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Volume 2012/13, Issue 8 
February 12, 2013
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In This Issue
Calaveras River Juvenile Migration Monitoring
Stanislaus River Juvenile Migration Monitoring
Tuolumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring
Mokelumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring
Stanislaus River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring
Tuolumne River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring
San Joaquin River Conditions
Delta Exports
events

State of the California Central Coast:
February 27 - March 1

31st Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference:
March 13-16

47th Annual Cal-Neva Conference:
April 4-6

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  Photo by FISHBIO
Key Highlights
January 21, 2013 - February 3, 2013

Calaveras River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Shelton Road (RM 28) and a total of 6 O. mykiss were captured, increasing the season total to 92.

 

Stanislaus River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Oakdale (RM 40) and a total of 36,182 Chinook salmon and 3 O. mykiss were captured, increasing the season totals to 49,146 and 21, respectively.

Monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park (RM 9) continued and a total of 1,745 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 1,808

 

Tuolumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Waterford (RM 30) and a total of 450 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 1,140. Monitoring continued at Grayson (RM 5) and no Chinook salmon were captured. Season total remains at one.

 

Mokelumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Vino Farms (RM 54) and a total of 5,179 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 10,187. Monitoring continued at Golf (RM 38) and a total of 78 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 164.

 

Stanislaus River Weir Monitoring continued and 1 Chinook salmon passed upstream through the weir between January 21 and February 3, increasing the total to 7,044.

 

Tuolumne River Weir Monitoring continued with a total of 4 Chinook salmon passing upstream through the weir between January 21 and February 3, increasing the total to 2,118.

 

San Joaquin River Conditions. San Joaquin River flow at Vernalis ranged from 1,419 cfs to 1,844 cfs. Daily average water temperature in the San Joaquin River ranged from 47.4�F to 53.2�F at Vernalis, and from 47.9�F to 53.0�F at Mossdale. Daily average dissolved oxygen (DO) in the San Joaquin River ranged from 10.4 mg/L to 11.4 mg/L at Mossdale, and from 8.8 mg/L to 9.3 mg/L in the deep-water ship channel (measured at Rough 'n Ready Island).

 

Delta Exports. Combined total exports (state and federal pumps) fluctuated during the reporting period, ranging from 2,831 cfs to 4,601 cfs.

2011/12 Calaveras River Juvenile Migration Monitoring 

The Calaveras River rotary screw trap at Shelton Road (RM 28) operated eight days between January 21 and February 3 and a total of 6 O. mykiss were captured, increasing the total to 92. Daily catches ranged from zero to two individuals (Figure 1), and all O. mykiss captured were Age 1+ (100-299 mm) and were rated as parr (n=2), silvery parr (n=1) and smolt (n=3). Average forklengths and weights of O. mykiss are provided in Table 1.

No Chinook salmon were captured during this reporting period. The season total remains at two yearlings.

 

Instantaneous temperature recorded at the trap ranged from 43.6�F to 48.3�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.74 NTU to 1.79 NTU. During the reporting period, daily average combined flow from New Hogan Dam (NHG) and Cosgrove Creek (COS) fluctuated between 19 cfs and 28 cfs, and at Bellota (MRS) flow fluctuated between 21 cfs and 29 cfs (Figure 1).

Table 1. Biosampling data for O. mykiss captured at Shelton Road between January 21, 2013 and February 3, 2013. Parenthesis indicates range.


 

Figure 1. Daily O. mykiss catch at Shelton Road, and Calaveras River flow recorded by New Hogan Dam (NHG) and Cosgrove Creek (COS) combined and flow recorded at Bellota (MRS), in 2012 and 2013.

2011/12 Stanislaus River Juvenile Migration Monitoring  

Stanislaus River rotary screw trap monitoring at Oakdale (RM 40) continued during the reporting period and a total of 36,182 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 49,146. Most of the Chinook salmon measured were fry (n=981), but parr (n=3) and smolt (n=1) were also observed (Table 2).

