,0seven(70percent)droppedbackandlikelyspawnedintributariesdownstreamofImpediment2.OfthefourChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment1butnotImpediment2,onedroppedbackandlikelyspawnedinatributarydownstreamofImpediment1.Overall,50percentoftheChinooksalmonthatpassedatleastoneofthethreeimpedimentslikelyspawneddownstreamofthelastimpedimenttheypassedand54percent(7of13)ofthesedrop-backfishlikelyspawned0inPortageCreek.The12ChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment3(2taggedinLowerRiver,10taggedin0MiddleRiver)showedawiderangeofmovementdistanceandtimes.OftheseChinooksalmon,sevenweretrackedtolocations24—93km(15—58mi)upstreamoftheireventualspawninglocation.Theserelativelyextensiveupstreamexplorationsrangedfrom1—26days(Table29).Thepeakspawningintervalforthese12fishwasJuly25toAugust5(11days)andfishwere(detectedaliveintheirspawningstreamsfor3—20days.TheshortestliveperiodwasfortwofishthatenteredKosinaCreekonJuly23,weretrackedaliveonJuly26,andthendetectedwithmortalitysignalsonthenextKosinaCreeksurveyonJuly31.Afterspawning,threefish(Tagnumbers27,94,and5005)appearedtoremainalivefor8—16daysandmovedownstreamconsiderabledistances(19—103km[12—65mi])beforetheirtagsstartedtransmittingamortalitysignal.Usingthelastlivedetectionforeachofthese12fish,weestimatedtheirlifespanafterpassingImpediment3torangefrom6—31days(calculatedfromvaluesinTable27andTable29).5.4.3.MigrationTimingforFishPassingAboveDevilsCanyonThe10Curry-taggedChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment3hadpassedImpediment1from0twotosevendaysearlierthanthosethatonlypassedImpediment1orImpediment2(Table27).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page44February2013U0 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoN—RuntimingatCurrywassimilarfortaggedChinooksalmonthatweresubsequentlydetectedat-‘oraboveDevilsCanyonvs.Chinooksalmonthatwerenot(Table27).ThefirstsuccessfulfishpassagepastImpediment1occurredonJuly7whenflowsdroppedtoJ21,000cfsfromprevioussustainedlevelsinexcessof30,000cfs(Figure41;Table30).TwoOChinooksalmonpassedimpediments1and2onJuly7beforeflowsincreasedtoabove30,000OcfsonJuly9.OneChinooksalmonwasdetectedpassingImpediment1onJuly8andanotheronJuly9.Alloftheremainingsuccessfulpassageeventsforeachimpediment(48/51or94percent)occurredbetweenJuly12—20whenflowswereatorbelow21,000cfs(Figure41).FishshowednoticeablemillingorholdingbehaviorbelowImpediment1andImpediment3.)FishthatmovedpastImpediment1heldbelowitforanaverageof3.3days.Fishmovedquicker)pastImpediment2,withonlytwoofthe22radio-taggedsalmonholdingbelowitformorethanoneday(Table30).FourfishthatpassedImpediment1didnotattempttopassImpediment2andmoveddirectlytotheirfinaldestinations.Ofthe22fishthatpassedImpediment2,the12-‘thatalsopassedImpediment3heldbelowtheupperImpedimentforjustunder2dayson)average.NineoftheremainingfishaboveImpediment2heldbelowImpediment3foran)averageof9.8daysbeforemovingtodownstreamhabitats.AsinglefishthatpassedImpediment2didnotattempttopassImpediment3.AllofthefishthatdidnotpassImpediment3werepresentaboveImpediment2fromJuly17—20,whenallpassageeventspastImpediment3Ooccurred(Figure42).OneChinooksalmon(Tagnumber5005)passedallthreeImpedimentsonOJuly17onitswaytoKosinaCreek.O54.4.RelativeAbundanceofSalmonPassingAboveDevilsCanyon0Chinooksalmonwastheonlyspecieswithradio-taggedfishdetectedupstreamofDevilsCanyon.Ofthe313ChinooksalmontaggedatCurryanddetectedmovingaboveGatewayStation,10(3.2percent)successfullymigratedthroughallthreeimpedimentslocatedinDevilsOCanyon(Table27).GiventheextensivemobilesurveyeffortandthehighdetectionefficiencyfortheCheechako,Chinook,DevilandKosinacreekstations,itisunlikelythatanyradio-taggedofishpassedupstreamofDevilsCanyonundetected.05.4.5.SizeofChinookSalmonTrackedInandAboveDevilsCanyon0Ofthe36radio-taggedChinooksalmonthatenteredDevilsCanyon,themeanbodylengthofOfishthatapproachedbutdidnotpassImpediment1(74.2cm[29.2in])waslessthanthatoffishOthatpassedImpediment1(79.3cm[31.2in];Table27;t330.93,?0.36).NofishapproachedImpediment2withoutpassingit.ThemeanforklengthoffishthatapproachedbutdidnotpassImpediment3(75.0[29.5in])wassmallerthanthatoffishthatpassedImpediment3(84.9cm0[33.4in];t18=1.71,F=0.11).TheseobservationsaresuggestivethatfishsizemayhavebeenaQfactorinsuccessfulpassageforImpediments1and3.Theseresultsshouldbeinterpretedocautiouslyasgroupsamplesizesweresmall,andneithercomparisonwasstatisticallysignificant.Convertedtosnout-forklength(FLmm=-9.508535+1.0999002*MEFmm),thetwoLowerRiverChinookthatmigratedupstreamofImpediment1were94.7cmand63.9cm(37.3and25.2in;Table27).JSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page45February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5.5.Objective5—DistributionAmongHabitats:CurrentVersus(HistoricUseandRelativeAbundanceIn2012,potentialspawninglocationsofChinook,chum,coho,pink,andsockeyesalmonintheC)mainstemriverwereidentifiedusingradiotelemetry(Section5.2).Somespawninglocations(wereabletobevisuallyconfirmedforsockeyeandchumsalmonintheMiddleRiver(Photo13).Mainstemspawningforbothsockeyeandchumsalmonoccurredinsloughand,toalesserextent,sidechannelhabitats.Inaddition,afewchumsalmonwerevisuallyconfirmedspawningintributarydeltahabitats.Ofthevisuallyconfirmedspawninghabitatslocatedduringthe2012C)surveys,manywerethesameasthoseusedforspawningbysockeyeandchumsalmonfromC)1981—1985(Thompsonetal.1986;Table31).Inaddition,theabsenceofmainstemspawningbyChinookandcohosalmonwasalsosimilartoresultsfromthe1980s.Anappreciabledifferenceinresultsfrom2012andthe1980ssurveyswastheabsenceofvisuallyconfirmedmainstemC)spawningbychum(LowerRiver),coho(LowerandMiddleRiver),andpinksalmon(LowerandC)MiddleRiver)in2012.o5.5.1.1.ChinookSalmonC)In2012,Chinooksalmonweretrackedtoninepossiblemainsternspawninglocationsinthe0LowerRiverand13locationsintheMiddleRiver(Table18;Figure24;Figure28).Despite()multiplevisualsurveysandDIDSONandside-scansonarsurveys(seeSection5.3),spawning()couldnotbeconfirmedatanyoftheselocations.Similarly,spawninggroundsurveysfrom1981—1985couldnotconfirmanymainstemspawninglocationsforChinooksalmon(Barrettetal.1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Theonlyvisuallyconfirmedlocations,fromthe2012andC)1980ssurveys,ofspawninghabitatforChinooksalmonintheLowerandMiddleRiverwereC)tributaries.5.5.1.2.SockeyeSalmonC)In2012,sockeyesalmonwereonlytrackedtomainstemspawninglocationswithintheMiddleRiver(Figure32).Spawningwasvisuallyconfirmedinsloughs8A,9,11,and19,andinSlough/SideChannel21(Table22;Table31).Ofthe30radio-taggedsockeyesalmonwithside0channelandsloughdestinations,18(60percent)wereinsloughs8A,9,and11(Table17).)Similarly,from1981—1985,ofallthesockeyesalmonenumeratedspawninginsloughs,anaverageof92.5percentwereinsloughs11,8A,and21(Table31).Historically,sloughs9and19onlyprovidedspawninghabitatforacombinedaverageof1.4percentofalltheenumeratedUsockeyesalmonthatspawnedwithinthemainstemhabitatsoftheMiddleRiver.AllotherQlocationswheresockeyesalmonwerevisuallyconfirmedspawninginthe1980s,withtheexceptionofMooseSlough(1.6percent)andSlough9B(1.9percent)containedanaverageof<1.0percentofthetotalsockeyesalmonenumerated(Table31).Sockeyesalmonwerenot()visuallyconfirmedspawninginSlough9Bduringthe2012surveys.AlownumberofsockeyeC)salmon(<10)werepresentspawninginSideChannel21in2012,andtherewerenoreportsofC)sockeyesalmonatthislocationinthe1980s.Itisimportanttonotethatitisoftendifficulttodetermineboththeboundarythatseparatesasloughandasidechannelandthedistinctionbetweenasloughandasidechannelatvariousriverdischarges,therefore,thesockeyesalmonUobservedinSideChannel21mayhaveactuallybeenwithinSlough21.C)C)Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority0FERCProjectNo.14241Page46February2013C)C)( REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5.5.1.3.ChumSalmonIn2012,chumsalmonwereradio-trackedtoseveralpotentialmainstemspawninglocations3withintheLowerandMiddleRiver(figure25;Figure29).Ofthesitesidentifiedviaradiotelemetry,onlysitesintheMiddleRiverwerevisuallyconfirmed.Spawningwasvisuallyconfirmedforchumsalmonat6sloughs,1sidechannel,and2tributarydeltas(Table19).Inthe0LowerRiver,alllocationsweretooturbidtovisuallyassess.ChumsalmonwerevisuallyconfirmedspawninginLowerRivermainstemhabitatsat6sitesin1981,12sitesin1984,andnositesin1982,1983,or1985.Basedonvisualobservationsofchumsalmondensities,thesloughswiththehighestusebychumsalmonforspawningweresloughs21,8A,11,and4thofJulySlough(historicallyreferredtoas4thofJulySideChannel),respectively.Radio-taggedchumsalmonalsohadfinaldestinationsinthesesloughs(figure29).Othersloughsvisuallyconfirmedforspawning,buttoalesserextent,weresloughs9,9A,and19.Incomparison,from—1981—1985,ofallthechumsalmonenumeratedspawningwithinthemainstemMiddleRiver,anaverageof56.7percentwereinsloughs21,11,and8A(Table31);percentdistributiondatawasC)notavailablefor4thofJulyslough/sidechannel,butspawningwasvisuallyconfirmedatthisC)location(Barrettetal.1984).Sloughs9and9Aprovidedspawninghabitatforanadditional14.9percentoftheenumeratedmainstemspawningchumsalmoninthe1980s.Theremaining28.4percentofchumsalmonweredistributedacross27othersloughs,ofwhich24sloughseachaccountedforlessthan3.0percentofthetotalaveragedistribution(Table31).0SideChannel21wastheonlysidechannelhabitatvisuallyconfirmedasaspawninglocationfor0chumsalmonduringthe2012surveys.Basedonvisualobservations,densitiesofchumsalmon)atSideChannel21werecomparabletodensitiesofchumsalmonwithinSlough21.Duringthe1980ssurveys,chumsalmonwerereportedasspawninginSideChannel21inadditiontoafewothersidechannels,buttheoverallcontributionofchumsalmonattheselocationstothatofOsloughhabitatwasconsideredminor(Barrettetal.1984,1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Itis0importanttonotethatitisoftendifficulttodeterminetheboundarythatseparatesasloughandasidechannelandthedistinctionbetweenasloughandasidechannelatvariousriverdischarges;therefore,thechumsalmonobservedinSideChannel21mayhaveactuallybeenwithinSlough21.0Asinthe1980s,chumsalmonin2012werevisuallyconfirmedspawningatthetributarydeltasOfor4thofJulyCreekandIndianRiver(Barrettetal.1984).RepeatedvisitstotheselocationsinO2012visuallyconfirmedonechumsalmonreddinthetributarydelta0f4thofJulyCreekandfourchumsalmonreddsinthetributarydeltaofIndianRiver.Asanoverallcomparison,tributarydeltasprovidedspawninghabitatforchumsalmonin2012andinthe1980s,butthe0contributionofchumsalmonuserelativetosloughhabitatswasminorinbothtimeperiods.5.5.1.4.PinkSalmonIn2012,pinksalmonweretrackedtoseveralmainstemspawninglocationswithintheLowerandC)MiddleRiver(figure27;Figure31).Despiteseveralaerialandgroundsurveys,spawningbypinksalmonwasnotvisuallyconfirmedatanylocations(Table21).from1981—1985,Sloughs8A,9,11,and21providedspawninghabitatforanaverageof32.1percentofallthepinksalmon)enumeratedspawningwithinmainstemMiddleRiverhabitats(Table31);allofthesesloughs)werevisitedduring2012duringtimeswhenpinksalmonshouldhavebeenspawning,butno)pinksalmonspawningwasvisuallyconfirmed.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page47February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION05.5.1.5.CohoSalmonçIn2012,cohosalmonweretrackedtoseveralpotentialmainsternspawninglocationsintheLowerandMiddleRiver(Figure26;Figure30).Despitemultipleaerialandgroundsurveys,spawningcouldnotbevisuallyconfirmedatanyoftheselocations(Table20).Spawninggroundsurveysfrom1981—1985visuallyconfirmedthreespawninglocationsinmainstemhabitatsoftheLowerRiver,andfourspawninglocationsinmainstemhabitatsoftheMiddleRiver(allyearscombined;Barrettetal.1985;Thompsonetal.1986).Theonlyvisuallyconfirmedlocationsfromthe2012andl98Ossurveysofspawninghabitatforcohosalmonweretributaries.5.6.Objective6—LocateIndividualandHoldingandSpawningSalmon,CollectHabitatDatainMiddleandLowerRiverConsistentwithHSCDataCollectionFromJune26throughNovember12,crewstrackedChinook,chum,coho,pik,andsockeye0salmontopotentialspawninglocationswithintheLowerandMiddleRiver.Following0designationasapotentialspawningsite,eachsitewasclassifiedtothemainstemhabitatlevelastJamainchannel,sidechannel,slough,ortributarydelta.Then,aerialandgroundreconnaissanceosurveysweremadetoconfirmeachsiteforspawningpriortothecollectionofHSCdata.Formoredetailonspawningsitelocationandclassification,seeSection5.2.HSCsurveyswereconductedfromAugust11toOctober29.Turbidityinthemainchannelof0theSusitnaRiver,fromJunethroughmid-OctoberwastoohightovisuallyconfirmanypotentialJspawningsalmonorlocateredds.Inaddition,elevatedwaterlevelsintheSusitnaRiverfromC)mid-AugustthroughOctoberpreventedcrewsfromrevisitingpreviouslysampledspawninglocations,orvisitingnewlyvisuallyconfirmedlocations.5.6.1.HabitatDataCollectionCOfthepotentialspawningsitesdetectedforallspeciesofsalmonbytelemetryintheLowerand0MiddleRiver(seeSection5.2),onlytheMiddleRivercontainedsitesinoff-channelhabitats0wherespawningwasvisuallyverifiedandwerethensampledforH$Cdata.OfthepotentialMiddleRiverspawningsitesdetected,onlyfivesockeyeandeightchumsalmonsiteswerevisuallyconfirmed(Figure29;Figure32).Ofthese,threesockeyeandsevenchumsalmonsitesweresampledforHSCdata(Figure43;Figure44).OfthethreesockeyesalmonspawningsitessampledforHSC,allweresloughhabitats.Ofthesevenchumsalmonspawningsitessampled,fiveweresloughandtwoweretributarydeltahabitats.Intotal,11and28reddsweresampledfromsloughhabitatsforsockeyeandchumsalmon,respectively,andanadditionalfourchumsalmonreddsweresampledintributarydeltahabitats(Table32).Additionalsites(Slough19andSideChannel21)thatwerevisuallyconfirmedasspawninglocations,butwerenotsampledduetoenvironmentalconditions,willbetargetedin2013forcollectionofHSCdata.IntheLowerRiver,despitemultipleaerialsurveys,fieldcrewsdidnotvisuallyverifyanymainstemspawninghabitatsforsamplingofHSCdata.Allpotentialspawninglocationssuggestedbyradiotelemetrywereprovidedtothe1SFfieldcrewsforfocusedHSCdataeffortsthatarereportedelsewhere.IntheMiddleRiver,manysloughhabitatsusedforspawningbysockeyeandchumsalmonweresidechannelsuntilflowsattheirmainstemheadwerecut-offAsanexample,Sloughs8AandSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page48February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION9A,thofJulySloughremainedsidechannelsuntilmainstemflowswerejustunder-japproximately17,000cfs;onlyatflowsbelowthisthresholddidthewaterinthesehabitats)becomeclearenoughtosampleforHSCdata.Othersloughhabitats(e.g.,Slough9)experiencedQsimilarmainchannelre-connectivity,buthadagreatertoleranceinflowlevels(>24,000cfs)beforetheupstreamheadofthesloughwasbreached.Largefluctuationsinprecipitationduringearlyandlatefall2012causedrepeatedmainchannelre-connectivity,increasedwatervelocities,andincreasedturbidityatmanyofthesesidechannel/sloughlocationsandpreventedeithertheOconfirmationofspawningbysalmonorH$Csamplingvisitsduringmuchofthepeakspawningperiods.Asanotherexample,followingthefirstH$CsurveyonAugust11,flowspreventedHSCsamplingatSloughs8Aand9,and4thofJulySloughduringthesedateranges:August11—15,August21—22,August27—29,September3—6,andSeptember18—29.o5.7.Objective7—Effectivenessof2012Methods5.7.1.CaptureandTaggingofFishatCurryThegoalofcapturingandtaggingrelativelylargenumbersofallspeciesofsalmonandtrackingtheminmainstemandtributaryhabitatswasmetin2012.RelativelyhighcatcheswereachievedatCurryin2012,consideringthefishwheelsoperatedatsites1and2,respectively,foronly41and44percentofthetimetheywereinplace.Relativetothe1980—1985studies,wherefishwheelsweregenerallyoperated24hoursperdayandsalmonweregenerallymoreabundantthanin2012wecaptured41percentfewerChinook,8percentfewerchum,62percentfewerpink(evenyearsonly),and67percentfewersockeyesalmon,onaverage,werecaughtattheCurryflshwheelsin2012.Onaverage,25percentmorecohosalmonwerecapturedin2012thaninthe1980sstudies,despiteconcernsaboutgenerallylowcohosalmonreturnstotheSusitnaRiverin2Ol2.Thepreseasontagtargetswereexceededforchum(140percent)andpink(115percentoftarget)salmon,butnotmetforChinook(88percentoftarget),coho(92percent),andsockeye(35percent)salmon.WhenitbecameapparentthattheinitialtagginggoalsforChinookandsockeyesalmonwouldnotbemet,anamendmenttothefishResourcePermit(SF2012-128)wasobtainedtoallowforadditionalchumandpinksalmontoberadio-taggedusingtheavailableinventoryoftags.In2013,werecommendsimilarflexibilitybemaintainedintheFishResourcePermittomaximizethebenefitsacrossspeciesfromtheconsiderabletelemetrysurveyeffort.5.7.2.EffectivenessofRadioTelemetrytoAddressQuestionsTheradiotelemetrytechniquesusedinthe2012studyweresuccessfulinprovidingthedataneededtoaddresstherelatedstudyobjectives.Ofthe1,115radio-taggedsalmonreleasedatCurry,onlyonewasnotdetectedafterrelease.Datawasefficientlyprocessedduringthefieldseasonsofieldcrewscouldusetheinformationfromfixed-stationreceiverstodirectmobilesurveyeffort,andtrackingresultsfrommobilesurveyswereusedtodirectgroundsurveystodeterminespawninglocations.Therewereafewinitialproblemswithreceiversoftwarethatwerequicklysortedoutandresolvedwithoutanymajorimpactonstudyresults.Receiversensitivityandtagsignalpowerweresufficienttoensurethatmostofthetaggedfishpassingafixed-stationreceiverweredetected(Table13).AlloftheradiotelemetrydatafromAEAandADf&GfixedstationsandmobilesurveyswereefficientlyanalyzedusingTelemetiyManagersoftware.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page49February2013 c)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0Therewasnoevidenceofnegativeeffectsontaggedfishfromthecapture,handlingortaggingprocess.TaggedfishmovedconsistentlyandwithoutdelayinreachingfixedstationsuptoPortageCreek(Figure36).Insomeinstancesfishreturneddownstream,butthesemigratedtootherspawningdestinations,suggestingunimpairedswimmingbehavior.Theonlydeficiencywiththeradiotagswasassociatedwithmortalitysensors.Thiswasnotamajorproblembecauseofthefrequentmobilesurveysandtheobservationthatmostofthetagsweredetectedinmortalitymodeafterthepeakspawningperiodandonlyafewofthesewereresurrectedtotheirlivesignalmode.Thismalfunctionwascommunicatedtothetagsupplierandweareoptimisticthattheywillfindasolutiontothisproblem.Theconfigurationandoperationofthefixed-stationreceiverscouldbeimprovedinfutureyears.(Additionalfixed-stationreceiversorgreaterseparationbetweentheantennasattributaryjunctionswouldprovidegreatercertaintyonwhetherafishhadenteredatributaryorwascontinuingupthemainstem.Thedetectionefficienciesshouldbeimprovedin2013withtheeliminationofsoftwareproblemsandourgreaterfamiliaritywiththeATSequipment.C)5.7.3.HowOurStudiesofDistributionandCategorization(e.g.,HabitatUsed)0Affect2013120140Resultsfrom2012wereusedthroughoutthepreparationofthe2013/2014RevisedStudyPlan(R$P)inthefallof2012.NoteworthywastheexpansionoftheGeneticsStudyPlantoaddressthegeneticsofChinooksalmonaboveDevilsCanyon,andtherecommendationinthe2013/20140SalmonEscapementStudythattaggingeffortbeaugmentedinthevicinityofDevilsCanyontobettercharacterizebehaviorinandabovethecanyon.DataonfishspawninglocationsintheoMiddleRiverarealsobeingconsideredforsiteselectionofFocusAreasandfishsampling.6.DISCUSSION06.1.FishCaptureatCurryforPurposeofMarkingFishtoDetermineDistributionoftheMiddleandUpperRiverPopulation(s)6.1.1.FishwheelEffectivenessHighcatchratesattheCurryfishwheelswereduelargelytothephysicalcharacteristicsofthe()sites,designandoperationofthefishwheels,anduseofleads.Sites1and2weretheonlylocationswithinseveralmilesofCurrywithsuitablewaterdepthsandvelocitiestoallowthefishwheelbasketstorotateeffectivelyfrommid-JunethroughearlySeptemberin2012.Thesiteswereprotectedfromfloatingdebrisatlowtomoderateriverdischarges,yethadsufficiently)highwatervelocitiesoffshoretoforcefishagainstthebankandintothepathofthefishwheels)(2—3rn/soffshoreoftheouterfishwheelpontoon).ThesewereundoubtedlythesamecharacteristicsthatmadethesesitesattractivetoADF&Gbiologistsduringthe1980sstudies.TheCurryfishwheelswerecustom-builtin2012andmodeledafterfishwheelsusedsuccessfullyinthelowerSusitna(Yanuszetal.2011),Copper(Smithetal.2005),andNass(LinkandEnglish1996)rivers.AkeyfeatureoftheCurryfishwheelswastheabilitytovarythefishing(Jdepths(byraisingorloweringthebaskets)aswaterlevelschanged.Minoradjustmentseachday0keptthebasketsfishingneartheriverbottomandreducedtheamountofdowntimerequiredhadSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page50February20130C REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONtheflshwheelsneededtobemovedtoanewlocationeverytimewaterlevelschanged.Threesetsofvariable-depthbaskets(72,76,and88in)werebuiltthatprovidedinvestigatorswithsomeflexibilitywhendecidingwhichfishwheelstoplaceateachsite.Andlastly,duetothesolidthree-basketdesign,therewerenoextendedperiodsofdowntimeduetodamage(e.g.,fromfloatingdebris).Leadnetshungbetweentheshore-sidepontoonandadjacentriverbankalsocontributedtohighercatchratesin2012,particularlyatSite1wherethefishwheelswereheldupto25ftoffshorewithsparpoles.DIDSONfootageshowedthatthemajorityoffishmigratedupstreamwithin13ftofshore,sowithouttheleadnetthesefishwouldnothavebeendirectedoffshoreandintothepathofthefishwheel.Everythreeorfourdays,crewsspentapproximately20minutescleaningorganicdebrisfromtheleadnetatSite1.Experiencefrom2012willhelpimproveandrefinefishwheeleffectivenessinfutureyears.Thedevelopment,installation,andevaluationwithDIDSONsonarwasinformative,andthe2013/14programwillbenefitsignificantlyfromthisexperience.Inaddition,weencounteredwidefluctuationsinriverdischargeandthiswillhelpwithpreparationsfor2013.Maintaininghighfishwheeleffectivenesswasmostdifficultduringperiodsoflowflows;weexpectthegreatestchallengetocapturingsufficientnumbersoffishin2013willbefromsustainedverylowflowsatcriticalperiods(e.g.,August).6.1.2.SizeSelectivityOAchievingthegoalsofthisstudywasdependentonthesizecompositionoftaggedfishbeingrepresentativeoftheirrespectivespawningpopulations.Taggingparticularstocksand/orsizesooffishatdifferentratesthanothersmightweakeninferencesabouthabitatusesoftheMiddleandUpperRiversuchastherelativedistributionofspawningfish,migratorybehavior,andany]fishpassageaboveDevilsCanyon.Fishwheelshavebeenshowntobesize(andspecies)Oselectiveforadultsalmon.Meehan(1961)showedthatfishwheelsontheTakuRivercaughta0largerproportionofsmaller-sizedChinooksalmoncomparedtosamplescollectedonthespawninggrounds.Meehan(1961)alsoshowedthatChinookandcohosalmonwereleastsusceptibletorecaptureinaflshwheel,whilepinksalmonweremosteasilyrecaptured.In1981Oand1982ontheSusitnaRiver,ADF&G(1983)comparedobservedandexpectedmarkratesonC)thespawninggroundsandfoundthatfishwheelsoperatednearCurrywerespeciesselective:Chinookandchumsalmoncatcheswerebiasedlow,andpinksalmoncatcheswerebiasedhigh.Meehan(1961)hypothesizedthatsizeselectivitywasduetolargerfishavoidingthefishwheel,0ormigratinginfasteranddeeperwaterawayfromshore,relativetosmallerfish.SpeciesC)selectivitymayalsobeafunctionoffishsize,asthereisatendencyforlargesalmontoswimupstreamfartherfromthebankthansmalleronesinlocationswheretherivergradientislowandvelocitiesoffshorearemodest(ADF&G1983;Hughes2004).Incontrast,thereisalsoevidenceshowingthatfishwheelscancatcharepresentativesampleofsalmonwhendeployedinareasC)whereelevatedwatervelocitiesforcefishtomigratenearshore(LinkandNass1999).BasedonC)ourexperience,wecharacterizetheCurrysitesasgenerallyhighgradient,andsimilartolocationswherewehaveencounteredtheleastsizeselectivityinfishwheels.In2012,earlyseasonDIDSONdatasuggestedthattherewasnotastrongoffshorecomponenttotheChinooksalmonrunatSite1(Figure18)andfishofallsizesseemedequallydistributedatJrangefromshore(Figure19).Also,lengthfrequenciesoftheChinooksalmoncatch(Figure12))suggeststhatfishacrossallsizesappearedatleastsomewhatvulnerabletocaptureandtagging,Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page51February2013 (3REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONsomethingthatwouldnotbepossibleiftherewassignificantsizeselectivitylikeissometimesseenwithfishwheelprojectsonlowgradientrivers.However,alackofspawninggroundsamplesforlengthofmarkedandnotmarkedfishforallspecies(therewereveryfewcarcasseseverfound)precludeddirecttestingforsizeselectivity.Ancillarycomparisons(e.g.,Site1vs.Site2,lengthoffishcapturedvs.tagged)providednoevidencetosuggesttheCurryfishwheelsweresizeselective.Morefocusedeffortstoobtainlengthmeasurementswillbeneededin2013thanwasachievedin2012.6.2.MigrationBehaviorandSpawningLocationsofSalmonintheLowerMiddle,andUpperSusitnaRiver6.2.1.LowerRiverC)ThetrackingresultsforsalmontaggedinthelowerSusitnaindicatedthat71—99percentofthesefish,dependingonthespecies,likelyspawnedintributaries(Figure22).Despitethehighproportionoftaggedfishreturningtotributaries,theremainingnumberoftaggedChinook,C)chum,coho,andpinksalmonallowedmajorspawninglocationsinthemainsternrivertobeC)identified(Figures24—27).Incontrast,sogreataproportionoftheradio-taggedsockeyesalmonmigratedintotributaries(96of100taggedfish)thatthefewsockeyesalmonremaininginthemainstemriverwerenotsufficienttoidentifymostmainstemspawninglocations.C)Highandturbidriverflowsthroughoutthesalmonspawningperiodpreventedourfieldcrews0frombeingabletovisuallyverifypotentialspawninglocationsidentifiedbyradiotelemetryin(3theLowerRiver.Itispossiblethatsomelate-runsalmon(e.g.,cohosalmon)lasttrackedto()mainstemlocationscouldhaveenteredtributariesafterthelastsurveys,whichwouldhaveresultedinoverestimatingthenumberofmainstemspawningfish.6.2.2.MiddleandUpperRiverC)ThetrackingresultsforChinook,chum,coho,andpinksalmontaggedatCurryindicatedthat063—81percentofthesefishlikelyspawnedintributaries(Figure22).Thenumberofradiotags(3appliedtoChinook,chum,pinkandcoho(184-352perspecies)identifiedmajorspawninglocationsforthesespecies(Figures28—31).TherelativelysmallsockeyereturntotheMiddleRiverin2012resultedinonly70radiotagsappliedtosockeye.Mainstemhabitatscontributed)toover50percentofsockeyespawningdestinations(Figure22)andwereconcentratedinfive)primaryareasbetween5thofJulyCreekandPortageCreek(Figure32).(3ThefrequentaerialsurveysconductedontheMiddleRiverfromWhiskerstoPortagecreeks(3providemultipledetectionsformostoftheradio-taggedfishinthisportionoftheriver.Thesedetectionsbefore,duringandafterthespawningperiodallowedustoidentifythosefishthatwerelikelyholdingand/orspawninginmainstemhabitats.Therewasahighdegreeof)consistencybetweenthepotentialspawningsitesidentifiedforradio-taggedchumandsockeye(3salmoninearlySeptember2012andthevisuallyconfinTledreddsitesforthesespecies(Figure(343;Figure44).ThisconsistencyprovidesfurthersupportforusingradiotelemetrytodirectHSCsurveycrews.AdditionalHSCsurveyeffortsshouldbeconductedin2013toreconfirmtheseresultsforchumandsockeyesalmonandassesspotentialmainsternspawninglocationsforthe(3othersalmonspecies.(3Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page52February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION6.3.CurrentVersusHistoricalSpawningLocations,UseofHabitatTypes0Overall,spawninglocationsdocumentedin2012wereconsistentwithresultsfromthe1981—1)1985surveys.In2012,potentialspawninglocationsidentifiedbyradiotelemetrywerenotvisuallyconfirmedinthemainstemLowerRiver.In2012,however,wedididentifypotentialspawningsitesusingradiotelemetry,andwereabletoconfirmsomeofthesesiteswhenwater)clearedintheMiddleandUpperRiver.In2012,radiotelemetryanalysissuggestedbehaviorOindicativeofspawningatmultiplelocationswithinmainchannelareasoftheLowerandMiddle)Riverbyallspeciesofsalmon(sections4.3and5.2).IntheLowerRiver,spawningwasvisuallyconfirmedinmainstemhabitatsonlyduringhistoricstudies,andonlyforchum,coho,andpinksalmon.In2012andhistorically,mainstemhabitatsintheMiddleRiverwerevisuallyconfirmed)asspawninghabitats,andonlyforsockeye(1981—1985and2012),chum(1981—1985and2012),)andpinksalmon(1981—1985),butnotintheLowerorUpperRiver.Inbothsurveys,themostextensivespawninginmainstemhabitatswasbychumandsockeyesalmon.Ofthosesockeye-‘andchumsalmonthatwerevisuallyconfirmedspawning,sloughsweretheprimaryhabitatC)occupied.Ofthe32sloughsidentifiedwithintheMiddleRiverfrom1981—1985(Table27),fiveOsloughs(21,11,9A,9,and8A)providedspawninghabitatforthebulkofspawningsalmoninboth2012and1981—1985.HistoricalandrecentconsistenciesamongtheusageofthesefiveXsloughsbysockeyeandchumsalmonhighlighttheirimportanceashabitatwithinthemainstemSusitnaRiver.C)Similartothe1981—1985surveys,surveysconductedin2012didnotconfirmanyspawningOactivityinmainstemhabitatbyChinooksalmon.AllvisuallyconfirmedChinooksalmonspawningwaswithintributaries.C)Theabsenceofchum(LowerRiver),coho(LowerandMiddleRiver),andpink(MiddleRiver)osalmonspawninginmainstemhabitatsin2012wastheonlyappreciabledifferenceinthe__comparisonofbothsurveys.In2012,despitemultiplesurveystosloughhabitatshistoricallyimportanttopinksalmonspawning(sloughs21,11,9A,9,and8A),pinksalmonspawningwasOnotvisuallyconfirmedwithinmainstemhabitats.Thereasonforthelackofobservationsofpink0salmonspawningin2012isunknownanddifficulttoassessgivenoneyearofdata.OInsummary,duetotheintensityofspawningactivityatasmallnumberofsloughsalongtheoMiddleRiver,andtheconsistencyoftheseresultswithhistoricstudies,abetterunderstandingiswarrantedonhowmainstemflowsaffectthephysicalpropertiesateachofthesehabitatsandLihowchangestothesephysicalpropertiesmightaffectthebehaviorofsockeye,chum,andpink0salmon.Inaddition,furthereffortsareneededtodevelopmethodologiescapableofconfirmingaspawningactivityinturbidwater.6.4.SalmonMigrationAboveDevilsCanyonTheextensivemobiletrackingeffortin2012detectedasubstantialnumberofpre-spawningandpost-spawningmovementsofChinooksalmonthatpassedDevilsCanyon.Thesedatarevealedthatsevenofthe12ChinooksalmonthatpassedImpediment3migrated24—93km(15—58mi)upstreamfromtheireventualspawninglocation,andfourofthesefishmovedbackdownstreamofDevilsCanyonandlikelyspawnedinPortageCreek.OnemaleChinooksalmon(Fish359)wasdetectedintwotributaries(DevilCreekandPortageCreek)duringpotentialspawningSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page53February2013 cREPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTI0NANDHABITATUTILIZATIONintervalsafterbeingdetectedatthemouthofKosinaCreek.Althoughthesebehaviorssuggestexploratorymovements,morefishandmorestudyyearsareneededtoknowhowwellthemovementsrepresenttheentirepopulation,andhowmuchthebehaviorvariesamongyearsanddifferentenvironmentalconditions.ThetelemetrygearworkedwellfordetectingfishmovingintoandaboveDevilsCanyon.AllCsalmondetectedatDevilStation,atthelowerendofDevilsCanyon,weresubsequentlydetectedCduringaerialsurveys.AnyfishthatwentundetectedpastDevilStationwouldhavealsohadtohavemovedbackdownundetectedinordertohavegoneundocumented.Giventhereliabilityofthesestationsandthecloseagreementbetweenfixedstationandaerialsurveydetections,0undetectedmigrationthroughDevilsCanyonwasunlikely.0TheobservationofChinookspawninginstreamsaboveDevilsCanyonisconsistentwiththe0resultsfromsurveysconductedinpreviousyears.AssummarizedinAEA(201ib),fewChinook0salmon(20—45fish)wereobservedintributariesaboveDevilsCanyonin1982—83.In1984,ChinooksalmonspawningwasobservedinChinook(n=15)andFog(11=2)creeks.In2003,juvenileChinooksalmonweresampledinFogCreek,KosinaCreek,andasfarupstreamasthe0mouthoftheOshetnaRiver;adultChinooksalmonwerealsodocumentedintheUpperRiver0(Buckwalter2011).TherearenootherpublishedreportsofsalmonspawningaboveDevilsoCanyon(AEA201lb).Theinformationcollectedonfishsize,passagetiming,andflowdataforthesuccessfulfishpassageseventssuggeststhatabroadsizerangeofChinooksalmonpassedthroughDevilsCanyonwhenflowswereatorbelow21,000cfs,butnotabove30,000cfs.Thecoincident0timingoffishpassageaboveDevilsCanyonattimesoflowflowsin2012leadstoquestionsof0whetherflowaffectedpassage.Howeversuggestive,the2012resultsarelimitedinsamplesize,confoundedwithtimeanddischarge,andwerenotpartofaformalcontrol-treatmentexperiment,andthereforeareinsufficienttoinferwhetherlowflowplayedacausalroleinthepassageofC)ChinooksalmoninlateJuly.Theresultsfrom2012willhelp,however,withplanningfor20130(maximizingsamplesizesandspatialcoverageoffixed-stationreceiversandmobiletelemetry)(C)andwithprovidingamoredetailedlookattheflowsduringvarioussuccessfulandunsuccessfulpassageperiods.06.5.AbilitytoDetectSalmoninClearandTurbidWater,andto(CollectSpawningHabitatDatainTurbid,MainstemWaterc6.5.1.SonartoIdentifySpawningLocationsinTurbidWaterUsingsonartoidentifyspawninglocationsinturbidwaterproveddifficultin2012.Side-scanimagesshowedfeaturesoftheriverbathymetry(e.g.,gravelbars)andavarietyofsubstratetypes(e.g.,sand,gravel,cobble,androcks);however,noobvioussalmonreddswereobservedwithside-scanorDIDSONsonar.Nosonarsamplingoccurredduringlow,clear-waterconditions,socrewscouldnot‘ground-truth’theturbid-watersamplesitesusingvisualobservations.Shallowwateralsolimitedboataccesstosomesites,includingatleasttwo(sidechannels1and3)whereradio-taggedfishhadbeenreportedoveraprolongedperiodoftime.Thus,thoughsonardidnotdetectthepresenceofredds,itremainsunknownwhetherthiswasattributabletotheabsenceofredds,orbecausereddswerenotrecognizableontheimages;furthermore,somesiteswereinaccessibleduetoshallowwater.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page54February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFortheidentificationofChinooksalmonredds,Tiffanetal.(2004)foundthatDIDSONwas1moreeffectivewhenreddsexhibitedsufficientmorphology(i.e.,well-developedtailspills)and0wherethetopographyoftheriverbedwassomewhatsmoothsothatreddswouldnotbeconfusedOwithotherbottomfeatures.In2012,theDIDSONfootageprovidedaroughestimate(orderofomagnitude)ofthenumberoffishpresent,andindicatedthatobservedfishweremillingratherthanengagedinspawningactivity.Intheabsenceofunidirectionalmovement,andgiventhe)relativelysmallareasampled,itwasdifficulttoprovidemorepreciseestimatesoffish)abundance.6.6.OperationalLessonsabouttheEffectivenessofOurApproachesin2012,withImplicationsfor2013Thefollowingisasummaryofoperationallessonsthataugmentoremphasizelessonsfrom2012raisedelsewhereinthereport.Thefocusisonthosethatwillinfluencethe2013SalmonEscapementStudy,andareinadditiontothoselessonsthatdirectlyinfluencedthegeneticsandotherstudyplanssubmittedtoFERCinDecemberaspartoftheRSP.)1.TobettercharacterizeChinooksalmonmigrationbehaviorandtiminginandabove)DevilsCanyon,itwouldbebeneficialtoincreasethenumbersofradio-taggedfishinoDevilsCanyonin2013and2014overthatachievedin2012.Toachievethisgoal__withoutjeopardizingtheotherstudycomponent(characterizemainstemhabitatuseintheMiddleRiver),weproposetoaugmentandsplittheChinooksalmontaggingeffortatOCurrywithtwoadditionalfishwheelslocatedinlowerDevilsCanyon.AlthoughweareOnotcertainofthefeasibilityofoperatingflshwheelsinthearea,theadditionalfishingeffortinDevilsCanyonhasadisproportionateimpactonincreasingthenumbersofradio-taggedChinooksalmoninDevilsCanyon.O2.EstablishtagginggoalrangesforeachspeciesthatarecontingentuponestimatedOfishwheelcatchesandthenumberofradiotagsavailable.WhenapplyingfortheinitialoFishResourcePermitfromADF&G,requestpermissiontotaguptotheupperboundaryofthetaggoalranges.Thiswillprovidegreaterflexibilityin-seasontoadjusttaggoals,maximizetheuseofconsiderablesurveyeffort,ensureallradiotagsavailablecanbeOdeployedinagivenyear,andeliminatethepaperworkassociatedwithamendingtheopermitmidseason.3.Explorealternativemethodsforsampling(e.g.,markrates,lengths)fishonthespawninggroundssothatinvestigatorscantestwhethertaggedfishwererepresentativeoftheir0respectiveruns.In2012,bearpredationonChinooksalmonprecludedeffectiveOspawninggroundsamplingintheIndianRiverandPortageCreek.Infuturestudies,considerastrategicallylocatedadultsalmonweirand/orvideosystemwithpartialweirineitherofthesesystemstoprovidethenecessarysamples.O4.Fixed-stationreceiverslocatedattributaries(e.g.,IndianRiver,PortageCreek)shouldbeOaddedfartherupstreamfromtheirconfluencewiththeSusitnaRiver.Thiswillimproveoourabilitytodifferentiatebetweenmainstemandtributaryspawnersandreducetheamountofaerial-trackingeffortrequiredinthetributaries.5.Continueahighlevelofaerial-trackingcoverageandexpandcollaborationandintegrationwiththeLowerRiverinvestigators(i.e.,ADF&G).Surveyswereconducted)weeklyin2012andprovidedextremelyhigh-resolutioninformationonfishmovementsthroughoutthedrainage.DataprocessingtimewasnotsignificantlyincreasedwithSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page55February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION()regularsurveys,andthebenefitsweresubstantialwhendetectingandtrackingfishaboveDevilsCanyon.WithanexpandedLowerRiverprogramin2013,theneedforcoordinationandintegrationofeffortsamonginvestigatorswillgrow.6.InstallintergraveltemperatureprobesincloseproximitytoreddsinthefallandremoveC)themthefollowingspring.Theseprobeswillprovidedataonhyphoreicflowsthroughspawninggravelsatmainstemlocationsoverthewinterincubationmonths.Thesedatamayhelptocharacterizetheinfluenceofmainstemflows(overthewintermonths)onhyphoreicstabilityonasite-by-sitebasis,andindicatewhyonlyafewofthesesites(e.g.,0sloughs21,11,8A)comprisedthemajorityofmainstemspawningin2012andthe()1980s.7.ConductmorefrequentspawnerandH$CsurveysinmainstemhabitatsoftheMiddleRivertomoreaccuratelydefinespawningactivityandtiminginrelationtodischarge.C)Observationsin2012andthel98OsindicatedthatrelativelyspecificconditionsappeartoC)triggerspawningactivityonasite-by-sitebasis.Theadditionalinformationgainedfrommorefrequentsurveyswillprovidemorespecificcriteriafor1SFanalyses.8.Whenusingboat-basedsonartosurveyredds,asidemountthatisolatesthetransducerfromtherollingmotionoftheboatisrequired.Indeeperwater,aside-scantransduceris()usuallytowedonalongtethertoseparateitfromtheheave,pitch,androllofthesurveyvessel.Thiswasnotanoptionatthe2012samplesitesduetoshallowwater.However,sincerollappearedtohavethebiggesteffectonimagequality,itispossiblethatimprovementscanbemadebymountingthetransduceratthebowoftheboat(anew0bowmounthasbeendesignedforfuturestudies).0C)ACKNOWLEDGMENTSC)WethankWayneDyokandBetsyMcGregorfromtheAlaskaEnergyAuthorityfortheirsuppoiandprojectoversight.FromR2ResourceConsultants,Inc.,MaryLouKeefe,JudeSimon,Mike0Gagner,andDudleyReiserprovidedadviceandassistancewithprojectlogistics,datacollection,0anddatamanagement.WearegratefultoJackEricksonandRichardYanuszfromADF&GQ(SportFishDivision)forprovidingvaluableadvice,assistingwithpreseasonflshwheeldesign,andsharinginthecollectionandanalysisofradiotelemetrydata.DonDeganandAnna-MariaMuellerofAquacoustics,Inc.