 

A total of 3 O. mykiss were captured during the reporting period and rated as silvery parr (n=1) and smolt (n=2), increasing the season total to 21.

 

Table 2. Biosampling data for Chinook salmon and O. mykiss captured and measured at Oakdale between January 21 and February 3, 2013. Parentheses indicate range.


 

Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 45.3�F to 53.4�F, and turbidity ranged from 1.00 NTU to 11.95 NTU. Daily average flow at Goodwin Dam (GDW) ranged from 275 cfs to 908 cfs, and flow ranged from 308 cfs to 805 cfs at Ripon (RIP) (Figure 2).

 

Four trap efficiency evaluations were conducted during the reporting period with naturally spawned juvenile Chinook salmon marked caudal fin green (CFG). The preliminary estimated capture efficiencies are provided in Table 3.

 

Table 3. Trap efficiency tests conducted at Oakdale between January 21 and February 3, 2013.
   

Figure 2. Daily Chinook salmon catch at Oakdale and Stanislaus River flow recorded at Goodwin Dam (GDW) and Ripon (RIP) in 2013.

 

Stanislaus River rotary screw trap monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park (RM 9) continued during the reporting period and a total of 1,745 juvenile Chinook salmon were captured during the reporting period including one yearling smolt (FL=156), one parr (FL=41), and 1743 fry bringing the season total to 1,805 fry, one parr, and two yearling smolts.

 

No O. mykiss were captured. Season total remains at one. 

 

Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 45.0�F to 52.2�F, and instantaneous turbidity ranged from 2.03 NTU to 6.10 NTU. Instantaneous dissolved oxygen measured at the trap ranged from 12.33 mg/L to 14.76 mg/L.

2012 Tuolumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring 

  

Tuolumne River rotary screw trap monitoring at Waterford (RM 30) continued during the reporting period and a total of 450 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 1,140. All of the 360 fish measured were fry (Table 4).

  

Table 4. Biosampling data for Chinook salmon captured and measured at Waterford between January 21 and February 3, 2013. Parentheses indicate range.

Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 46.4�F to 53.9�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.77 NTU to 2.60 NTU. Daily average flow at La Grange (LGN) was stable between 169 cfs and 175 cfs (Figure 3).

  

Three trap efficiency evaluations were conducted during the reporting period with naturally spawned juvenile Chinook salmon marked caudal fin orange (CFO). Preliminary estimated capture efficiencies are provided in Table 5.

  

Table 5. Trap efficiency tests conducted at Waterford between January 21 and February 3, 2013.

 
Figure 3. Daily Chinook salmon catch at Waterford and Tuolumne River flow recorded at La Grange (LGN) between January 1 and February 3, 2013.

 

Tuolumne River rotary screw trap monitoring at Grayson (RM 5) continued during the reporting period and no Chinook salmon were captured. Season total remains at one.

 

Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 46.5�F to 56.1�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.76 NTU to 3.26 NTU. Daily average flow at Modesto (MOD) ranged between 191 cfs and 210 cfs (Figure 4).

 

No trap efficiency evaluations were conducted during the reporting period.

 

 

   

Figure 4. Daily Chinook salmon catch at Grayson and Tuolumne River flow recorded at Modesto (MOD) between January 1 and February 3, 2013.


2011/12 Mokelumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring  

The Mokelumne River rotary screw trap at Vino Farms (RM 54) continued sampling intermittently during the reporting period. A total of 5,179 juvenile Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 10,187.

 

Average daily flow from Camanche Reservoir (CMN) ranged from 256 cfs to 257 cfs (Figure 5). Instantaneous temperature ranged between 46.4F and 49.6F, and instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.40 NTU and 2.11 NTU.

Figure 5. Daily juvenile Chinook catches at Vino Farms and Mokelumne River flow recorded at Camanche Reservoir (CMN), between December 1, 2012, and February 3, 2013.