(Soldotna,AK)providedsonarassistance.0Theradiotagsandthetaggingoperationonfishwheelnumber1atFlathomforpinksalmon,theoperationoffishwheels2-4atFlathom,andtheradiotelemetrystationswerefundedbytheAlaskaSustainableSalmonFund(Studies45921and45912).ThedatawerepreparedbyAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGamestaffunderaward#N$08NMF4380597fromtheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration,U.S.DepartmentofCommerce,administeredbytheAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame.Thestatements,findings,conclusions,andrecommendationsarethoseoftheauthor(s)anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration,theU.S.DepartmentofCommerce,ortheAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame....0ThespawningdistnbutionofchumandcohosalmonmtheLowerRiverwasfundedbyaCapitalImprovementProjectfromtheAlaskaStateLegislature.00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page56February201300t REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNWethanktheAlaskaRailroadCorporationforalltheservicestheyprovided,withoutwhichthis-,projectwouldnothavebeenpossible.Specifically,wethankTomBrooks,KarenMorisee,and)MichelleSchmidtfortheirpatienceanddiligencethroughouttheland-usepermittingprocess;C)BobHansonforassistancewithcampmobilizationandsafety;DonaldWorthleyforhelpwithlogisticsandsharingknowledgeoftheCurryarea;MichelleRenfrewandSandyWannerforcoordinatingsupplyshipments;andthecrewoftheHurricaneTurntrainforprovidingsafeandenjoyabletransportationtoandfromCurry.WearegratefultoQuicksilverAir(MikeTerwilliger,MarkStott,BradWiime)formakingthe0mobiletelemetrysurveysasuccessandtransportingcrewandgearthroughoutthesummer.The)HamiltonConstructionCompanyatCurryassistedwithprojectlogisticsandprovidedinvaluableadviceduringtheseason.Mahay’sJetBoatAdventuressharedtheirknowledgeoftheSusitnaRiverandtransportedcrewandgeartocamp.Ourthankstothefieldcrewfortheirhardworkanddedication,includingMattHyatt,James-‘Macaulley,JoshMoffi,AlecRadford,KrisShippen,andRogerTyler.LisaBearden,Marc0Bourdon,RobinTamasi,AndrewBruce,MikeDemarchi,PeterJohnson,GuyWade,Amber)Stephens,andCarrieZiollcowskifromLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.(Anchorage,AK)wereinstrumentalinmakingthisprojectasuccess.VickiPriebeofHappyComputerServices(Willow,AK)assistedwithdocumentproduction.LITERATURECITED)AlaskaClimateResearchCenter(ACRC).2012.MonthlytimeseriesclimatedataforTailceetna,Alaska.GeophysicalInstituteoftheUniversityofAlaskaFairbanks,http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/Climate/Location!TimeSeries/Tallceetna.html.AccessedDec20,2012.0AlaskaEnergyAuthority(AEA).201la.Pre-ApplicationDocument:Susitna-WatanaOHydroelectricProject,FERCProjectNo.14241,December29,2011.0AEA.201lb.AquaticResourcesDataGapAnalysis.Draft.PreparedforAlaskaEnergyOAuthority.July20,2011.AEA.20l2a.Adultsalmondistributionandhabitatutilization.StudyPlan:Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject,FERCProjectNo.14241,2012.AEA.20l2b.AdultSalmonDistributionandhabitatutilizationstudy.InterimReport:SusitnaWatanaHydroelectricProject,FERCProjectNo.14241,2012.0AEA.20l2c.ProposedStudyPlan.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject,FERCProjectNo.o14241,2012.0AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame(ADF&G).1981.Phase1finaldraftreport.Subtask7.10.Adultanadromousfisheriesproject(June—September1981).AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.ADF&G.1983.Phase2draftreport.Volume1.Synopsisofthe1982aquaticstudiesandanalysisoffishandhabitatrelationships.Appendices.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page57February2013 ()REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNBarrett,B.M.,F.M.Thompson,andS.N.Wick.1983.Phase2finalreport.Volume2.Adultanadromousfishstudies,1982.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.Barrett,B.M.,F.M.Thompson,andS.N.Wick.1984.Adultanadromousfishinvestigations:May-October1983.ReportNo.1.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.Barrett,B.M.,F.M.Thompson,andS.N.Wick.1985.Adultsalmoninvestigations:May-(October1984.ReportNo.6.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.Buckwalter,I.D.2011.SynopsisofADF&G’sUpperSusitnaDrainageFishInventory,August2011.November22,2011.ADF&GDivisionofSportFish,Anchorage,AK.173pp.C)Coutant,C.C.,andW.VanWinkleJr.1984.DraftEnvironmentalImpactStatement,Susitna0HydroelectricProject,FERCNo.7114.Volume4,AppendixI:FisheriesandAquaticC)Resources.OakRidgeNationalLaboratory.74pp.0Elwood,J.W.,D.W.Lee,M.J.Sale,andA.J.Witten.1984.DraftEnvironmentalImpactC)Statement,SusitnaHydroelectricProject,FERCNo.7114.Volume4,AppendixH:WaterResources.OakRidgeNationalLaboratory.52pp.Gatto,L.W.,C.J.Merry,H.L.McKim,andD.E.Lawson.1980.EnvironmentalanalysisoftheUpperSusitnaRiverBasinusingLandsatimagery.CRRELReportNo.80-4,U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,ColdRegionsResearchandEngineeringLaboratory.0Hanover,NewHampshire.41pp.C)Hughes,N.F.2004.Thewave-draghypothesis:anexplanationforsize-basedlateralC)segregationduringtheupstreammigrationofsalmonids.CanadianJournalofFisheriesandAquaticSciences61:103-109.()Ivey,S.,C.Brockman,andD.Rutz.2009.AreaManagementReportfortheRecreationalFisheriesofNorthernCookInlet,2005and2006.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,FisheryManagementReportNo.09-27.Anchorage,Alaska.164ppplusappendices.0Link,M.R.,andK.K.English.1996.The1993fishwheelprojectontheNassRiverandan)evaluationoffishwheelsasaninseasonmanagementandstockassessmenttoolforthe()NassRiver.CanadianTechnicalReportofFisheriesandAquaticSciences2130:xi+Q103p.ULink,M.R.,andB.L.Nass.1999.EstimatedabundanceofChinooksalmonreturningtotheNassRiver,B.C.,1997.CanadianManuscrzptReportofFisheriesandAquaticSciences2475:xi+64.Meehan,W.R.1961.Theuseofafishwheelinsalmonresearchandmanagement.TransactionsCoftheAmericanFisheriesSociety90:490-494.(Merizon,R.A.,R.I.Yanusz,D.J.Reed,andT.R.Spencer.2010.Distributionofspawning$usitnaRiverchumOncorhynchusketaandcoho0.kisutchsalmon,2009.AlaskaFisheryDataSeriesNo.10-72.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,DivisionsofSportFishandCommercialFisheries.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page58February201300 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONRobichaud,D.,K.K.English,J.J.Smith,andS.C.Tyerman.2010.Applicationofflshwheelsandradio-telemetryforin-seasonassessmentofsalmonreturnstotheFraserRiver,2009.PacificSalmonFoundation,FraserSalmonandWatershedsProgram,Vancouver,B.C.Rutz,D.S.1996.Seasonalmovements,ageandsizestatistics,andfoodhabitsofNorthernPikeinUpperCookInletduring1994and1995.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,FisheryDataSeriesNo.96-29.Anchorage,Alaska.Schmidt,D.C.,S.S.Hale,D.L.Crawford,andP.M.$uchanek.1984.ReportNo.2:ResidentandJuvenileAnadromousFishInvestigations(May—October1983).AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies.Anchorage,Alaska.42ppplusappendices.Shields,P.andA.Dupuis.2012.UpperCookInletcommercialfisheriesannualmanagementreport,2011.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,FisheryManagementReportNo.12-25,Anchorage.Smith,I.I.,M.R.Link,andB.D.Cain.2005.Developmentofalong-termmonitoringprojecttoestimateabundanceofChinooksalmonintheCopperRiver,Alaska,2001-2004.AlaskaFisheryResearchBulletin11(2):118-134.Thompson,F.M.,S.N.Wick,andB.L.Stratton.1986.Adultsalmoninvestigations:May-October1985.TechnicalDataReportNo.13,AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,SusitnaHydroAquaticStudies,Anchorage,Alaska.Tiffan,K.F.,D.W.RondorfandJ.J.Skalicky.2004.ImagingfallChinooksalmonreddsintheColumbiaRiverwithadual-frequencyidentificationsonar.NorthAmericanJournalofFisheriesManagement24:1421-1426.0Woodward-ClydeConsultants,andEntrix,Inc.1985.FishResourcesandHabitatsinthe0MiddleSusitnaRiver.TechnicalReportNo.1.InstreamFlowRelationshipsSeries.AlaskaPowerAuthoritySusitnaHydroelectricProject.Vol.1.XYanusz,R.J.,R.A.Merizon,T.M.Willette,D.G.Evans,andT.R.Spencer.2011.InriverabundanceanddistributionofspawningSusitnaRiversockeyesalmonOncorhynchusOnerka,2008.AlaskaFisheryDataSeriesNo.11-12.AlaskaDepartmentofFishandOGame,DivisionsofSportFishandCommercialFisheries.OYanuszR.I.,P.Cleary,S.Ivey,I.W.Erickson,D.I.Reed,R.Neustel,andJ.Bullock.2013.oDistributionofSpawningSusitnaRiverChinookOncorhynchustsha’iytschaandPink0.gorbuschaSalmon,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProject(FERCNo.14241).PreparedbyAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGame,DivisionofSportFishforAlaskaOEnergyAuthority,813WestNorthernLightsBoulevard,Anchorage,Alaska99503.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page59February2013 )REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION)0)00))))0)TABLES0003)30000003000)00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority)FERCProjectNo.14241Page60February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable1.Useofvariousmethodstoaccomplisheachofsevenmajorobjectivesin2012.MiddleRiverLowerRiverLowerRiverMobileandPhysicalFishwheelFishwheelMiddleRiverRadio-FixedTrackingHabitatObjectiveOperationOperation1Radio-taggingtagging1SonarSurveysSampling1.Fishcapture,tugging,andtiackinginMiddleRivet2.Migrationbehavior,spawninglocationsofsalmoninup/middle/lowerSusihaRiver3.FeasibilityofsonartodeterminespawninglocsinXturbidwater4.Characterizesalmonmigrationbehavior,timingXXXXXaboveDevilsCanyon5.Habitatusehistoricandcurrent6.Locateindividualholdingandspawningsalmon(clear,turbid)&coflecthabttatdatainniddleandlowerriver,consistentwithdevelopingHSC.7.Evaluateeffectivenessof2012methods.Notes:OperatedbyADF&GandreportedinYanuszetal.(2013).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241Page61AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013ooooøcocc;cccccccccoccccc•ccooooocacccx.occc REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION00000Table2.TotalcatchofsalmonattwofishwheelsitesnearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.SiteISite2TotalSpeciesAdultlackTotalAdultJackTotalAdultJackTotalChinookSalmon2568333916661227422144566SockeyeSalmon3523757663928100PinkSalmon4,1644,1645415414,7054,705ChumSalmon8778778578571,7341,734CohoSalmon2291230350352641265Total5,561865,6471,656671,7237,2171537,370Notes:Adultsalmoncatchesincluderecaptures:20Chinook,2sockeye,1pink,7chum,3coho.Table3.ForklengthsandlinearregressionequationsforfishsampledattheCurryfishwheels,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013ForkLength(cm)LinearRearession:MEF-FL(cm)SpeciesMmMaxMeannEquationnR2ChinookSalmon3312371492MEF=0,9001*FL+1.47052070.99SockeyeSalmon32725491MEF0.8494*FL+3.4589710.97PinkSalmon345949588MEF0.8383*FL+3.81083070.94ChumSalmon527767867MEF=0.7675*FL+9.38728430.94CohoSalmon356955250MEF=0.8498*FL+3.75352470.93Table4.Numberoffish,byspeciesandlocation,sampledforDNAandotoliths.NumberForkLength(cm)NumberofSamplesSpeciesCaughtMmMaxMeannDNAOtolithArcficGrayling1313131.01DollyVarden2253329.0211LongnoseSucker22223630.1159RainbowTrout23175030.22110RoundWhitefish29153830.11915HumpbackWhitefish6173427.0542Page62 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNTable5.NumberofadultsalmontaggedandrecapturedattwofishwheelsitesnearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.PreseasonSiteISite2TotalSpeciesTagGoalTaggedRecapsTaggedRecapsTaggedRecapsChinooksalmon40021415138535220SockeyeSalmon200270432702PinkSalmon200122110802301ChumSalmon200140413932797CohoSalmon20015632801843Tota[1,20065923456101,11533LocationRadioTagTimeBetweenCaptureEvents(Hours)ofTaggingSpeciesRecapturesMmMaxMediannMiddleRivetChinookSalmon170.0263.16.913(Curry)SockeyeSalmon22.6495.8249.22ChumSalmon20.62.21,42CohoSalmon31.6193.32.03LowerRiverChinookSalmon3630.8693.7640.53ChumSalmon1464.1464.1464.11LocationISpeciesflifl2DmaxP-valueSi1vs.Si2ChinookSalmon3141780.051.00SockeyeSalmon34570.160.71PinkSalmon3882000.120.06ChumSalmon4604070.050.70CohoSalmon216340.160.39Caoluredvs.TaedChinookSalmon4043500.031.00SockeyeSalmon79700.041.00PinkSalmon5842300.031.00ChumSalmon8672790.060.45CohoSalmon2481840.051.00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary20130000()0))0C)0000C)0000()0()Nob:Includesrecapt.iresofspaghetti-(1pink,4chum)andradio-gged(3Chinook,1chum)shreleasedintheLowerRiver.Table6.Numberofrecapturedradio-taggedfish,bylocationoftagging,andtheelapsedtimebetweentagandrecaptureevents.Nreflectsthenumberofrecapturesthatwerescannedforthetagnumberandthusavailableforanalysis.Table7.StatisticalresultsofKolmogorov-Smirnovtestscomparingcumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishC)measuredattheCurryfishwheels,2012.C)0000()00Page63 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable8.ChinooksalmoncaptureintheSite1fishwheelvs.concurrentdetectionbytheDIDSONonthreedatesin2012..DIDSONCountPercentCaughtWhenWhenFishwheelFishwheelDate24-hPeriodOperatingFWICount24..hPeriodOperating19-Jun312126.59.520-Jun474036.47.54-Jul-7317-23.3Total781342228.216.4Nob:DIDSONcountsincludeonlythosefishtravellinginanupstreamdirecfion.Table9.MarkrateestimateadjustmentsbasedontheoreticalobservationefficiencyduringstreamcountsofChinooksalmoninPortageCreekandIndianRiver,2012.ObserverAdjustedAdjustedMarkDateLocationActualCountEfficiency(%)FishMissedCountRate(%)30-JulPortegeCreek146+341100.00.0180.016.190.018.0198.014.685.027.0207.014.080.036.0216.013.475.045.0225.012.970.054.0234.012,431-JulIndianRivet82100.00.082.013.490.08.290.212.285.012.394.311.780.016A98.411.275.020.5102.510.770.024.6106.610.38-AugIndianRivet43100.00.043.032.690.04.347.329.685.06.549.528.380.08.651.627.175.010.853.826.070.012.955.925.0Note:1The34additionalcountsrepresentanestimatednumberofChinooksalmonpresentinasectionofstreamblockedbybearactivily.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page64February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONStartLocationStopLocationDateLocationCatLongCatLongLiveCount30-JulPortageCreek6290057-149,2491362.87752-149.32030146+34131-JulUpperIndian62.87892-149.5836862.86988-149.597478208-AugLowerIndian62.82844-149.6447662.78484-149.6621743Nota:1the34addionaIcountsrepresentanesfmatadnumberofChinooksalmonpresentinasectonofstreamblockedbybearacfivity.StartLocationStopLocationTagsBear-RelatedDateLocationLatlongLatLongRecoveredRecoveries02-AugLowerIndian62.78484-149.6621762.78955-149.661351105-AugUpperIndian62.88493-149.5659662.85728-149.613308408-AugLowerlndian62.82844-149.6447662.78484-149.66217118Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Table10.SummaryofvisualgroundsurveysforliveChinooksalmoninPortageCreekandIndianRiver,2012.Coordinatesareindecimaldegrees.()00000000000Table11.SummaryoftheChinooksalmonmortalitytagrecoveryeffortsinIndianRiver,2012.Coordinatesareindecimaldegrees.Page65 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION00000000000000000)Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Table12.Comparisonofthenumberofradio-taggedChinooksalmondetectedduringanaerial-trackingsurveyonJuly24,andthenumberofChinooksalmonvisuallycountedonanaerialsurveyconductedthesameday.AsensitivityanalysisoftheestimatedproportionoffishmarkedintheMiddleRiverasafunctionofobserverefficiencyontheaerialsurveysisalsoshown.SurveyMethodTagSiteandStatusIndianRiverPortageCreekTotalAerial-TrackingMiddleRiver-Live65131196Survey(LGL)MiddleRiver-Dead81220LowerRiver-Live4812LowerRivet-Dead022Total77153230Aerial-CounngNo.ofChinookObserved338501839Survey(ADF&G)CountRadioRao4.43.33.6CountRadioRao(MiddleRiver)4.63.53.9SensifivityofEsilmatedMarkRateinMiddleRivettoObserverEfficiencyonAerial-CounfingSurveyObserverEfficiencyMarkRate(MiddleRiverLiveTapsIVisualCount20%3.8%5.2%4.7%40%7.7%10.5%9.3%60%11.5%15.7%14.0%80%15.4%20.9%18.7%100%19.2%26.1%23.4%Page66 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZ4TIONTable13.Detectionefficienciesoffixed-stationreceiversintheMiddleRiver,byspecies.Alsoshown:numbersofradio-taggedfishthatweredetectedateachfixed-stationreceiver,andnumbersknowntohavepassed(i.e.,detectedatorupstreamofthereceiver).Noterminalzonesareincludedbecausedetectionefficienciesforthesesitescannotbecomputed(therearenoupstreamdetectionzones).OnlytagsdeployedfromtheCurryfishwheelsareincluded.Tobeincludedinthe‘detected’column,afishhadtobedetectedduringitsupstreammovements(i.e.,detectionsoffishmovingdownstreamarenotincluded).Lowdetectionefficienciesatsloughs11and21reflectanintentionaldesigntonottrackfishmigratingupthemainstemSusitnaRiver,andshouldnotbecomparedtootherstations.ChinookSalmonChumSalmonCohoSalmonPinkSalmonSockeyeSalmonReceiverDetectPassDE(%)DetectPassDE(%)DetectPassDE(%)DetectPassDEf%)DetectPassDE(%)Gataway21231367.723323897.914915397.419219499.0626398.4Slough11303059.811990.501360.001470.01531.9IndianRiver22630374.617919890.412413691.213414791.2455384.9Slough212623011.301210.00700.00710.01472.1PortageCreek20522591.111311796.6636596.9677095.7454697.6CheechakoStation2323100.000.00.00.00ChinookCreek2020100.000.00.00.00DevilStation99100.000.00.00.00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page67February2013D0000c.OOOCOOOD0000000000cc:00000000000000CC -REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable14.Monitoringefficiency(percentoperational)offixed-stationreceiversintheMiddleandUpperRiverin2012,byweek.Percentageswerecalculatedasthenumberofhoursofrecordedreceiveractivitydividedbythenumberofhoursforwhichitwasdeployed,summedbyweek;“-“=‘notdeployed’.Receiverswereconsideredactiveinagivenhourifatleastonefishdetection,beacon-taghit,ornoiseeventwasrecordedduringthehour.Fixed-stationReceiverLaneLaneDevilDevilStationStationIndianPortageCheechakoChinookStationStationKosinaWeekADFGLGLGatewaySlough11RiverSlough21CreekStationCreekADFGLGLCreek6/11-6/17-4492100--------6/18-6/24701009510088-25100100100--6/25-7/11001001001009110098100100100-1007/2-7/899100100100201002410010099-1007/9-7/15100100100100791008010010098-1007/16-7/22100100100100100861001001001001001007/23-7/29100601001001001001001001001001001007/30-8/595641009987100671001001001001008/6-8/121001009510067100881001001001001008/13-8/19100100100100811001001001001001001008/20-8/261001001001001001001001001001001001008/27-9/2100937310010010010010010081681009/3-9/9100100100-100-100100631001001009/10-9/161006022-100-100100----9/17-9/2310010088-79-54100----9/24-9/30100100100-93-50100----10/1-10/7100100100-100-100100----10/8-10/14100100100-100-100100----10/15-10/21100100100-100-10064----10/22-10/28-------100----10/29-11/4-------100----11/5—11/11———————100————11/12-11/18-------100----Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page68February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable15.Monitoringefficiency(percentoperational)ofLowerRiverfixed-stationreceiversin2012,byweek.Percentageswerecalculatedasthenumberofhoursofrecordedreceiveractivitydividedbythenumberofhoursforwhichitwasdeployed,summedbyweek;“-“=‘notdeployed’.Receiverswereconsideredactiveinagivenhourifatleastonefishdetection,beacon-taghit,ornoiseeventwasrecordedduringthehour.Fixed-stationReceiverSusitnaLowerUpperSkwentnaDeshkaDeshkaSunshineTalkeetnaChulitnaWeekStationYentnaYentnaRiverMouthWeirMouthStationStation4/30-5/6---------5/7-5/13100100-------5/14-5/20100100--100100100--5/21-5/27100100--1001001001001005/28-6/3100100--1001001001001006/4-6/101001001001001001001001001006/11-8/171001001001001001001001001006/18-6/241001001001001001001001001006/25-7/11001001001001001001001001007/2-7/81001001001001001001001001007/9-7/151001001001001001001001001007/16-7/221001001001001001001001001007/23-7/291001001001001001001001001007/30-8/51001001001001001001001001008/6-8/121001001001001001001001001008/13-8/19100100100381001001001001008/20-8/2610010010001001001001001008/27-9/21001001000100100100-1001009/3-9/91001001000100100100801009/10-91161001001000100100100261009/17-9/23--1000--100551009/24-9/30--1000--100-10010/1-10/7--1000----10010/8-10/14---------Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page69February2013ocooccc.Q.:)(QQQCQOO%cODOQQoQoaQQ000CC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable16.Thenumbersandproportionsoftagsthathadmalfunctioningmortalityfunctions.Resurrections:sometagsthatchangedfromtheirmortalitysignalmode,inwhichtheyweresupposedtobelocked,tothelivesignalmode.Sensorfailures:sometagsfailedtogointomortalitywhenafterbeinginactiveforlongperiodsoftime.Resultsareshownseparatelyforeachmodeltype.TagModelSmallMid-sizedLargeDetectedDuringLGLMobile-tracks179505375EnteredMortalityMode147429345‘Resurrecton’Events153223%Resurrecions10.2%7.5%6.7%RemainedinLiveMode327630Likelydeadlishwith‘live’tags301%SensorFailure1.7%0.0%0.3%TotalMalftincions183224%Malfunctions10.1%6.3%6,4%Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013))000)0)000000000000)))UPage70 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable17.Destinationsofradio-taggedfishbyspeciesandreleaselocation.fishthatdidnotentertributariesandweredetectedonseveraloccasionswithinalimitedareawereclassifiedwitha‘MainstemDestination’(eitherinside-channel/sloughlocations,inatributarymouth,orinthemainstemproper).Tagsthatwererecoveredorreturnedwereincludedinthistableeitherunderthe‘OtherMainstem’classification(iftherecoverydatewasoutsideoftherangeofprobablespawningdates)orwithintherowthatwasassociatedwiththerecoverylocation(ifrecoverieswerefromwithinatributary,orwereinapossiblemainstemspawninglocation).ChinookSalmonChumSalmonCohoSalmonPinkSalmonSockeyeSalmon.-..-..-.Ø.W.-QJ>:2>>:2>>:2>>:2>>2>Classification-.ii.-i._jiTributaryDestinations(total)3602862831753261223721549910AlexanderCreek2010000000YenaRiver400122013301680960DeshkaRivet10913028042010WllowCreek1901403013000LimeWillowCreek23040705000KashwilnaCreek12030303000GooseCreek2010600000SheepCreek10030200000MontanaCreek103110506000RabideauxCreek0000100000TalkeelnaRiver5367323414301401ChulihaRivet601333491799223t’MiiskersCreek0000000200Unnamedtrib(Zone97)0000110000LaneCreek___________02_012005thofJulyCreek0000Ii____u—z—,ji....—--ShermanCreek00000f105004thofJulyCreek05150101802GoldCreek01000\\.000000IndianRiver78556856858001JackLongCreek1115790422034CheechakoCreek0600000”lA/000ChinookCreek300000000DevilCreek010000000KosinaCreek2400000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page71February2013DC?0CoQOOooQOOooOQOCOOCOO0000000000000000000C UcUOUOCOOOOOOQOOOQOOOCouQuQuOQ)uQ3uREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable17.Continued.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013MainstemDestinations(total)1131MainstemProper411DownstreamofLane30UpstreamofLane171TributaryMouths218DeshkaRivet20WillowCreek00MontanaCreek00TalkeetnaRiver00ChulitnaRiver0032551013100380002I013000002323757005310ooIa1010oo4thofJulyCreekIndianRivetJackLongCreekPortageCreek1192320o363004020oaoa373007304o0oooa00o0o7o3o0o4SideChannels&Sloughs52Slough8A00Slough900Sloughll00Slough2l00Otherareas52o0o5°ti04oa02010o11934o103o5o119243oa313oaoa01oa137a00030I002U3U05o3o9ooo13OtherClassifications(total)7135854950391867023OtherMainstam2911483442141240017MaxZonedownstreamofLane29043042072000MaxZoneupstreamofLane071534014040017DownstreamOnly3266701302205NearReleaseSita6172173123501NotDetectad30101503000TagRemoved1100000000ToblTagsReleased44235240027939918440123010070PercentwithDesnaonsAssigned849079828779967110067Page72 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable1$.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforChinooksalmonintheMiddleRiver,2012.Riverflowsareincubicfeetpersecond.HabitatSurveySurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeDate1TypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlow15thofJulyCreekTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess2LaneCreek-GatewayMainstem06-AugAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess19,578AerialX34thofJulyCreekTributaryDelta20-JulAerialTooTurbkiToAssess17,32025-JulBoatReconTooTurbidToAssess28,89128-JulAquacousticsX22,1324Gateway-Slough11MainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess5Gateway-Slough11MainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess28-JulAquacousticsX22,1326GoldCreekTributaryDeltaAeriaL/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess28-JulAquacousticsX22,1327Slough11-IndianRiverMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess8IndianRiverTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconX9IndianRiver-Slough21MainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess10IndianRiver-Slough21MainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess29-JulAquacousticsX22,62111Slough21-PortageCreekMainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess12Slough21-PortageCreekMainstemAerial/BoatReconTooTurbidToAssess13PortageCreekTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconXNotes:1BlankcellsindicatelocationsHiatweremoniteredonaregularbasis,butshwerenotobservedorconrmedandspecicdatesofmonibringwerenotrecorded.Mostarehirbidwaterlocations.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241Page73AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013DOODcooooc.oooQQQQQQQQQQQQQ00000000000C uOOOQOOOQQOOQOQUuUUUUUUQOQuREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable19.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforchumsalmonintheMiddleRiver,2012.Riverflowsareincubicfeetpersecond.HabitatSurveySurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeDate1TypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlow1LaneCreek-GatewayTributaryDelta01-SepBoatReconX16,5922Slough8C&8DSlough06-AugBoatReconX19,57807-AugBoatReconX18,043AerialX3MooseSloughSloughAerialX4LaneCreek-GatewayMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess5LaneCreek-GatewayMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess6SloughBASlough13-AugAerialX17,36616-AugAerialX16,97222-AugAerialXX17,72826-AugHSCXX15,40827-AugAerialTooTurbidToAssess22,85103-SepAerialTooTurbidToAssess17,1737MainsmMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess8Slough9Slough13-AugAerialX17,36616-AugAerialX16,97222-AugAerialXX17,72827-AugHSCXX22,85194thofJulyCreekTributaryDelta11-AugBoatReconX17,39715-AugHSCXX16,992104thofJulySloughSlough11-AugBoatReconX17,39713-AugAerialXX17,36615-AugHSCXX16,99227-AugAerialTooTurbidToAssess22,85111Slough9ASlough22-AugAerialXX17,72826-AugHSCXX15,40827-AugAerialX22,851AerialX12SideChannel11SideChannelAerialTooTurbidToAssess13Slough11Slough15-AugBoatReconX16,99229-AugHSCXX22,271Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page74February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable19.Continued.HabitatSurveySurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeDateTypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlow14MainstemMainslemAerialTooTurbidToAssess15IndianRiverTributaryDelta11-AugBoatReconX1739726-AugHSCXX15,40829-AugHSCXX22,27116Slough21Slough05-AugAerialX21,96606-AugAerialX19,57811-AugBoatRecon/HSCXX17,39717MainstemMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess18MainstemMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess19PortageCreekTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconXNotes:1Blankcellsindicatelocafionsthatweremonibredonaregularbasis,butfishwerenotobservedorconfirmedandspecificdatesofmonibringwerenotrecorded.Mostareturbidwaterlocafions.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page75February2013C)DCCC)QC)QQQQQQQQQOO)QOQCCCOThflflQOOCOCDQCDC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable20.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforcohosalmonintheMiddleRiver,2012.Riverflowsareincubicfeetpersecond.HabitatSurvey______________________________________DateSurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeTypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlowILaneCreekTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconX2MooseSloughSloughAerialX3Slough8ASlough22-AugAerialX17,72826-AugBoatReconX15,40827-AugAerialTooTurbidToAssess22,851AerialX4Gateway-Slough11MainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess54thofJulySloughSlough27-AugAerialTooTurbidToAssess22,851AerialTooTurbidToAssess6Gateway-Slough11MainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess7IndianRiverTributaryDelta26-AugBoatReconX15,40829-AugBoatReconX22,271AerialX8Slough21-PortageCreekMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess9Slough21-PortageCreekMainstemAerialTooTurbidToAssess10PortageCreekTributaryDeltaAerial/BoatReconXNotes:1Blankcellsindicatelocafionsthatweremonibredonaregularbasis,butfishwerenotobservedorconfirmedandspecificdatesofmonibringwerenotrecorded.Mostareturbidwaterlocafions.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page76 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable21.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforpinksalmonintheMiddleRiver,2012.Riverflowsareincubicfeetpersecond.HabitatSurveySurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeDate1TypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlow15thofJulyCreekTrubtaryDeltaAerialX2Slough9Slough13-AugAerialX17,36616-AugAerialX16,97222-AugAerialX17,72827-AugBoatReconX22,85129-AugBoatReconX22,27134thofJulyCreekTrubtaryDelta11-AugBoatReconX17,39715-AugBoatReconX16,992AerialX4Slough11Slough15-AugBoatReconX16,99229-AugBoatReconX22,2715IndianRiverTrubtaryDelta11-AugBoatReconX17,39726-AugBoatReconX15,40829-AugBoatReconX22,2716PortageCreekTrubtaryDeltaAeriaBoatReconXNotes:Blankcellsindicatelocafionsthatweremonitoredonaregularbasis,butfishwerenotobservedorconfirmedandspecificdatesofmonitoringwerenotrecorded.Mostareturbidwaterlocafions.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page77February2013D0000a00000C0o0Q0000000000000c000000000000C OOCOOOOCOOOQOOOUCOOUUUQOUJJULREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable22.SummaryofmonitoringeffortatpotentialspawningsitesforsockeyesalmonintheMiddleRiver,2012.Riverflowsareincubicfeetpersecond.HabitatSurveySurveyFishObservedRiverSite#LocationTypeDate1TypeNoneHoldingSpawningFlow1MooseSloughSloughAerialX2Slough8ASlough13-AugAerialTooTurbidtoAssess17,36616-AugAerialTooTurbidloAssess16,97222-AugAerialXX17,72826-AugHSCXX15,40827-AugAerialTooTurbidtoAssess22,85103-SepAerialTooTurbidtoAssess17,1733LaneCreek-GatewayMainstemAerialTooTurbidtoAssess4Slough9Slough13-AugAerialX17,36616-AugAerialX16,97222-AugAerialXX17,72827-AugHSCXX22,8515Slough10Slough11-AugReconX17,39722-AugAerialX17,72827-AugReconX22,8516SideChannel11SideChannelAerialTooTurbidtoAssess7Slough11Slough15-AugReconX16,99229-AugHSCXX22,2718Slough19SloughAerialX09-SepAerialXX13,28318-SepAerialTooTurbidtoAssess20,7199Slough20SloughAerialX10SideChannel21SideChannelAerialTooTurbidtoAssess09-SepAerialXX13,28318-SepAerialTooTurbidtoAssess20,71911Slough21-PortageMainstemAerialTooTurbidtoAssess12PortageCreekTributaryDeltaAeriaVReconX13Portage-Impediment1MainstemAerialXNotes:Blankcellsindicatelocafionshatweremonitoredonaregularbasis,butfishwerenotobservedorconfirmedandspecificdatesofmonitoringwerenotrecorded.Mostareturbidwaterlocafions.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page78February2013 REPoRTNotes:cb/aADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILI24TIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary20130U)Table23.SalmondisplayingroamingbehaviorintheMiddleRiver.Thesewereradio-taggedfishofknowndestinationthatpassedLaneCreek(forreleasedintheLowerRiver,toppanel)orGateway(forfishreleasedatCurry,bottompanel),thensubsequentlyreturneddownstreamtoenteratributary.SeeTable17forfurtherdetailsaboutclassificationsoffishdestinations.TaggedinLowerRiverChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeClassificationIDestinationSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonReachedLaneStaion24256113UnknownClassiflcaon05000Tagremoved10000KnownDesnaon(a)123206113Mid/Upper-SusitnaTributary1915560Mid/Upper-SusibiaMainstem12001ReturnedDownstream(b)133152ChulitnaRivet20742TalkeetnaRivet03070MontanaCteek10000ProporfionRoaming(c)113.0%15.0%16.7%45.5%66.7%TaggedatCurryChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeClassificationIDestinationSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonTaggedatCurry35227918423070OilierClassificaions(fromTable17)3549396723OtherMainstem1134144017DownstreamOnly6713225NearReleaseSite1771251NotDetected01000Tagremoved10000KnownDesnaon(a)131723014516347SusitnaTrib.aboveGateway2631461051346SusitriaMainstemaboveGateway315523937ReturnedDownstream(b)1232917204LaneCteek02520ChulitnaRivet734723TalkeetnaRivet6234147WhisketsCteek00020Ttib,Zone9700100MontanaCteek30000DeshkaRiver70000ProporilonRoaming(c)17.3%12.6%11.7%12,3%8.5%0000\_Ja0aa00000()00a0a0000()a0)a()aa00Page79 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeFarthestUpstreamLocationSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonNeatIndianRivet10010Sloughil000014thofJuly00001Curry10000LaneStaon13140TotalnumberthatteachedLaneStaon,thenentereddownrivertributary33152TaggedatCurryChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeFarthestUpstreamLocationSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonPortageCteekmouth42233IndianRivermouth213004thofJuly10000Gateway25790TotalnumberthatreachedGateway,thenentereddownrivertributary9812123Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Table24.farthestupstreamdetectionlocationsforradio-taggedfishthateventuallyenteredatributarydownstreamofLane(forfishreleasedintheLowerRiver,toppanel)orGateway(forfishreleasedatCurry,bottompanel).TaggedinLowerRiver000))000000Page80 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTIuz4TI0NTable25.Minimum,medianandmaximumdatesoftlshwheelandfixed-stationreceiverpassage,byspecies.Onlyfishradio-taggedattheCurryfishwheelsareincluded.ReceiversatSlough11andSlough21detectedfewfishandarenotincluded.MiddleRiverIndianPortageCheechakoChinookDevilKosinaFishwheelsGatewayRiverCreekStationCreekStationCreekChinookSalmonMinimum18-Jun19-Jun20-Jun23-Jun7-Jul7-Jul17-Jul19-JulMedian2-Jul4-Jul7-Jul8-Jul15-Jul16-Jul19-Jul21-JulMaximum2-Aug27-Aug17-Oct3-Oct20-Jul20-Jul6-Aug23-JulChumSalmonMinimum10-Jul13-Jul14-Jul17-JulMedian4-Aug6-Aug7-Aug8-AugMaximum26-Aug20-Sep13-Sep3-OctCohoSalmonMinimum31-Jul2-Aug4-Aug7-AugMedian13-Aug14-Aug16-Aug16-AugMaximum31-Aug7-Sep13-Sep17-SepPinkSalmonMinimum16-Jul26-Jul27-Jul30-JulMedian5-Aug5-Aug6-Aug8-AugMaximum22-Aug25-Aug17-Sep16-AugSockeyeSalmonMinimum2-Jul6-Jul7-Jul5-JulMedian1-Aug4-Aug4-Aug5-AugMaximum20-Aug22-Aug26-Aug28-AugSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page81February2013D0000000000000ooooc.ocQCOQOOOOOOCQOOQQooOOOOC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION000000))))0C0)0)0000C00000000]))Table26.SitesvisitedduringassessmentofsonartoidentifyChinooksalmonspawninglocationsinturbidwater.LocationRiverMileSonarTypeTurbidityFishObserved?NotesSite1123.8n/an/an/aCouldnotaccessSite2-FourthofJuly131.1DIDSON/Side-scanSomeclearwaterYesSite3132.5n/an/an/aCouldnotaccessSite4134.0DIDSON/Side-scanVeryturbidYesSite5-GoldCreek137.0DIDSONVeryturbidNoSite6142.0DIDSONVeryturbidYesSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page82 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTIuZ4TIONTable27.DetailsofthefishthatapproachedorpassedtheMiddleRiverimpediments.Fishcharacteristicsinclude‘tagnumbers’(uniquenumbersassignedtoeachindividualradio-taggedfish),species(CN=Chinooksalmon,CM=Chumsalmon,SO=Sockeyesalmon),captureandreleasesite(‘Left’and‘RightBank’fishwheelswerenearCurry),capturedate,forklength(exceptforfishtaggedintheLowerRiver,whichhadmideyetofork(MEF)measurements)andsex.Trackingdetailsincludethedateoffirstdetectionsaboveeachimpediment,andacommentaboutthegeneralconclusionofthefish.Toppanel:fishthatpassedimpediment3.Secondpanel:fishthatpassedimpediment2,butnotImpediment3.Thirdpanel:fishthatpassedImpediment1,butnotImpediment2.Bottompanel:fishthatapproachedwithin1kmofImpediment1,butdidnotpass.FishthatPassed13Capture!TagReleaseCaptureLengthNumberSpeciesFishwheelDate(FLcm)27CNLeftBank22-Jun7852CNRightBank25-Jun8994CNRightBank29-Jun81104CNLeftBank29-Jun66113CNLeftBank30-Jun84219CNRightBank2-Jul73246CNLefiBank3-Jul85257CNLeftBank3-Jul89266CNRightBank4-Jul101359CNRightBank6-Jul935005CNLowerRiver26-May-5019CNLowerRiver28-May94.7InChinookCreeklateJul-earlyAugDiedinKosinaCreekInDevilsCreek19Jul-8AugDiedinPortageCreekDiedinIsisiCreekDiedinKosinaCreekDiedinKosinaCreekInPortagesince30JulDiedinPortageCreekInDevilsCreek23-31Jul,DiedinPortageCreekInKosinaCreek23Jul-7AugDiedinKosinaCreekSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241Page83AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013FirstFirstFirstDetectionDetectionDetectionSexAboveI-IAbove1-2Above1-3CommentsUndeterrrined15-Jul16-Jul18-JulUndetermined7-Jul7-Jul17-JulUndetermined8-Jul12-Jul17-JulUndetermined18-Jul18-Jul20-JulUndetermined15-Jul15-Jul19-JulMale15-Jul16-Jul19-JulFemale13-Jul14-Jul20-JulFemale15-Jul16-Jul20-JulMale15-Jul16-Jul19-JulMale12-Jul12-Jul17-JulUndetermined17-Jul17-Jul17-JulUndetermined9-Jul17-Jul18-Julooco.cccoc000ooc.ocooccoc...•cc•ococoooooooooocc REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable27.Continued.Capture!TagReleaseNumberSpeciesFishweheelFishThatPassed12butnot13CaptureLengthDate(FLcm)FirstDetectionSexAboveI-IFirstDetectionAbove.2FirstDetectionAbove1-3Comments16CNRightBank21-Jun69Male17-Jul18-Jul-DiedinCheechakoCreek48CNLeftBank24-Jun87Undetermined7-Jul7-Jul-DiedatmouthofCheechako71CNRightBank27-Jun55Undetermined15-Jul15-Jul-InChinookCreek5-11Aug159CNRightBank1-Jul57Undetermined18-Jul19-Jul-InChinookCr.(23-28Jul)thendiedinCheechako264CNLeftBank3-Jul94Female13-Jul14-Jul-DiedatmouthofCheechako313CNRightBank5-Jul90Female18-Jul18-Jul-DiedinCheechakoCreek397CNRightBank7-Jul92Female18-Jul18-Jul-DiedinChinookCreek416CNLeftBank7-Jul68Undetermined20-Jul20-Jul-InChinookCr.(31Jul-7Aug)thendiedinPortageCr459CNLeftBank10-Jul63Undetermined19-Jul19-Jul-InCheechakoCr.(31Jul)theninPortageCr.494CNLeftBank12-Jul86Undetermined17-Jul17-JulDiedinSusitnaunstreamofCheechakomouthFishThatPassedIIbutnot12119CNLeflBank30-Jun99Male17-Jul--DiedinCheechakoCreek152CNRightBank1-Jul67Undetermined15-Jul--DiedinPortageCreek161CNRightBank1-Jul58Undetermined20-Jul--DiedinCheechakoCreek5041CNLowerRiver30-May63.9Undetermined17-Jul--HelddownstreamofCheech.Sthfrom17Jul-9AugFishThatApproachedIIbutdidn’tpass2CNRightBank19-Jun61Female---DiedinPortageCreek91CNLefiBank28-Jun59Undetermined---DiedinPortageCreek297CNRightBank5-Jul63Undetermined---EnteredIndianRiver302CNRightBank5-Jul93Male---DiedinPortageCreek475CNRightBank11-Jul68Male---ApproachedmouthofIndian,diedinPortageCreek486CNRightBank12-Jul95Undetermined---DiedinPortageCreek504CNRightBank13-Jul91Undetermined---DiedinPortageCreek508CNLeftBank13-Jul64Undetermined---DiedinIndianRiver509CNLeftBank13-Jul91Female---DiedinPortageCreek624CMLeftBank26-Jul67Male---EnteredPortageCreek,left742SOLeftBank29-Jul62Female---HeldbetweenIlandPortage.PotentalMSSpawner5014CNLowerRiver28-May57.3Undetermined---DiedinPortageCreekSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page84 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILITIONTable28.Destinationsofradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatpassedeachimpediment.An“I”refersto“impediment.”PassedIIPassed12butnot12butnot13Passed13TotalC)ClassificationTributaryDesnaons()PortageCreek1247CheechakoCreek257ChinookCreek213DevilCreek11C)KosinaCreek66C)MainstamDesfinafions()NearCheechako112C)Total4101226C)DownstreamfromImpediment()Number17513Percent25%70%42%50%000C)0)0C))0)))))))))C))Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority)FERCProjectNo.14241Page85February2013))) DUUOOOOOOOCOOQQOQJQQQQOUQUuQJQUUU)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable29.Summaryofmigrationandspawningbehaviorfor12radio-taggedChinooksalmonaftertheypassedImpediment3.Distancesareinkilometers.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013SpawningPeriodExplorationsbeforeSpawningDownstreamAfterSpawningMaxMaxMaxMaxTotalTagCaptureLengthSpawningUpstreamUpstreamDownstreamDownstreamLiveNumberDate(TLcm)SexAreaFirstLiveLastLiveDaysLocationDistanceDaysLocationDistanceDaysDays12722-Jun78UndelerminedChinook28-Jul5-Aug8Kosina8011Curry608265225-Jun89UndelerminedKosina20-Jul9-Aug20289429-Jun81UndelerminedDevil23-Jul5-Aug13Fog304Cheechako19123110429-Jun66UndelernnedPortage24-Jul30-Jul6AboveDevil30101011330-Jun84UndelernnedKosina26-Jul7-Aug12192192-Jul73MaleKosina23-Jul26-Jul3AboveKosina30172463-Jul85FemaleKosina23-Jul26-Jul362573-Jul89FemalePortage30-Jul17-Aug18Devil2413282664-Jul101MalePortage24-Jul6-Aug13NearFog4415193596-Jul93MalePortage6-Aug11-Aug5Kosina932625500526-May-UndelerrrnedKosina23-Jul31-Jul8Portage1031630501928-May87MEFUndeternnedKosina23-Jul11-Aug192425-Jul5-Aug1121Note:1TotaldaysthefishwasaliveafterpassingImpediment3.Average47116112Page86 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIz4TIONTable30.Detailsofimpediment-passageevents.Detailsincludethedateoffirstdetectionsaboveeachimpediment,thedurationofholdingtimebeloweachimpediment,andtheflow(measuredatGoldCreek)atthetimeofthefirstdetectionupstreamoftheimpediment.Whensingledetectionsweremadedownstreamofanimpediment,holdtimeswereestimatedfromthetimingofadjacentdetections(i.e.,timebelowimpedimentmusthavebeenlessthanthetimebetweentwoadjacentdetectionsawayfromtheimpediments).“d.n.a”=Didnotapproachnextupstreamimpediment.Toppanel:fishthatpassedimpediment3.Secondpanel:fishthatpassedimpediment2,butnotImpediment3.Thirdpanel:fishthatpassedimpediment1,butnotimpediment2.Bottompanel:fishthatapproachedwithin1kmofImpediment1,butdidnotpass.SeeTable17fordetailsofeachfishanditsdestination.FishthatPassed13FirstFirstFirstHoldTimeHoldTimeHoldTimeFlowatI-IFlowat1-2Flowat1.3TagDetectionDetectionDetectionBelowliBelowl2Belowl3PassagePassagePassageNumberAbove1.1Above1.2Above1-3fd)(d)(d)(cfs)(cfs)(cfs)2715-Jul16-Jul18-Jul2.20.31.41860819,25217,774527-Jul7-Jul17-Jul2.00.29.621,30221,30219,042948-Jul12-Jul17-Jul2.53.40.126,55020,06019,04210418-Jul18-Jul20-Jul1.30.21.117,77417,77417,32011315-Jul15-Jul19-Jul6.80.21.918,60818,60617,40721915-Jul16-Jul19-Jul2.40.30.518,60819,25217,40724613-Jul14-Jul20-Jul7.90.61.118,75518,27517,32025715-Jul16-Jul20-Jul4.30.31.118,60819,25217,32026615-Jul16-Jul19-Jul5.30.80.518,60819,25217,40735912-Jul12-Jul17-Jul3.10.34.520,06020,06019,042500517-Jul17-Jul17-Jul11.70.00.119,04219,04219,04250199-Jul17-Jul18-Jul3.87.91.331,06719,04217,774Average13Jul14Jul18Jul4.41.21.920,63319,26417,991Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page87February2013D0000000ocoooooooQQQQQQQQQ:.QQQ(flOflQQQQQQQQQQC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTable30.Continued.FirstFirstFirstHoldTimeHoldTimeHoldTimeFlowatI-IFlowat1-2Flowat1-3TagDetectionDetectionDetectionBelowliBelowl2Belowl3PassagePassagePassageNumberAboveI-IAbove1-2Above1-3(U)(d)(U)(cfs)(cfs)(cfs)FishThatPassed12butnot131617-Jul18-Jul-0.00.35.919,04217,774-487-Jul7-Jul-1.30.322.121,30221,302-7115-Jul15-Jul-5.60.314.118,60818,608-15918-Jul19-Jul-1.40.3<1.417,77417,407-26413-Jul14-Jul-4.40.414.118,75518,275-31318-Jul18-Jul-0.70.47.117,77417,774-39718-Jul18-Jul-0.70.34.117,77417,774-41620-Jul20-Jul-1.10.25.017,32017,320-45919-Jul19-Jul-0.80.35.917,40717,407-49417-Jul17-Jul-2.70.0d.n.a.19,04219,042-Average16Jul16Jul1.90.39.818,48018,266FishThatPassedIIbutnot1211917-Jul--6.4d.n.a.-19,042--15215-Jul--2.0d.n.a.-18,608--16120-Jul--0.6d.n.a.-17,320--504117-Jul--4.0d.n.a.-19,042--Average17Jul3.218,503Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page88February2013 c)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0Table31.AveragepercentdistributionofspawningsalmoninsloughhabitatsoftheMiddleRiverfrom1981—1985,andconfirmationofspawningin2012.An“X”indicatesavisuallyconfirmedspawninglocation.River1981-1985PercentDistribution12012ConfirmedSpawningC)SloughMileSockeyeChumPinkSockeyeChumPink()199.60.30.1-2100.20.21.50.13B101.40.80.20.7C)3A101.90.40.12,24105.2---5107.60.00.00.16108.2---C)6A112.30.00.22.87113.2---8113.70.13.320,7()Bushrod117.80.11.24.0()8D121.8-0.5-8C121.90.11.50.008B122.20.26.34.1(ThMoose123.51.62.91.0A’124.6-2.50.6A’124.7-0.53.008A125,413,813.78.1XXB126.30.82.32.19128.30.68.91.9XX09B129.21.91.2-C)9A133.80.16.0-X10133.80.10.2-11135.365.620.917.6XXC)12135.4---14135.9-0.0-015137.20.00.719.4()16137.3-0.235.717138.90.82.40.018139.1-0.1-Q19139.70.80.21.3X20140.00.02.513.621141.113.222.14.5XX)22144.50.13.7-)21A145.3-0.1-TotalFishCount(1981-85)4,25215,8271,639)LQt)1PercentdisfribufiondataweresynthesizedfromBarrettetal.(1985)andThompsonetal.(1986).Annualtotalcountsreachspecies:1981:sockeye(1,241),chum(2,596),andpinksalmon(28)1982:sockeye(607),chum(2,244),andpinksalmon(507)1983:sockeye(555),chum(1,467),andpinksalmon(21)1984:sockeye(926),chum(7,556),andpinksalmon(1,069)1985:sockeye(923),chum(1,964),andpinksalmon(14))Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page89February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION00000)0000000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Table32.SitessampledforhabitatsuitabilitycriteriadataintheMiddleRiver,2012.Valuesindicatethenumberorreddssampledateachlocation.SalmonSpeciesMainstemHabitatTypeChinookSockeyePinkChumCohoSloughSlough2l0*1070SIough2O00000Sloughl90*1000SloughIl040404thofJulySlough000100Slough9A00050Slough903010Slough8A04010SloughlO00000Total0110280TributaryDeltaIndianRiver000304thofJulyCreek00010Total00040SideChannelSideChannel21000*10MainChannel00000GrandTotal0110320Notes:asterisksindicatealocaonvisuallyconfirmedasaspawninghabitatbutnotsampledtbrHSC.Page90 C)REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFIGURESSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority)FERCProjectNo.14241Page91February2013)) REPORTADULTSALMONDIsTRIBuTIoNANDHABITATUTILIZ4TI0N153W152’W15VW15OWf49W148Wl4rWiZagAADF&GTemeRecever\fI+flshwheelSite/‘-/1cCheechakoStahon—C/44c-ChinookCk/()/Chuhtna/)‘%//CreekI/j/Upper£\IJJf\,_,A\entnaTkeemTakcchTh—\--)ç/Ssne%_\ftj/_p1Skw-.7P-—cc/7S--i-—/-‘/),rqpSkwentna—af(DekI/LoweYentnaWcnrI__/WiNow——-IIiI‘FJshwheeIs-///1//2J-’/IcomeAlaska?JbersNAD1983/—fleCreaed201301-23/IorjkInlet/IMapAcithnrGCAIaska///EdeFiguSunnam15W15VW150W149W148W147W146’WFigure1.SusitnaRiverwatershedshowingfishcapturesites(ADF&GandCurryfishwheels),fixed-stationreceivers,andtheproposedreservoirareafortheSusitnaWatanaHydroelectricProject.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page92February2013 REPORT ADULT SALMON DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT UTILIMTI0N Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No.14241 Page 93 Alaska Energy Authority February 2013 Figure 2.Middle and Upper River segments showing fish capture sites (sites I and 2),fixed-station receivers,and the proposed reservoir area for the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Fishwheels I and 3,as well as a shore-based DIDSON unit,were operated at Site I;Fishwheel 2 was operated at Site 2. DOCOC00000000000000000000000000000000000000C z.0Ca)C’)c..JCDSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION149u54OW149°4330’W_______IIa,zC•C%JC’)(NCD0CDLegendFishwheelSitesAEATelemetryReceiver£)AIA.f/AVENERGYAUTHORITYDataSources:SeeMapReferences00.751.5triMilesProact,onAlaskaAlberoSADlEE)DataCreated01128;2013“apAuthorLGC-MarcBourdonII62°32’ON1505430WFigure3.MiddleRiverSegmentshowingfishcapturesites(sitesIand2),theLaneCreekandGatewayfixed-stationreceivers,andthecampsiteinCurry.FishwheelsIand3,aswellasashore-basedDIDSONunit,wereoperatedatSite1;Fishwheel2wasoperatedatSite2.Page94 fl0) & 6/9 6/9 6/9 1) 01 6/16 6/16 6/16 -‘< C,, —6/23 6/23 6/23 o - 6/30 6/30 6/30 —I * -7/7 7/7 7/7 -I C,, 7/14 7/14 7/14 [4 -u 7/21 7/21 7/21 7/21 Q) CO CD (0 7/28 7/28 7/28 7/28cy) —I C,, 8/4 8/4 8/4 I 0 8/11 8/11 8/11 8/18 8/18 8/18 a 0 00 8/25 8/25 8/25 a 00 U)9/1 9/1 9/1 m 9/8 9/8 9/8 —•1 -“<- 9/15 9/15 9/15 MD’ C)0 0 c EcooooooocoQoooooooooQooooQoooooooooDocc —k)C’ SJ t)C C C C (J C U C C C C C O 0 Number of fish —k)k) C CJ C U C C C C C —I’J C 4 L C C C C C C C C C C C C —t) -00 tJ 0 C C C C C C C 00 0 6/9 6/16 6/23 6/30 7/21 = 0 0 c c \C 00 00 00 00 00 UC I’J — 9/1 9/1 9/15 CDCDCD0)0U)7c-0mCD0>-a-.BcBBBBCM—CMCMCMcCMmcim0.000DzoMoCD0--‘Q.CDg0-10—10C,)—I000—I—I0 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONPage97CC2012MinlMax———Mean————QN000000000000NNN;;zcz?czflflSCSCSCNNN0000CG————90.00075.00060.00045.00030.00015,0000Date(m/d)Figure6.AveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136),MayitoNovember30,2012.Historical(1949—2011)minimum,maximum,andmeandataarealsoshown.18Site](RightBank)00C0CCC00000CC0CCCC0CCCCCCCCCCCCCC3—r’4NflNC’lNrIN—SC—SC—SC—z£jzsCSCSCNNNN000000000071C.-CID4Site2(LeftBank)A.43N(NN(NN(NN(NN—SC—SC—SC—jjZSCSCSCNNNN0000CC00007Date(mid)Figure7.Dailyfishingeffort(hours)andfishwheelspeed(RPM)forthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013CCC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigure8.DailycatchofadultsalmonatthelishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Recaptureswereincludedinthesedata;however,jackswereexcluded.Y-axisisnumbersoffish.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Chinookhi1Site2(LeftBaniRM119.4)•SiteI(RightBanlcRM120.6)000000C000Cl000000000C0C.000000C50403020100108642060050040030020010002001501005002520151050.-.-.-.--r-’NNNNNNNNN——‘.C—.D—zN.C‘.0‘.0NNNN0000000000SockeyehII!i1t!,ILIhbChumI!!ICohoiP1.NNNcs‘.0‘.0‘.0NNNNNNzjzzz:zNNNNDate(mid)L——0000Z-0000000000Page98 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION02.0ChinookQ1.5——p—-Site2(LeftBank.RM119.4)()1.07DSiteI(RightBank.RM120.6)Q0.5j0.00Sockeye0.6tD0.400.2iUQ0.0fja860.00Pink0.me..QChum10.0CD:..‘:‘I2.0CohoAc•aipannanDate(mid)(DCFigure9.Dailycatch-per-unit-effortofadultsalmonatthefishwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Recaptureswereincludedinthesedata;however,jackswereexcluded.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page99February2013Cfl OOOOOQOOCOOCOOOOOOOOOOOCODDOCCmTagsAppliedLI)-a——(‘3—j—-.(‘3——6/17‘‘6/176/176/176/17i)OZLICI6/226/226/226/226/22iCD6/276/276/276/276/27CD7/27/27/27/27/2_________-oII7/77/77/12’7/127/127/127/12II7/17’7/17I7/177/17______7/17Cca7/227/227/227/227/22CD9=-o—o7/27’7/277/277/27______________7/27______C])8/1I8/i_________________8/1—8/18/11C]___________________________-—““08/6_____8/6____________8/6_____________2/68/6___________________C/DUD—(DC8/11___________8/118/118/11_____________8/11—(‘3--—c:O———-8/168/162/168/168/168/21‘8/218/218/218/21‘——.m——‘3D8/26’—8/268/268/268/26mCDI8/318/318/318/318/310 REPORT---ChinookIIADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary201300C1.00.80.60.40.2———Catch--CPUETagsAppliedSockeyeIII—I,1/I1.00.80.60.40.20.01.00.80.60.40.20.0—00C/‘IC’‘C‘C-0000001.0Pink0.80.60.40.20.0U000000000000000000000C000000t-—00C’ClC’V‘CCt-000000ChumIII/1/II,’II,’I,,I’,I,I,IIII’IfIiItA‘—I—00(NC’‘I(NC’‘C‘C‘.0r-.r--000000I,IiIII,,‘I-—00fC’(NC’‘.0‘C‘C-r—r—0000001.0Coho0.80.60.40.20.0—00‘fQi(NC’‘C‘.0V1-1-t-000000Date(month/day)Figure11.Cumulativeproportionofdailycatch,catch-per-unit-effort(CPUE),andtagsappliedtoadultsalmonattheflshwheelsoperatednearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Page101 REPoRTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigure12.Relativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsitesIand2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary20130.210.11[1•I,Chinook•SiteISite2=CI0.00.40.30.20.10.00.80.60.40.20.00.60.50.40.30.20.10.00.50.40.30.20.10.0-35404550556065707580859095100105110115120125SockeyeLti[,404550556065707580859095100105110115120125Pink4045505560657075$0859095100105110115120125Chum4045505560657075$0859095100105110115120125CohoLII1I40455055606570758085ForkLength(cm)9095100105110115120125Page102 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION1.01.0ChinookSockeyeII—0.8ii0.8II0.60.6III0.4s10.4iteSite20.20.2—0.0•iIIIIIII0.030405060708090100110120130303540455055606570751.0_.—1.0PinkChum0.80.8‘I=I0.64/0.60.4I,0.4I,IiEIII0.2’if0.2I_____________0.0———I0.03035404550556030354045505560657075801.0CohogI0.8’gI,0.60.4II0.2III0.0303540455055606570ForkI.ength(cm)Figure13.Cumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtatsites1and2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page103February2013 REPoRTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoN0.60.50.40.30.20.10.00.50.40.30.20.10.0Chinook•CaughtTaggedLI404550556065707580859095100105110115120125Sockeye404550556065707580859095100105110115120125Pinkir404550556065707580859095100105110115120125Chum_[Lr404550556065707580859095100105110115120125Coho404550556065707580859095100105110115120125ForkLength(cm)Figure14.Relativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtandradio-taggedatsitesIand2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.142410.00.40.30.20.10.00.8=.0.6E0.20.0a00000000000AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page104 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION1.01.0ChinookSockeye0.80.80.60.610.40.4Caught0.2———Tagged0.2I0.00.030405060708090100110120130303540455055606570751.0._1.0Pink1•Chumfif0.80.80.60.60.40.4=20.20.2,I0.0II0.03035404550556030354045505560657075801.0Coho0.80.60.4II0.20.0303540455055606570ForkLength(cm)Figure15.Cumulativelength-frequencydistributionsoffishcaughtandradio-taggedatsitesIand2nearCurryontheSusitnaRiver,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page105February2013 REPORT ADULT SALMON DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT UTILIZATION 24 20 16 t 8 4 0 Figure 16.DIDSON data review effort of Chinook salmon passage below the fishwheel at Site 1 on the Middle River, June 15 to July 4,2012. TT Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No.14241 Alaska Energy Authority February 2013 iIIIIILbIIH I N 00 O —‘.0 N 00 C 0 —C’1 C1 C’I ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 ‘.0 Date (mid) —r’ N N N N 7 6 ‘;5 .0 !t3 2 0 Date (mid) Figure 17.Catch per unit effort (CPUE),or the number of Chinook salmon counted using the DIDSON per hour,below the fishwheel at Site 1 in the Middle River,June 15—28,2012. Page 106 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION7060140ii3010.—•_II0-if12345678DistancefromShore(m)Figure18.NumberofChinooksalmon,bysizecategory,countedusingDIDSONatSiteIasafunctionofthedistancefromshorewheretheywerefirstdetectedinthefieldofview,June19—20,2012.Theshadedareaonthex-axisrepresentstheconfirmedcapturerangeofChinooksalmonbythefishwheelatSite1.E1230405060708090100110120ForkLength(cm)Figure19.LinearregressionofthedetectionrangewhereChinooksalmonwerefirstobservedbyDIDSONandfishlengthasestimatedfromDIDSONimages,June15toJuly4,2012.(Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013UChinookSalmon50cmFLUChinookSalmon<50cmFL—I91011y=0.OOt8x+4.244610+R2=0.000386+42++4•ê+++++++++0++++2+++Page107 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigure21.AveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136),andthedailynumberofradiotagsthat‘resurrected’(i.e.,changedfromtheirmortalitysignalmode,inwhichtheyweresupposedtobelocked,tothelivesignalmode).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013012345678910111213141516171819202122239=D6=z30flourofDayFigure20.DielmigrationofChinooksalmonobservedatfishwheelSiteIusingDIDSONtechnology,June15—20,2012.80,000‘Resurrection’TagsandDischargeatGoldCreek2570,000IResurrectionTagsI2060,000—Discharge-050,0001540,00030,000020,000t10510,00000•7/107/177/247/318/78/148/218/28Date9/49/119/189/2510/210/9Page108 REPORTCCC)C)C)ADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONWTributaryflMainstem•OtherFigure22.Destinationsofradio-taggedfishreleasedintheLowerRiver(leftpanels)oratCurry(rightpanels),byspecies.Toppanels:Fishthatenteredatributaryweregivena‘TributaryDestination’classification;thosethatdidnotenteranytributariesandthatweredetectedonseveraloccasionswithinalimitedareawereclassifiedwithatMainstemDestination’.SeetextandTable17formoredetailedclassifications.MiddlePanels:Relativeuseofside-channel/sloughlocations,tributarymouths,andthemainstemproper,byfishthatwereclassifiedwitha‘MainstemDestination’.BottomPanel:Relativeuseofsloughsvs.side-channelhabitatsbyfishclassifiedwitha‘MainstemDestination’.‘ForLowerRiverfish,Chinooksalmondestinationsarenotcomparabletootherspeciesbecauseofadifferenttagginglocation.SockeyesalmonwerealsotaggedintheLowerRiver,butarenotpresentedhereduetolikelybankorientationeffects(seesection5.2.1.5)0000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityPage109February2013GeneralClassification100%GeneralClassification100%—ReleasesfromLowerRiverReleasesfromCurry80%60%40%20%0%80%Lw1LLLLiiChinookChurnSalmonSalmonCohoPinkSalmonSalmonChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonC)CC)=C)C)CCC)000000000000000C)000001lainstemUse100%ReleasesfromLowerRivers80%60%0%ChinookChumCohoPinkSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmon100°/MainstemUseReleasesfromCurryChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmon•Side-channel/Sloughs•MainstemProperTributaTyMouths100%•Slough8A80%Slough960%aSloughII40%•Slough21Side-channels20%0%Side-channel/SloughUseReleasesfromCurryChinookChumCohoPinkSockeyeSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmonSalmon000C)j) DcDDOUOOOOOQQOQDoooocooooooooQcoOOCC-ncimcoRelativefrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequency0u9CD)I’.).Q00—•-a\——.-—2.00aSCC000zIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYentnaRiver-‘<DeshkaRivera2.WiIlowCk.IIIgrMLittleWillowCk.Io-,_t;KashwitnaCk.IaCDagGooseCk.=SheepCk.IMontanaCk.IIIaTalkeetnaRiver—-U-(Da_______________CD,,ChulitnaRiver——C.LaneCk.0O4thofJulyCk.IndianRiverIIarM0JackLongCk.tDPortageCk.II1-—ICheechakoCk.ChinookCk.-O0C--IOpDevilsCk.-.—.C=CaKosinaCk.C9000(I)0000aaaaamOther—Caaaaa-1rsjD0 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRiBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONAN\-o0Th*dethaftv,/.4.,‘‘II/a1-SLflShiqtcIOeki;‘--—-GooseCreekk”?—---—1-%-Ncwcr60,-————-paDataScurcasSeeMapRelorentets012346ml4(1.;?.t4IjL$4IflIOF4CStMMU#b4wrtelA±nA.Fd.S.a.tcqC.%rid0000000000000000000000000000000000000151Th’ll53S%V15030waj4LegendLowerSusitnaMainslemPotentialSpawninglocationsFishTrackingResultsChinookSalmonoLikelyoPossibleIi(K:5N.;*3-4zazaC-4zaI:1F1494flV14530WFigure24.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page111 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION000000a000C000000aa00000000000000CSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Figure25.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedchumsalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Page112 Figure26.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedcohosalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.000000000000000000000000000000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityPage113February2013REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0000000 LI)00a000000000030003a30000a0330a0aaDaaFigure27.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheLowerRiverforallradio-taggedpinksalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013REPORTADuLTSALM0NDISTRIBuTI0NANDHABITATUTILIZATIONPage114 Figure28.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatdidnotenteratrihutaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.00Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityPage115February2013REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION00000000000000000000000000CCCCCCCGCCCCCCCDataSouroosSecMapRelerences012345——ad REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0C000000CCC000000000000000a00000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013figure29.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedchumsalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Page116 Figure30.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedcohosalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013C00000000000000000000000000000000000000REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONPage117 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION150W14D’45W14r15v1oo.t_jt.I—-MiddleSusitnaMacstemC)-.PotentialSpawningLocations().Jusint4fFishTrackingResults1(3\PinkSakuon),-.4Wk.•SeptemberLocationC)/,,j/.*FrneILocation06§0o/1o_-r14-—L_Jitto4.205Jfr/2%‘occee*ç,I,Gatewsr1oFiDck(3/__________________c\a()jDataSourcesSeeMapReterences101234So\I(0/O(SQ.flCttfld?KIUbàAivLG&AlsiA,ca343.tu.3c..njr.owI4BOVICThFigure31.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedpinksalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page118February2013 Figure32.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleRiverforallradio-taggedsockeyesalmonthatdidnotenteratributaryandweredetectedatleasttwicenearthesamemainstemlocationduringthespawningperiodin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityPage119February2013REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONU000000000000000000000000000000000000000000() 0000C)00000000000000000000C)00000000mci)oRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequencyRelativeFrequency0uP-lcJ.————OQ)z0•IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIo•YentnaRiverDeshkaRiver—-zCD.WillowCk.o—1.410LittleWillowCk.o-,-:iKashwithaCk.CDo-GooseCk.—1<SheepCk.MontanaCk.0TalkeetnaRiverII0CDc,iChulitnaRiverIIICD—0LaneCk.Io4thofJulyCk.Ici)IndianRiver_______________________ItJackLongCk.—PortageCk.___________-IO—1CheechakoCk.=O0ChinookCk.=0•01<DevilsCk.—.00==00KosinaCk.0C,,Cl)mOtheri000-00>t3Dc-I)0 UREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION01.00ChinooksalmonQ0.75______________________________00.50t————-‘LowerRiver’TagsatLaneQo.sIIICurryFishwheelCatch6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/291.00Chumsalmon6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/290Cohosalmon6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29cD__01.00Pinksalmon——-fD0.7500.50IiI6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/291,00Sockeyesalmon_____I06/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29CurryorLanePassageCFigure34.RuntimingintheMiddleRiver,byspecies.LinesshowcumulativeproportionsoffisheitherpassingLaneStation(redlines:cumulativetimingoffishthatwereradio-taggedintheLowerRiverandpassedLaneStation)orbeingcaughtintheCurryfishwheels(bluelines),bydate.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page121February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0.750,500.256/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/291.00Sockeyesalmon0.750.00—Mainstem6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29CurryPassageFigure35.Stock-specificruntimingintheMiddleRiver,byspecies.OnlyfishtaggedatCurryfishwheels,and,withinaspeciesonlystockswith>6radio-taggedfishwereincluded.LinesshowcumulativetimingoffishreleasedatCurry.‘Mainstem’stockincludesfishintributarymouths,sloughs/side-channels,andinthemainstemproper.‘AboveImpediment1’stockincludesfishinCheechako(6),Chinook(3),Devil(1),andKosina(4).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary20131.00Chinooksalmon0,750.500.250.00—6/106/206/30—Talkeema—Chulitna—Mainstem—Indian—Portage—Above111.00Chumsalmon000000C00000000S07/107/207/308/98/190.750.500.250.00—6/JO—Talkeetna—Mainstem—Indian—Portage8/291.00Cohosalmon6/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29tI410.750.500.250.00Chulitna—Mainstem—Indian—JackCong—Portage1.00Pinksalmon6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29—Indian—Talkeetna—4thofJuly—Portage0.000.500.25Page122 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION1.00Chinooksalmon1.000.750.500.250.006/101.000.750.500.250.001.000.750.500.250.00Curry—Gateway—Indian—Portage—Cheechako—ChinookDevils—Kosina6/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29Figure36.Timingoffishwheelandfixed-stationreceiverpassageintheMiddleRiver,byspecies.LinesshowcumulativeproportionsofpassagedatesattheCurryfishwheels,andatupstreamfixed-stationreceivers.Onlyfishradio-taggedattheCurryfishwheelsareincluded.U00a000000000C)000C)000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary201300.750.500.250.006/10Chumsalmon_________7/107/207/308/98/198/296/206/301.00Cohosalmon=CCCa=E=0.750.500.250.00—Curry—Gateway—Indian—Portage6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29Pinksalmon—Indian—Portage6/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29Sockeyesalmon__—IndianI—Curry00000000000006/106/206/307/107/207/308/98/198/29Station(orFishwheel)PassagePage123 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSockeyesalmonPinksalmonICohosalmonIIa•lndiantoPortageChumsalmonIIIIb•GatewaytoIndianCSunshinetoLane_____________________aChinooksalmonIIabIIaDDeshkatoSunshineIlb05101520253035TravelSpeed(km/d)Figure37.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedfishinfourmajorriverreaches,byspecies.Errorbarsrepresent95percentconfidenceinthemedianvalue(generatedusingthemethodrecommendedinZar1984).Statisticalcomparisons(seetext)weredoneusingnon-parametricKruskal-Wallistests;overlappingerrorbarsdonotprecludestatisticalsignificance.Forspecieswithsignificantdifferencesamongreaches,lettersindicatetheresultsofpost-hoccomparisons(i.e.,reachesthatdonotsharealetterwerestatisticallydifferentfromeachother).aa___________________DevilstoKosinaIaChinooktoDevils0CheechakotoChinookIa0PortagetoCheechakoHc9________QIndiantoPortageIb0______GatewaytoIndianIb9010203040TravelSpeed(km/d)Figure38.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedforChinooksalmon,byriverreach.Errorbarsrepresent95percentconfidenceinthemedianvalue(generatedusingthemethodrecommendedinZar,1984).Statisticalcomparisons(seetext)weredoneusingnon-parametricKruskal-tVallistests;overlappingerrorbarsdonotprecludestatisticalsignificance.Lettersindicatetheresultsofpost-hoccomparisons(i.e.,reachesthatdonotsharealetterwerestatisticallydifferentfromeachother).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page124February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION6-•Curcytags(GatewaytoDevils)•LowerRivertags(LanetoDevils)5-+359.5019A-t.5005+246U-C-U)+522-+27()(1-()0-IIII)l7Jull8Jull9Jul2OJul21JulDateofFirstDetectionatDevilsStationFigure39.MiddleRiver(downstreamofDevilsCanyon)travelspeedsforChinooksalmonthatweredetectedatDevilStation,byfirst-detectiondate.Datalabelsare‘tagnumbers’(uniquenumbersassignedtoeachindividualradio-taggedfish),whichweregreaterthan5,000forChinookreleasedintheLowerRiver.)00000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page125February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigure40.Mediantravelspeedsofradio-taggedfishinthe‘GatewaytoIndian’riverreach,forPortageCreekandIndianRiverstocks,byspecies.Errorbarsrepresent95percentconfidenceinthemedianvalue(generatedusingthemethodrecommendedinZar1984).Statisticalcomparisons(seetext)weredoneusingnon-parametricKruskal-Wallistests;overlappingerrorbarsdonotprecludestatisticalsignificance.Asterisksmarkspeciesforwhichtravelspeedsvariedsignificantlybetweenstocks.SockeyesalmonPinksalmonCohosalmonChumsalmonChinooksalmon—III*1*•PortageStock•IndianStock7’o5101520253035‘GatewaytoIndian’TravelSpeed(km/d)00C0C00CCC00C0000000000000000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Page126 UREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION0_________060.000ImpedimentThreeII87•Approached(didnotpass)—C)50.00040,0000a30,0000I20.0000010.00000N“—00•fNC’NC’‘Cz00ZC’Q‘.0‘C‘.0NNN000000DateQ60,000ImpedimentTwo80‘50,0006040,000a4030,000__020,000E010.000.000N—00INC’NC’‘Cr’Z00C’0‘C‘C‘0NNN000000Date060.000ImpedimentOne120050.000C)40,000a0C30,000I-_020,000010,000______________________00N-—00NC’NC’‘0Qzz00ZC’‘.0‘.0‘0NNN000000Date0C0Figure41.DailynumbersoffishthatapproachedandpassedeachofthethreeMiddleRiverimpediments.Orangebars:Cfishthatapproachedbutdidnotpass.Bluebars:fishthatapproachedandsuccessfullypassed.NofishapproachedImpediment2withoutpassing.Figuresshowthedateoffirstdetectionabovetheimpediment(blue)orthedateoffirstQdetectionbelowtheimpediment(orange).AlsoshownistheaveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136).0000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthority0FERCProjectNo.14241Page127February20130C)C) 0REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONa00a35,000HoldingPassage—Flow1230,000100—25.000$QCD20.00015,00010,0005,000_Lm-moOnO——c.m-r—r-r—rr—i-t-r—r—r—rr—r-r—0Date0(3Figure42.Dailynumberofradio-taggedChinooksalmonthatheldorpassedImpediment3.AlsoshownistheaveragedailydischargeoftheSusitnaRiveratGoldCreek(RM136).000000000000000CC00CSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241Page128February2013 Figure43.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsandreddsitesforsockeyesalmonintheMiddleRiver.c-)0000000000000000000000000000000aaaU0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013000REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONPage129 ‘V000CC0C000CCC000000C000000C000C00000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigure44.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsandreddsitesforchumsalmonintheMiddleRiver.Page130 REPORT ADULT SALMON Dis TRIBUTION AND HABITAT UTILIZATION PHOTOS Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority FERC Project No.14241 Page 131 February 2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONC00000000U00a0000000000000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013I.IPhoto1.FishwheelcomponentsbeingtakenoffarailcaratCurry,June4,2012.Photo2.Chinooksalmonbeingmeasuredforlengthwhileheldinawater-filledtroughatSite1,2012.Page132 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013J000000000000000000-iPhoto3.Aradio-taggedadultChinooksalmonjustpriortoreleasefromafishwheelatSite1,July16,2012.Notethewhipantennaoftheradiotagprotrudingfromthemouth.Photo4.Fixed-stationreceiversitenearChinookCreekontheSusitnaRiver,July19,2012.Page133 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION00e000009))Photo6.Setupforboatsurveysusingsonartoassessspawningactivityinturbidwater,July28,2012.Photo5.Helicopter(R44)setupforaerial-trackingsurveysconductedontheSusitnaRiverin2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241February2013Page134 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONPhoto8.Aerialphotograph(upstreamview)oftheSusitnaRivernearCurryshowingthelocationoftwofishwheelsites(RM119.4and120.6)usedin2012(phototaken:June19,2012).Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Photo7.Aerialphotograph(downstreamview)oftheSusitnaRiveratCurryshowingthelocationoftwofishwheelsites(RM119.4and120.6)usedin2012(phototaken:June19,2012).DeacihorseCreektCuirent..Page135 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION000C00000000000000000000000a0aa00aa00Photo9.Fishwheel1operatingatSite1(RM120.6)ontherightbankoftheSusitnaRiver,June19,2012._______BasketFISampleI]TroughertIPhoto10.Fishwheel2operatingatSite2(RM119.4)ontheleftbankoftheSusitnaRiver,July11,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241February2013Page136 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Photo11.ChinooksalmoncarcassfoundalongthebankofPortageCreek,July30,2012.Notethebluespaghettitagsewnintothedorsalmusculatureandtheradiotagstillpresentinthestomachcontentsthathadbeenremovedbyabear.Photo12.Imageproducedfromtheside-scansonar(600kHz)takenwhilepointedupstreamatthemouthofofJulyCreek.Thephotographisacompositeofsimultaneousdatareceivedontheport(lefthalfoftheimage)andstarboardside(righthalfoftheimage)ofthetowedtransducer.Lefttorighttheimagecoversatotalof50m(164ft).Ontheleftsidetheimageshowstheshorelineisvisiblebetween15and20m(49and66ft)fromthecenter.Theimageshowsbasicbathymetry:areaswithashallowerslopereflectlesssoundandthereforeappeardarker,whilesteeperslopesappearbrighter.Largersubstratecanbeseenclosertoshore.Page137 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONC000000a000a0aa0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Photo13.Pre-spawnsockeyesalmonholdinginSlough8A,August26,2012.Page138 REPORT ADULT SALMON DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT UTILIZATION APPENDICES Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority FERC Project No.14241 Page 139 February 2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONAPPENDIXA.RIVERMILEDESIGNATIONS)a00a000000000000_100a03Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixA—Page1February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONC)TableA-i.Indexoflocationnamesandhistoricalrivermiledesignations.()SortedByRiverMileSortedByLocationNameLocationNameRiverMileLocationNameRiverMileAlexanderCreek10.1AlexanderCreek10.1FlathornStatlon18.2AndersonCreek23,8C)AndersonCreek23.8AnswerCreek84.0(SusiiaStatlon25.5BirchCreek88.4KrotaSloughMouth30.1BirchCreekSlough88.4YenthaRiver30.1ByersCreek(GulibiaR)98.6()MainslamSusilnaSlough31.0CacheCreek96.0MidKrobSlough36.3CacheCreekSlough95.5DeshkaRiver40.6CaswellCreek63.0C)DellaIslands44.0ChaseCreek106.4)LittleWillowCreek50.5CheechakoCreek152.4RusficWilderness58.1ChinookCreek157.0t)KashwithaRiver61.0ChulitnaRiver98.6()CaswellCreek63.0CurryStaflon120.0SloughWestBank65.6DeadHorseCreek120.9SheepCreekSlough66.1DeadmanCreek186.7)GooseCreek72.0DeltaIslands44.0MontanaCreek77.0DeshkaRiver40.6SunshineStafion80.0DevilCreek161.0()RabideauxCreekSlough83.1DevilsCanyonBackEddy150.0QParksHighwayBridge83.9FatCanoeIsland147.0AnswerCreek84.0FiflhofJulyCreek123.7QuestlonCreek84.1FishCreek(TalkeebiaR)97.2()SunshineCreek85.7FlathornStatlon18.2()BirchCreekSlough88.4FogCreek176.7BirchCreek88.4FourthofJulyCreek131.1C)CacheCreekSlough95.5GashCreek111.6()CacheCreek96.0GoldCreek136.7FishCreek(TalkeetnaR)97.2GoldCreekBridge136.7TalkeetnaRiver97.2GooseCreek72.0()ByersCreek(ChulibiaR)98.6GooseCreek231.3TroublesomeCreek(ChulibiaR)98.6IndianRiver138.6SwanLake(ChulitnaR)98.6JackLongCreek144.5)ChulitnaRiver98.6JayCreek208.5Slough199.6KashwihaRiver61.0Slough2100.2KosinaCreek206.8WhiskersCreekSlough101.2KrobSloughMouth30.1)WhiskersCreek101.4LaneCreek113.6Slough3B101.4LittlePortageCreek117.7Slough3A101.9LittleWillowCreek50.5)TalkeebiaStafion103.0LowerMcKenzieCreek116.2()Slough4105.2MainslamSusibiaSlough31.0ChaseCreek106.4MidKrobSlough36.3Slough5107.6MontanaCreek77.0Slough6108.2MooseSlough123.5OxbowI110.2OshetnaRiver233.4Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixA—Page2February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSortedByRiverMileSortedByLocationNameLocationNameRiverMileLocationNameRiverMile-‘SlashCreek111.5OxbowI110.2GashCreek111.6ParksHighwayBridge83.9Slough6A112.3PortageCreek148,9___Slough7113.2QuestlonCreek84.1JLaneCreek113.6RabideauxCreekSlough83.1Slough8113.7Rusfic\Mlderness58.1LowerMcKenzieCreek116.2SheepCreekSlough66.1UpperMcKenzieCreek116.7ShermanCreek130.8LittlePortageCreek117.7SideChannel1OA132.1CurryStaflon120.0SkullCreek124.7DeadHorseCreek120.9SlashCreek111.5SusitnaSideChannel121.6Slough199.61)Slough8D121.8Slough10133.8Slough8C121.9Slough10133.8Slough8B122.2Slough10SideChannel133.7)MooseSlough123.5Slough11135.3FiflhofJulyCreek123.7Slough12135.4SloughAprime124.6Slough13135.9JSloughA124.7Slough14135.9OSkullCreek124.7Slough15137.2Slough8A125.1Slough16B137.3SloughB126.3Slough17138.9Slough9128.3Slough18139.1Slough9B129.2Slough19139.7ShermanCreek130.8Slough2100.2)FourthofJulyCreek131.1Slough20140.0OSideChannelIOA132.1Slough21141.1Slough10SideChannel133.7Slough21SideChannel140.5Slough10133.8Slough21A144.3()Slough9A133.8Slough22144.3Slough10133.8Slough3A101.9Sloughil135.3Slough3B101.4OSlough12135.4Slough4105.2OSlough13135.9Slough5107.6Slough14135.9Slough6108.2GoldCreek136.7Slough6A112.3OGoldCreekBridge136.7Slough7113.2Slough15137.2Slough8113.7Slough16B137.3Slough8A125.1OIndianRiver138.6Slough8B122.2OSlough17138.9Slough8C121.9Slough18139.1Slough8D121.8Slough19139.7Slough9128.3)Slough20140.0Slough9A133.8—Slough21SideChannel140.5Slough9B129.2Slough21141.1SloughA124.7Slough21A144.3SloughAprime124.6)Slough22144.3SloughB126.3Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixA—Page3February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSortedByRiverMileSortedByLocationNameLocationNameRiverMileLocationNameRiverMileJackLongCreek144.5SloughWestBank65.6FatCanoeIsland147.0SunshineCreek85.7PortageCreek148.9SunshineStaon80.0DevilsCanyonBackEddy150.0SusitiaSideChannel121.6CheechakoCreek152.4SusibiaStaton25.5ChinookCreek157.0SwanLake(ChulitnaR)98,6DevilCreek161.0TalkeebiaRiver97.2FogCreek176.7TalkeebiaStaflon103.0TsusenaCreek181.3TroublesomeCreek(ChulibiaR)98.6WatanaDamSita184.0TsusenaCreek181.3DeadmanCreek186.7UpperMcKenzieCreek116.7WatanaCreek194.1WatanaCreek194.1KosinaCreek206.8WatanaDamSita184.0JayCreek208.5WiiskersCreek101.4GooseCreek231.3tAThiskersCreekSlough101.2OshetnaRiver233.4YenhaRiver30.1Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixA—Page4AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013)00000()00)))-.4()000(C10 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoN0oAPPENDIXB:FIXED-STATIONRECEIVERSITES(SETUPANDoPERFORMANCE)ANDMOBILE-TRACKINGSURVEYEFFORT000)33000000000000)0))Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page1February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTableB-2.Locationandantennaorientationoffixed-stationreceiversintheMiddleandUpperSusitnaRiver,2012.c)C)C)C)C)C)C)C)C)CC)00000))GatawaySlough11IndianRivetSlough21PortageCreek312662.67645-149.89303Right413662.75823-149.70432Left513962.7853-149.65793Right614262.81361-149.57637Left714962.83009-149.38151Right3Acrosstheriver1Downstream2Upstream1Acrosstheslough1Downstream2Upstream3Uptributary1Acrosstheslough1Downstream2Upstream3UptributaryCheechakoCreek815462.80732-149,2526Left1Downstream2UpstreamChinookCreek915762.80153-149.16333Left1Downstream2UpstreamDevilCreekKosinaCreek10,1116462.80846-149.001861220762.78389-147.93802Right1RiverLeftChannel2RiverRightChannel3Upstream1Downstream2Upstream3UptributarySusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Freauencv(MHz)ChinookSockeyePinkTableB-i.NumberofradiotagsdeployedattheCurryfishwheelsonspecificradiofrequencies.ChumCoho151.713855151.7638911151.783926151.9148614151.9241253633151.9341433924151.943764334151.9541034629151.9631463833151.9741364131151.983101151.994100Total35270230279184Notas:151.000MHzwasusedbrrerencetagsSiteLocationLaneCreekReceiverNo.1,2RiverRMLatitudeLongitudeBankAntennaAntennaOrientation11362.52792-150.11407Right1Downstream2Upstream)0C)0C)000)))AppendixB—Page2 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTableB-3.Listofthemobile-trackingsurveysconductedin2012,bylocation,dateandvehicletype.SurveyDateSusitnaMainstem61296130713715718719ZIlO711371167I1771187I19712071237124712571267128713071318I1OutsideSusitnaFConfluence-YenhaFFFHYentna-DeshkaFFFHDeshka-KashwitnaFFFHFHHKashwihia-MontanaFFHFHHMontana-SunshineFFHFHHSunshine-TalkeetnaFHFHHHIalkeeUia-LaneFlHHH‘Lane-GatawayFtBBBBHBHHFLHHHHHHHGataway-SloughJJFBBBHBHHFHHHHHHHSloughll-lndianFBBBHBHHFHHHHHHHlndian-Slough2lFBBBHBHHFHHHHHHSlough2l-PortageFBBBHBHHFHHHHHPortage-lmpedimentlFBHHFHHHHHHlmpedimentl-CheechakoHHFHHHHHHCheechako-lmpediment2HHFHHHHHHImpediment2-ChinookHHFHHHHHHChinook-lmpedimen8HHFHHHHHHlmpediment3-DevilSinHHFHHHHHHDevil-WantanaHFHHHHHHWantana-KosinaHHHHHHHAboveKosinaHNotes:B-boatF-fixedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page3February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTableB-3.Continued.SurveyDateSusitnaMainstem8138158168178188198110811181138114811581168117811881218122812481258/2781288129OutsideSusiUiaConHuence-YebiaFHFFYebia-DeshkaFFFHFHDeshka-KashwibiaFHFHFHHFKashwibia-MontanaFHFFHHFHHFMontana-SunshineFHFFHHFHHFSunshine-TalkeelnaHFFFHHFHF‘—Talkeetna-LaneHFFFHHHFHiFf.Lane-GatewayHFF•HHHFH1FGateway-SloughilHHFFHHHFHF’Sloughil-IndianHHFHFHHHFHFIndian-Slough2JHHFHHHFHFSIough2l-PortageHHHHFHHHHFHFPortage-lmpedimentlHFHHFFHHHHHHFHFlmpedimentl-CheechakoHFHHFHHHHFHFCheechako-lmpediment2HFHHFHHHHFHFlmpedimenl2-ChinookHHHFHHHHFHFChinook-Impediment3HHHFHHHHFHFlmpediment3-DevilStnHHHFHHHHFHFDevil-WantanaHHHHHHHWantana-KosinaHHHHHHHAboveKosinaNotes:B-boatF-Hxedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page4February2013D000000ccoQooooQQccccooooocoooQooQo(mQcooQoc “\‘\(Th‘“REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTable3-3.Continued.SurveyDateSusitnaMainstem81309139179/99110911191139I17912491269127lOll10/210/3101910110101161012911I12OutsideSusitnaConfluence-YelnaHFFYelna-DeshkaFDeshka-KashwilnaFHFKashwihia-MontanaHFMontana-SunshineHHFFHSunshine-TalkeehaHHFHFHHHTalkeelna-LaneHHHHFjHjHHHfLane-GatewayHVHHHFHIHH,H\H\H£Øateway-Slough11HHHHFHHHHHSloughil-IndianHHHHFHHHHHIndian-Slough2lHHHHFHHHHHSbugh2l-PortageHHHHFHHHHHPortage-ImpedimentiHHHHFHHHHHImpedimentl-CheechakoHHHHFHHHHHCheechako-lmpediment2HFHImpedimen-ChinookHFHChinook-lmpedimen8FHlmpediment3-DevilSinFHDevil-WantanaHWantana-KosinaAboveKosinaNotes:B-boatF-fixedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013AppendixB—Page5 REPORTADuLTSALMONDisTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTIuZ4TI0NTableB-3.Continued.SurveyDateTributariesandOtherWatersheds612961307137157187197110711371167l177118711971207123712471257126712871307131811LittleSusitnaFAlexanderCreekYentnaRiverFDeshkaRiverFFFWillowandLittleWillowcrFFFKashwifriaRiverFFCaswellareafibsFFSunshineCreekRabk]euxCreekTalkeetnaRiverFChulilnaRiverFF1MiiskersCreek—TriboffZone95—LaneCreek5thofJulyCreekSlough8ASlough9ShernnCreek4thofJulyCreekHHHHHHSlough11HHGoldCreekIndiantribFHFHHHHHSlough21HJackLongCreekPortagetribFHHFHHHHCheechakoCreekHHHHChinookCreekHHHHHDevilsCreekHHHHHHFogCreekHHHTsusenaCreekHHDeadman&Watanacr.HHHKosinaCreekHHHHHOshetnaCreekB-boatF-fixedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page6February2013D REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONTableB-3.Continued.SurveyDateTributariesandOtherWatersheds81381581681781881981108111811381148115811681178118812181228124812581278I288129LimeSusilnaAlexanderCreekYeninaRiverFFFFFDeshkaRiverFFFFFVllowandLimeMllowcrFFFFKashwilnaRiverFFFFCaswellareabibsFFFFSunshineCreekRabideuxCreekTalkeebiaRiverFFFHFFChulilnaRiverFFFHFF—WhiskersCreek—TriboffZone95—LaneCreek5thofJulyCreekSlough8AHHHHHSteugh9HHHHShermanCreek4thofJulyCreekHHHHHHSloughilHHHHHHGoldCreekHHHHIndianbibHFHFHHFFSlough2lHHHHHJackLongCreekHHHHPorlagebibHFFHHFFCheechakoCreekHHHHHHHChinookCreekHHHHHHDevilsCreekHHHHHHFogCreekHHHHHHIsusenaCreekHHHHHHDeadman&WatanaCr,HHHHHHKosinaCreekHHHHHHOshelnaCreekB-boatF-fixedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page7February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIMTIONTableB-3.Continued.SurveyDateTributariesandOtherWatersheds81309139I791991109111911391179I2491269I27loll101210l31019lOllO1011610l2911112LittleSusilnaAlexanderCreekFYenbiaRiverFFFFDeshkaRiverFFWllewandLittleV4llowCrFFKashwihiaRiverFFCaswellareafibsFFSunshineCreekRabideuxCreekTalkeetnaRivetFHHChulitnaRiverFFFH—WhiskersCreekHHHHTribofZone95HHLaneCreekHHH511iofJulyCreekHHHSlough8AHHHHHSlough9HHHHHSherrmnCreekHHH4thofJulyCreekHHHHHSlough11HHHHHHHHHGoldCreekHHHIndiantribHFHHHHHSlough2lHHHHJackLongCreekHHHHPortagetribFHHHCheeChakoCreekHChinookCreekDevilsCreekHFogCreekTsusenaCreekDeadman&Watanacr.KosinaCreekOshetnaCreekB-boatF-fixedwing;H-helicopterSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixB—Page8February2013Dooooo•ooooo•oOQQOCOOQDOoOOOOOOOoOGDOOOOOoC REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONfigureB-i.Detectionactivityatfixed-stationreceivers,includingnumbersoffishdetections(blackline),beacon-taghits(blueline)andnoiseevents(redline),byday.Alsoshown,receiveractivitypatterns(greyshading,rightaxis).Anydetection(frequency-code)thatdidnotcorrespondtoavalidfishwasconsideredasnoise.Note:Y-axisscalevariesamongpanels.80,000SusitnaStation60.00040,00020,000—mActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon05/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7I.owerYentnaActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon080.0000c)60,000‘40,00020,000C00C,CcD80,000C60,000040,0000c20,00000080,00060,000‘,,0‘40,000Cd20,0005/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7UpperYentna_____________ActivitySignal—Noise—Beacon100%80%•60%40%C?20%0%100%80%,.60%40%•C?20%0%100%80%.60%40%C?20%0%100%80%••60%40%C?20%0%5/95/236/66/20SkwentnaStation7/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7Activity—Signal—Noise—Beacon05/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013AppendixB—Page9 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONFigureB-i.Continued.100%80%,60%40%a?20%0%100%80%,60%40%a?20%0%100%80%,60%40%a?20%0%100%80%,60%40%•a?20%0%CCCCCCCCCCSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013C80,00060,00040.00020,00080,000DeshkaMouth—ActivitySigna]—Noise—Beacon0..5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7DeshkaWeltActivitySignal.].5/95/236/66/20SunshineMouth7/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7a?a?Cl]aC.?a?a?Cl]aC.?a?a?60,00040,00020,000080,00060,00040,00020,000080,00060,00040,00020,0000Activity—SignalNoise—Beacon5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7TalkeetnaStation_____________CCCCCCCCCActivitySignal—Noise—Beacon5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7AppendixB—Page10 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013ChulitnaStation5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7LaneStation,LowerRiverFrequencies30,00025,00020,000‘15,00010,0005,000025,00020,000-15,00010,0005,000070,00060,00050,00040,000.3000020,00010,0000Activity—Signal—Noise—BeaconcCC0000LC)00000100%80%,60%40%•20%0%100%80%•.60%40%•20%0%100%80%,60%40%•20%0%5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7LaneStation,Curryfrequencies—Activity—Signal—Noise—Beacon5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7FigureB-i.Continued.AppendixB—Page11 140,000120,000100.00080,0006000040,00020,0000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241100%80%60%I-40%•a?20%0%100%80%60%40%a?20%0%AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCREPORTGatewayADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATION5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7IndianRiverMouthActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon100%80%,.60%40%a?20%0%100%80%60%40%a?20%0%5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7PortageCreekMouthActivitySignalNoise—Beacon140,000120,000CM100,000.80,000a?-.40,00020,0000140,000120,000CM100,000.80,000a.?a?6000040,00020,000140,000120,000CM100,00080,000.60,00040,000-20,0000•05/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7CheechakoStationActivity—Signal—NoiseBeacon5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7FigureB-i.Continued.AppendixB—Page12 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013ChinookRiverMouth—Activity—Signal—Noise—BeaconCCCC000CC000C)00C5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7DevilStationLowerRiverFrequenciesActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon45,00040,00035,00030,00025,00020000-li00010,0005,000050,00040,00030,00020,00010,000050,00040,00030,000‘20,00010,000050,00040,00030,000‘20,00010,0000FigureB-i.Continued.5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7DevilStationCurryFrequenciesActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon100%80%•60%40%20%0%100%80%60%40%•20%0%100%80%,60%40%20%0%100%80%60%I-40%•20%0%5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7KosinaMouthActivity—Signal—Noise—Beacon5/95/236/66/207/47/188/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7AppendixB—Page13 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241100%80%.60%•40%20%0%100%80%.60%I20%AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Sloughii7,0006,00050004,0003,00020001,00007,0006,0005,000=.4.000a30002,0001,0000Slough215/95/236/66/207/4711$8/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7—Activity—Signal—Noise—Beacon5/95/236/66/207/4711$8/18/158/299/129/2610/1010/2411/7FigureB-i.Continued.0%AppendixB—Page14 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNAPPENDIXC:FISHWHEELEFFORT,CATCH,ANDTAGSAPPLIEDSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixC—Page1February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013)3)TableC-i.FishwheeleffortandspeedattheCurryfishwheels,2012.i1Site2SiteISite2Effortfh)RPMSite___________________________DateEffort(h)RPMDateEffort(h)RPMEffort(h)RPM17-Jun9.02.828-Jul9.03.29.03.118-Jun12.32.57.62.829-Jul8.63.411.43.319-Jun15.42.715.63.230-Jul9.13.68.53.620-Jun16.916.23.231-Jul9.13.69.13.521-Jun15.93.614.03.501-Aug8.73.28.72.922-Jun16.13.215.63.402-Aug8.93.38.72.723-Jun17.73.216.83.303-Aug9.23.09.03.024-Jun17.13.316.73.604-Aug9.03.79.13.625-Jun10.63.29.73.505-Aug9.23.49.03.026-Jun12.02.79.63.506-Aug9.13.19.02.827-Jun9.92.710.23.307-Aug9.12.69.22.428-Jun9.82.79.83.008-Aug10.02.69.12.529-Jun11.92.89.82.709-Aug9.02.79.13.430-Jun14.82.57.62.210-Aug9.02.59.03.201-Jul12.52.811.83.411-Aug9.02.99.13.502-Jul14.02.514.02.712-Aug9.12.79.03.203-Jul11.63.013.53.213-Aug9.02.69.03.404-Jul14.02.913.43.214-Aug9.02.69.03.205-Jul13.92.813.92.715-Aug9.12.69.03.306-Jul13.82.013.62.416-Aug9.02.59.03.307-Jul12.21.79.73.117-Aug9.12.59.02.908-Jul9.03.711.94.318-Aug9.02.49.03.009-Jul8.04.05.33.119-Aug8.82.48.43.010-Jul11.83.48.42.920-Aug9.02.58.13.011-Jul14.92.611.23.321-Aug9.03.08.93.512-Jul14.02.611.82.822-Aug11.13.03.63.913-Jul13.92.88.82.623-Aug11.92.414-Jul12.32.64.72.424-Aug11.92.215-Jul8.42.80.00.025-Aug11.82.316-Jul7.22.93.92.626-Aug11.92.217-Jul9.23.49.82.727-Aug4.23.518-Jul9.33.28.42.428-Aug0.00.019-Jul8.52.98.32.229-Aug8.83.520-Jul9.02.97.32.130-Aug10.02.821-Jul11.23.311.82.631-Aug6.72.522-Jul11.64.011.53.401-Sep9.12.823-Jul8.64.711.74.524-Jul10.04.39.04.125-Jul8.44.18.63.626-Jul9.03.67.93.127-Jul8.73.58.03.1()00a02.01)n0000000))))Notes:1FishwheelIoperatedatSite1from17-Junto15-Jul;Fishwheel3operatedatSite1from16-Julto1-Sep.AppendixC—Page2 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTableC-2.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtoChinooksalmonattheCurryfishwheels,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Site2CatchCPUETagsDateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETags17-Jun00.00000.00018-Jun00.00010.13110.13119-Jun20.13230.19350.32520-Jun30.18350.31580.4921-Jun20.13240.29460.41622-Jun30.19340.26470.44723-Jun130.741050.304181.031424-Jun50.29440.24490.53825-Jun50.47500.00050.47526-Jun70.58540.424111.00927-Jun111.111040.393151.501328-Jun80.82740.414121.231129-Jun131.091380.818211.912130-Jun261.752381.057342.803001-Jul131.0411161.3614292.392502-Jul241.7220211.5017453.223703-Jul100.878201.4818302.352604-Jul161.151480.603241.741705-Jul151.081270.506221.581806-Jul191.381680.595271.972107-Jul191.561480.836272.392008-Jul91.00720.172111.17909-Jul00.00010.19110.19110-Jul30.25340.48370.73611-Jul80.54630.272110.80812-Jul50.36420.17270.53613-Jul50.36420.23270.59614-Jul40.33310.21050.54315-Jul00.00000.00000.00016-Jul10.14120.51230.65317-Jul00.00000.00000.00018-Jul10.11010.12120.23119-Jul10.12100.00010.12120-Jul00.00010.14110.14121-Jul10.09120.17130.26222-Jul00.00010.09110.09123-Jul00.00000.00000.00024-Jul00.00000.00000.00025-Jul00.00000.00000.00026-Jul00.00000.00000.00027-Jul00.00000.00000.00028-Jul00.00000.00000.00029-Jul00.00000.00000.00030-Jul00.00000.00000.00031-Jul00.00000.00000.00001-Aug10.11100.00010.111AppendixC—Page3 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTableC-2.Continued.SiteISite2TotalDateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETags02-Aug10.11100.00010.11103-Aug00.00000.00000.00004-Aug00.00000.00000.00005-Aug10.11000.00010.11006-Aug00.00010.11010.11007-Aug00.00000.00000.00008-Aug00.00000.00000.00009-Aug10.11010.11020.22010-Aug00.00000.00000.00011-Aug00.00000.00000.00012-Aug00.00000.00000.00013-Aug00.00000.00000.00014-Aug00.00000.00000.00015-Aug00.00000.00000.00016-Aug00.00000.00000.00017-Aug00.00000.00000.00018-Aug00.00000.00000.00019-Aug00.00000.00000.00020-Aug00.00000.00000.00021-Aug00.00000.00000.00022-Aug00.00000.00000.00023-Aug00.00000.00024-Aug00.00000.00025-Aug00.00000.00026-Aug00.00000.00027-Aug00.00000.00028-Aug00.00000.00029-Aug00.00000.00030-Aug00.00000.00031-Aug00.00000.00001-Sep00.00000.000Tolal256214166138422352Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixC—Page4AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013U)U000000000()U00()U()C)(\,C)01’0000 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTableC-3.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtosockeyesalmonattheCurryflshwheels,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Site2CatchCPUETagsF)DateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETagsJ17-Jun00.00000.000F)18-Jun00.00000.00000.000‘19-Jun00.00000.00000.000‘20-Jun00.00000.00000.000)21-Jun00.00000.00000.000F)22-Jun00.00000.00000.00023-Jun00.00000.00000.000)24-Jun00.00000.00000.000)25-Jun00.00000.00000.00026-Jun00.00000.00000.000-‘27-Jun00.00000.00000.000)28-Jun00.00000.00000.000)29-Jun00.00000.00000.00030-Jun00.00000.00000.000()01-Jul00.00000.00000.000()02-Jul10.07100.00010.071-03-Jul00.00000.00000.000“—‘04-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q05-Jul00.00000.00000.000r06-Jul20.15100.00020.15107-Jul00.00010.10010.100)08-Jul00.00010.08110.081)09-Jul00.00010.19110.191—10-Jul10.08100.00110.082—‘11-Jul10.07100.00010.071Q12-Jul20.14210.08030.23213-Jul00.00000.00100.001‘‘14-Jul20.16200.00020.162015-Jul20.24100.00020.241Q16-Jul00.00020.51020.51017-Jul00.00020.20120.201‘—i’18-Jul00.00030.36130.361F)19-Jul00.00000.00200.002,20-Jul10.11100.00010.111‘21-Jul20.18140.34060.521022-Jul00.00010.09210.092F)23-Jul00.00000.00100.00124-Jul00.00010.11010.11025-Jul00.00010.12110.121F)26-Jul00.00000.00100.00127-Jul00.00030.38030.380‘‘28-Jul20.22140.45360.674)29-Jul00.00030.26330.263J30-Jul00.00020.24220.24231-Jul10.11110.11120.222101-Aug00.00010.11010.110FERCProjectNo.14241AppendixC—Page5 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary20133))))))3U))TableC-3.Continued.SiteISite2TotalDateCatchCPUElagsCatchCPUElagsCatchCPUETags02-Aug00.00010.11110.11103-Aug10.11130.33140.44204-Aug00.00010.11310.11305-Aug00.00040.44040.44006-Aug10.11060.67470.78407-Aug20.22210.11430.33608-Aug30.30340.44170.74409-Aug10.11110.11220.22310-Aug10.11100.00110.11211-Aug20.22100.00020.22112-Aug20.22220.22040.44213-Aug10.11100.00210.11314-Aug10.11100.00010.11115-Aug10.11100.00010.11116-Aug00.00000.00000.00017-Aug00.00000.00000.00018-Aug00.00010.11010.11019-Aug00.00000.00100.00120-Aug00.00010.12010.12021-Aug10.11000.00110.11122-Aug10.09000.00010.09023-Aug00.00000.00024-Aug00.00000.00025-Aug00.00000.00026-Aug00.00000.00027-Aug00.00000.00028-Aug00.00000.00029-Aug00.00000.00030-Aug00.00000.00031-Aug00.00000.00001-Sep00.00000.000Tolal35275743927000000C)0000C)CC)C’(/AppendixC—Page6 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTableC-4.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtopinksalmonattheCurryfishwheels,2012.Site2CatchCPUETags,DateCatchCPUETaqCatchCPUETags]17-Jun00.00000.000()18-Jun00.00000.00000.000719-Jun00.00000.00000.000‘U—’20-Jun00.00000.00000.000t21-Jun00.00000.00000.000r)22-Jun00.00000.00000.00023-Jun00.00000.00000.000)24-Jun00.00000.00000.000)25-Jun00.00000.00000.00026-Jun00.00000.00000.00027-Jun00.00000.00000.000)28-Jun00.00000.00000.000Q29-Jun00.00000.00000.000‘30-Jun00.00000.00000.000)01-Jul00.00000.00000.000cD02-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q03-Jul00.00000.00000.00004-Jul00.00000.00000.00005-Jul00.00000.00000.000(Th06-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘‘07-Jul00.00000.00000.000D08-Jul00.00000.00000.000)09-Jul00.00000.00000.000,—10-Jul00.00000.00000.000“11-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q12-Jul00.00000.00000.00013-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘‘14-Jul00.00000.00000.000E15-Jul00.00000.00000.00016-Jul10.14100.00010.14117-Jul00.00000.00000.000—‘18-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q19-Jul00.00000.00000.000,20-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘21-Jul00.00020.17020.170()22-Jul00.00000.00100.001Q23-Jul00.00000.00000.000,-24-Jul00.00000.00000.000i—”25-Jul00.00010.12010.120()26-Jul40.44400.00140.44527-Jul40.46130.38070.841“‘28-Jul80.89120.221101.112D29-Jul121.40190.791212.182f330-Jul424.61160.711485.312•31-Jul869.454131.4219910.875—.‘01-Aug17720.3110404.58421724.8914Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013FERCProjectNo.14241AppendixC—Page7 UREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013C)C))C)()TableC-4.Continued.000000000SiteISite2TotalDateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETags02-Aug42347.801212514.371054862162203-Aug45149.209657.211251656412104-Aug16017.7111313.43919121.142005-Aug29231.9112424.651133436.562306-Aug44949.529576.351250655.872107-Aug38542.4612808.74946551.212108-Aug32732.5912202.211234734.802409-Aug40244.505141.551241646.051710-Aug25027.83350.56525528.38811-Aug16318.11270.77317018.88512-Aug13715.11240.44214115.55413-Aug10711.89140.44011112.33114-Aug9110.09130.3309410.43115-Aug434.74120.220454.96116-Aug394.32120.221414.54217-Aug343.74120.220363.97118-Aug131.44100.000131.44119-Aug161.83100.000161.83120-Aug171.90100.000171.90121-Aug80.89120.230101.11122-Aug20.18100.00020.18123-Aug90.76090.76024-Aug60.51060.51025-Aug20.17020.17026-Aug20.17020.17027-Aug10.24010.24028-Aug00.00000.00029-Aug00.00000.00030-Aug00.00000.00031-Aug10.15010.15001-Sep00.00000.000Total4,1641225411084,705230AppendixC—Page8 REPoRTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONTableC-S.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtochumsalmonattheCurryfishwheels,2012.Site2CatchCPUETagsSfteiTot_____DateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETaq‘17-Jun00.00000.000()18-Jun00.00000.00000.000)19-Jun00.00000.00000.00020-Jun00.00000.00000.000021-Jun00.00000.00000.000)22-Jun00.00000.00000.000-23-Jun00.00000.00000.000J24-Jun00.00000.00000.000)25-Jun00.00000.00000.000m26-Jun00.00000.00000.00027-Jun00.00000.00000.000D28-Jun00.00000.00000.000)29-Jun00.00000.00000.000,30-Jun00.00000.00000.000)01-Jul00.00000.00000.000D02-Jul00.00000.00000.000—03-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘—P’04-Jul00.00000.00000.000005-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q06-Jul00.00000.00000.000,07-Jul00.00000.00000.000J08-Jul00.00000.00000.000309-Jul00.00000.00000.00010-Jul10.08100.00010.081\.,‘11-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q12-Jul00.00000.00000.000013-Jul00.00000.00000.00014-Jul00.00000.00000.000015-Jul10.12100.00010.121016-Jul00.00000.00000.000,—17-Jul00.00010.10010.100‘‘18-Jul00.00000.00100.001019-Jul00.00000.00000.00020-Jul10.11110.14020.25121-Jul50.45490.771141.215022-Jul70.612100.878171.4710323-Jul00.00030.26230.26224-Jul10.10110.11120.21225-Jul00.00020.23120.231c26-Jul20.22120.25140.472Th27-Jul80.92260.751141.683‘28-Jul141.551222.452364.003329-Jul252.913312.721565.624)30-Jul303.293222.593525.88631-Jul141.543111.202252.74501-Aug465.2813475.3829310.6615Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013FERCProjectNo.14241AppendixC—Page9 REPORTTableC-5.Continued.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013C)UU3))DADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNU000SitelCPUE7.465.352.993.504.634.523.092.214.904.563.864.443.884.412.322.972.77Tags15109991210533222000Catch1153322378175603839261838142491314Site2CPUE13.223.662.434.109,028.206.634.204.332.872.004.221.552.661.001.441.55Tags13151099912105332222Catch1818249691231169158836753784964304039TotalCPUE20.689.015.427.5913.6512.729.726.419.237.425.868.675.437.073.324.424.32iL282519181821221586533422UDateCatch———————002-Aug66C)•03-Aug49()04-Aug2705-Aug3206-Aug4207-Aug41(\08-Aug3109-Aug20U10-Aug44011-Aug4112-Aug3513-Aug40()14-Aug3515-Aug4016-Aug21ci17-Aug2718-Aug2519-Aug202.2802354.06220-Aug161.7812263.033()21-Aug161.7721232.56322-Aug70.632080.91223-Aug141.172141.172()24-Aug70.59270.59225-Aug70.60270.60226-Aug90.76190.761)27-Aug00.00000.00028-Aug00.00000.00029-Aug30.34030.34030-Aug20.20020.20031-Aug30.45030.450151.78101.2470.7910.2801-Sep20.00020.000Total8771408571391,734279AppendixC—Page10 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZ4TIONTableC-6.Catch,catch-per-unit-effort,andtagsappliedtocohosalmonattheCurryflshwheels,2012.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013Site_2CatchCPUETags)To____DateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETagsJ17-Jun00.00000.000(D18-Jun00.00000.00000.000—“19-Jun00.00000.00000.00020-Jun00.00000.00000.000021-Jun00.00000.00000.000)22-Jun00.00000.00000.000,23-Jun00.00000.00000.000}24-Jun00.00000.00000.000)25-Jun00.00000.00000.000-.26-Jun00.00000.00000.000]27-Jun00.00000.00000.000)28-Jun00.00000.00000.000Q29-Jun00.00000.00000.00030-Jun00.00000.00000.000)01-Jul00.00000.00000.000D02-Jul00.00000.00000.000f\03-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘04-Jul00.00000.00000.000005-Jul00.00000.00000.000(Th06-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘07-Jul00.00000.00000.000C)08-Jul00.00000.00000.000)09-Jul00.00000.00000.000r10-Jul00.00000.00000.000s—,’11-Jul00.00000.00000.000Q12-Jul00.00000.00000.00013-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘‘14-Jul00.00000.00000.000015-Jul00.00000.00000.000016-Jul00.00000.00000.000,Th17-Jul00.00000.00000.00018-Jul00.00000,00000.000Q19-Jul00.00000.00000.000m20-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘21-Jul00.00000.00000.000C)22-Jul00.00000.00000.000C)23-Jul00.00000.00000.00024-Jul00.00000.00000.000‘J25-Jul00.00000.00000.000()26-Jul00.00000.00000.00027-Jul00.00000.00000.000“28-Jul10.11000.00010.110)29-Jul10.12000.00010.120)30-Jul00.00000.00000.00031-Jul00.00010.11010.110J01-Aug10.11100.00110.112AppendixC—Page11 REPORTADuLTSALMONDIsTRIBuTI0NANDHABITATUTILIzATIONSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013))3)00UU000TableC6ContinuedSiteISite2TotalDateCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETagsCatchCPUETags-02-Aug00.00000.00000.00003Aug30332303306066204-Aug00.00020.22120.22105-Aug00.00020.22220.22206-Aug20.22210.11230.334307-Aug20.22270.77190.99308-Aug70.70750.557121.251409-Aug50.55410.11560.669C)10-Aug141.561220.221161.7813()11-Aug212.331900.002212.332112-Aug141.541430.330171.881413Aug1314413202221516715()14-Aug131.44810.112141.551015-Aug181.99730.330212.32716-Aug151.66610.111161.77717-Aug192.09510.110202.20.518-Aug121.33400.001121.33519-Aug80.91600.00080.91620-Aug80.89600.00080.896C)21-Aug50.55500.00050.55522-Aug110.99600.000110.99623-Aug80.67780.677()24-Aug70.59570.59525-Aug90.77990.77926-Aug60.51260.51227-Aug00.00000.00028-Aug00.00000.00029-Aug20.23120.23130-Aug30.30230.302)31-Aug10.15110.151010000000.000Total2291563528264184AppendixC—Page12 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION)APPENDIXD:RADIOTELEMETRYRESULTS)0000j00000000000Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixD—Page1February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013TableB-i.SummaryofradiotagrecoveryinformationforfishreleasedattheCurryfishwheels,2012.NorecoverycoordinateswereavailableforthetagthatwassenttoADF&Gbyanangler.TagDateRecoveryLocationRecoveryNumberRecoveredDescriptionLatitudeLongitudeMethodChinook230-JulPorge62.87766-149.31946LGLcrew30731-Jul4thofJuly62.71873-149.80825LGLcrew3192-AugIndian62.78955-149.66135LGLcrew4193-Aug4thofJuly62.71897-149.80937LGLcrew65-AugIndian62.87664-149.58420LGLcrew245-AugIndian62.87664-149.58420LGLcrew515-AugIndian62.87531-149.58328LGLcrew895-AugIndian62.86866-149.59660LGLcrew1425-AugIndian62.85728-149.61330LGLcrew1835-AugIndian62.87002-149.59393LGLcrew1865-AugIndian62.85728-149.61330LGLcrew3085-AugIndian62.87945-149.58168LGLcrew188-AugIndian62.80849-149.66151LGLcrew228-AugIndian62.79346-149.66273LGLcrew288-AugIndian62.81335-149.66116LGLcrew508-AugIndian62.81142-149.65912LGLcrew1118-AugIndian62.81639-149.65948LGLcrew1268-AugIndian62.79686-149.66078LGLcrew1308-AugIndian62.80689-149.66249LGLcrew1548-AugIndian62.82144-149.65526LGLcrew2108-AugIndian62.82255-149.65404LGLcrew2318-AugIndian62.81335-149.66116LGLcrew2558-AugIndian62.82144-149.65526LGLcrew2888-AugIndian62.81639-149.65948LGLcrew3338-AugIndian62.81908-149.65714LGLcrew14918-AugIndian62.87887-149.58185Angler40918-AugMouthofIndian62.78561-149.65559Angler39419-AugPorlage62.83023-149.37965LGLcrewQ.b..ii28286-AugSlough8c/d62.62378-149.98213LGLcrew10086-AugSlough8c/d62.62378-149.98213LGLcrew8687-AugSlough8cld62.63065-149.97787LGLcrew5838-AugChulilna-Byer’s62.73127-150.19466Angler84826-AugMouthofIndian62.7849-149.6592LGLcrew137426-AugSlough9a62.7275-149.7496LGLcrew92915-AugChulitna-Byer’s62.7312722-150.194658Angler164326-AugMouthofPortage62.8300433-149.381723Angler223713-SepChuliUia-Byers62.7312722-150.194658AnglerU000000000t)(I\k3C)0IaUa)U)U)C)U•0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixD—Page2 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNTableP-i.Continued.TagDateRecoveryLocationRecoveryNumberRecoveredDescriptionLatitudeLongitudeMethodEia10337-AugGateway62.67699-149.89204LGLcrew160716-AugTalkeebia-ClearCr62.3677-150.0171Angler102526-AugMouthofIndian62.7848-149.6585LGLcrew14013-OctTalkeebia-ClearCrn/an/aAngler/ADFGSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013a0aaa0000000a000a)))AppendixD—Page3 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIONU000000o00nc)04)aI0Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013JTableD-2.SummaryofradiotagrecoveryinformationforfishreleasedattheLowerRiverfishwheels.Therecoverymethodwasunknownformosttags,butitwasassumedtobelargelytagssenttoADF&Gbyanglers.lagDateRecoveryNumberRecoveredLocationChinook50814-JunDeshkaRiver51488-JunDeshkaRivermouth501812-JunDeshkaRiver516515-JunDeshkaRiver526315-JunDeshkaRivermouth516616-JunDeshkaRiver533019-JunDeshkaRivetmouth538710-JulTalkeethawatershed542610-JulTalkeehiawatershed543618-JulDeshkaRiver541520-JulSunshineCreekmouth510930-JulWllowCreek505310-AugChulibia520919-AugSheep.Creek52171-SepMontanaCreek0Qflini382210-AugYenbiawatershed0324116-AugWllowCreek341418-AugWIlowCreek311530-AugMontanaCreek31475-OctMontanaCreek)Coho346522-JulDeshkaRiver317927-JulDeshkaRivermouth31723-AugAlexanderCreekmouth33695-AugDeshkaweir42915-AugTalkeebiawatershedc)33978-AugDeshkaRiver())37639-AugYenthawatershed339111-AugRabideauxCreek348313-AugWIlowCreekMouth326614-AugGooseCreek346114-AugYenhawatershed336115-AugYenthawatershed308116-AugSunshineCreek335718-AugYenthawatershed)388020-AugYenbiawatershed429925-AugDeshkaRiverAppendixD—Page4 lagDateRecoveryNumberRecoveredLocation389726-AugDeshkawelt427411-SepKashwitha33902-OctTalkeehiawatershed42902-OctTalkeetnawatershedEinik415310-AugIndianriver410127-AugWIIowCreek390915-SepMontanaCreekSockeye36889-AugYentnawatershedREPORTTableD-2.Continued.ADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATION))D)aa00aaa)a))aa00aaa000000aa0U)a)Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013AppendixD—Page5 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILITIoN0000000C)APPENDIXE:TRACKINGHISTORIESOFCHINOOKoSALMONABOVEIMPEDIMENT3CSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixE—PageIFebruary2013 CCCCCCCCCCCCCCGCGCCGCCCCC0LbQCn-nc-I)0JPCDLgo)DZoRIM-CDCD0-‘0-aCD00CDxm0)(aCD>0)0)a)m-.flD623OP40)>Qo- flCi)ma.o.CL.Zc-‘<CD010-a1Q.CD0>-DCDaxm-aCDcaCD(‘3>CDCDCDm0-caCD>-a-.0 CC(-n(nmc0o.rJCD0:3.0-oCD0>CD><m-aCDCCC0CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC>CI)ci)mci)>o “C,)ac.CDgQ):3ZD-‘<r’jCD010-aCD0-D-oCD:30xm-a(QCD01>U)ci)m77:30)>r%j-h-.C3’<0Cl)0)0tDC,)0•0)0)0)0 -no,0o.CD•DZc2-<N)oCD00-ti-‘CD0CDDxm-ti0)CDCD0)CCCIcCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCn>0)00)mD0)>-— mc’)mco2?.CDgQ)ZRI-<13CD010-a-‘2.CD0-oCDD0xm-aLi)COCDC,,Li)0C,)S0Li)00-LiNLi)0-00aaDa000000000000000000000000000000000000a0a>Li)Cl)Li)m17Li)> CCCCDCCCCCCCCCCCC0CCCCCaCCCIICn-nd)maJPCDgD)Zcu9’—‘<FJ-1CDCD00-ti1Q.CD0CDDxm-a0)CDcx0)Cl)0)mDCD!gDCO0)> Report Adult Salmon Distribution and Habitat Utilization Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No.14241 Appendix E—Page 9 Alaska Energy Authority February 2013 0000000000000000000u 00000000c 000000C ReportAdultSalmonDistributionandHabitatUtilizationjuuuuuuu00000000000000000000000000000000000cSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectFERCProjectNo.14241AlaskaEnergyAuthorityFebruary2013150W14930W148W14710W2f1DataSawces:SeeMapReferences0610mlFp-totkLais46nkD?flCatCrn*tO1V3UMAjP,tL5LAlsiF4FøHd&n9tp&1&fAppendixE—Page10 -no)021.o.CD9.gn):3ZnRI-<CD00-i:-‘CD0CrQ)0rDC,)00)N0)00U00a00000C00000000000C0Q000000000000000000>-o-oCD:3axm0)CDCD->0)0)0)m:3CD10)>r’JD U0CC00CCC0000000a000000000011I00n1srwmomca2?.Os.LUD-a:.<N)0:cQCD00-a1CD0>0-oCDDaxm-aLi)CoCDN)>CDU)CDmCDR0-co2’<CD> “CI)m:;o2.o.-aLPD-‘<rJCD00-a-‘.2.CD00C,)0Cl)0L)q0U00aCrC0000000000(0000000000002>-o-oCDax-aCl)(CDCA)>Cl)CoCl)ifiDa-CaCl)>r%JD REPORT ADULT SALMON DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT UTILIzATIoN APPENDIX F:BASE MAP AND MAP FIGURE REFERENCES Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project Alaska Energy Authority FERC Project No.14241 Appendix F—Page 1 February 2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNBASEMAPREFERENCESCategoryDataSourceDateFileNameandDescription2012NHDArea_DoubleLineROcean_SusitnaWS:NationalHydrographyDataset(NHD)AreaNationalHydrographyDatasetfeatures(double-linerivers,ocean)fortheSusitnaWatershed.2012NHDFlowlines_SusitnaWS:NationalHydrographyDataset(NHD)NationalHydrographyDatasetFlowlinesfeaturesfortheSusitnaWatershed.Hydrography2012NHDWaterbody_Lakes_SusitnaWS:NationalHydrographyDataset(NHD)NationalHydrographyDatasetWaterbodyfeatures(lakes,ponds)fortheSusitnaWatershed.1998AlaskaBoundary63K:AlaskaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesAlaskacoastline.1995-10-05SusitnaWatershedBoundary:SubsetoftheAlaskaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesHydrologicUnitCode(HUC)datasetshowingentireSusitnadrainagebasin.2012PreliminaryProjectArea:AlaskaEnergyAuthorityWatanaDamReservoirandCorridorsProjectPopulatedPlaces_SusitnaArea:AlaskaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesLocationoftownsandvillages.LocationFacilitiesandOperations2010ProposedDamSite:ProposedWatanaDamsitefromAlaskaAlaskaDOT&PFDOT&PFbaselinedatafortheevaluationofWatanaTransportationAccessStudy.Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixF—Page2February20137*..N .flThflflflThThfl.’REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNMAPFIGUREDATAFigureNo.FigureNameDataSourceDateFileNameandDescription2012LGLFixedStations:LGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.LocationsofLGLRadioTelemetryFixedStations.2012CurryFishWheels:LGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.LocationofLGLCurryFishwheels.Figure1(1)SusitnaRiverWatershedFigure2(2)Middle/UpperSusitnaRiver2012ADFGFixedStations:AlaskaDepartmentofFishandGameLocationsofADF&GRadioTelemetryFixedStations.2012ADFGFishWheelsAlaskaDepartmentofFishandGameLocationsofADF&GFishwheels.:2012FishwheelTelemetrylmpedimentLocations:LGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.Locationsofstationarytelemetry,Fishwheelandimpedimentinpointformat.Figure3ImpedimentMap2011MatanuskaSusitnaBoroughLiDAR/lmageryProjectFigure5FishwheelLocationMapUniversityofAlaskaFairbanks,ImagerymosaicavailableasaIft,ortho-rectified,4-GeographicInformationNetworkofbandimageryfortheentire3680sq/miarea,terrainAlaska;Matanuska-SusitnaBoroughGIScorrectedagainsttheLiDARelevationmodelduringthe2011collection.http://matsu.gina.alaska.edu.2012PotenDalSpawning:Figure24LowerSusitnaMainstemLocationsof“likely”and“possible”mainstemspawningFigure25PotentialSpawningLocationsLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.intheLowerSusitnaRiverderivedfromradiotelemetryFigure26FishTrackingLocationsdatainDecember2012.Figure27Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixF—Page3February2013 REPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIzATIoNMAPFIGUREDATAFigureNo.FigureNameDataSourceDateFileNameandDescription2012PotentialSpawning_lnSeason:PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.Figure28MiddleSusitnaMainstemPotentialSusitnaRiverderivedfromradiotelemetrydatainearlyFigure29SpawningLocations,FishTrackingSeptember2012.Figure30ResultsFigure31Chinook,chum,coho,pink,and2012PotentialSpawning:Figure32sockeyesalmonLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleSusitnaRiverderivedfromradiotelemetrydatainDecember2012.2012PotentialSpawning_lnSeason:PotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.SusitnaRiverderivedfromradiotelemetrydatainearlySeptember2012.MiddleSusitnaMainstem2012PotentialSpawning:Figure43PotentialSpawningPotentialmainstemspawninglocationsintheMiddleLocationsandReddSitesLGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.SusitnaRiverderivedfromradiotelemetrydatainFigure44FishTrackingResultsDecember2012.2012MiddleSusitnaREDD:LGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.ConfirmedlocationsofsalmonreddsintheMiddleSusitnaRiverfromHSCsurveysSusitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixF—Page4February2013. --NThNREPORTADULTSALMONDISTRIBUTIONANDHABITATUTILIZATIONMAPFIGUREDATAFigureNo.FigureNameDataSourceDateFileNameandDescriptionFish272012DetectionHistoryforFishPassinglmpediments:Fish52LocationsofalldetectionsoffishthatapproachedorFish94passedthemiddle-SusitnaImpediments.Fish10412Figures,Fish113AppendixELGLAlaskaResearchAssociates,Inc.Fish257Fish266Fish359Fish5005Fish5019Susitna-WatanaHydroelectricProjectAlaskaEnergyAuthorityFERCProjectNo.14241AppendixF—Page5February2013