The Mokelumne River rotary screw trap at Golf (RM 38) continued sampling intermittently during the reporting period. A total of 78 juvenile Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 164.

 

Average daily flow from Woodbridge Dam (WBR) ranged from 134 cfs to 386 cfs (Figure 6). Instantaneous temperature ranged between 46.8F and 50.4F, and instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.70 NTU and 14.40 NTU.

 
Figure 6. Daily juvenile Chinook catches at Golf and Mokelumne River flow recorded at Woodbridge Dam (WBR), between December 15, 2012, and February 3, 2013.

2011 Stanislaus River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring   

 

Between January 21 and February 3, one Chinook salmon was detected by the Vaki Riverwatcher as they passed upstream of the Stanislaus River weir.The total passage to-date of 7,044 is the highest observed at the Stanislaus weir since monitoring began in 2003 (Figure 5; Table 6). Daily passage ranged between 0 and 1 Chinook salmon (Figure 7).

 

Instantaneous water temperature measured at the weir ranged between 47.1˚F and 52.1˚F, and daily average water temperature at Ripon (RPN; RM 15) ranged between 47.9˚F and 54.4˚F (Figure 8). Instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.36 NTU and 4.15 NTU (Figure 9). Instantaneous dissolved oxygen at the weir ranged between 10.71 mg/L and 13.50 mg/L, and daily average dissolved oxygen at Ripon (RPN; RM 15) ranged from 9.91 mg/L to 10.90 mg/L (Figure 10).

 

Daily average flows in the Stanislaus River at Goodwin Dam (GDW; RM 58) ranged from 275 cfs to 908 cfs. Flows at Ripon (RIP; RM 15) ranged from 308 cfs to 805 cfs. Note: flows downstream of Goodwin Dam may differ from dam releases due to irrigation, precipitation, and other factors.

 

Table 6. Annual fall-run Chinook passage at the Stanislaus River weir prior to February 3, 2003-2013.
 
 
Figure 7. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Stanislaus River weir in relation to daily average flows (cfs) recorded in the Stanislaus River at Goodwin (GDW) and Ripon (RIP), 2012/13. 

Figure 8. Daily upstream Chinook passage recorded at the Stanislaus River weir in relation to instantaneous water temperature recorded at the weir, and daily average water temperature recorded in the Stanislaus River at Ripon (RPN), and in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis (VER), Mossdale (MSD) and Rough & Ready (RRI) in 2012/13. 

Figure 9. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Stanislaus River weir in relation to instantaneous turbidity recorded at the weir in 2012/13. (Note: Turbidity on December 24 was measured at 106.0 NTU.) 

Figure 10. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Stanislaus River weir in relation to instantaneous dissolved oxygen recorded at the weir, and daily average dissolved oxygen recorded in the Stanislaus River at Ripon (RPN), and in the San Joaquin River at Mossdale (MSD) and Rough & Ready (RRI) in 2012/13.

2011 Tuolumne River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring 

 

Between January 21 and February 3 a total of 4 Chinook salmon were detected by the Vaki Riverwatcher as they passed upstream of the Tuolumne River weir. Total passage to-date of 2,118 is less than the 2,850 passages observed in 2011 at the Tuolumne weir (Table 7). Daily passage decreased during the reporting period, ranging between 0 and 2 Chinook salmon (Figure 11).

 

Daily average flow in the Tuolumne River ranged from 169 cfs to 175 cfs at La Grange (LGN; RM 50) and 191 cfs and 210 cfs at Modesto (MOD; RM 17). Note: flows downstream of La Grange may be higher than dam releases due to accretion and Dry Creek inflow.

 

Instantaneous water temperature measured at the weir ranged between 48.5˚F and 53.9˚F and daily average water temperature at Modesto (MOD; RM 17) ranged between 47.3˚F and 52.7˚F (Figure 12). Instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.66 NTU and 2.58 NTU (Figure 13), and instantaneous dissolved oxygen ranged between 10.32 mg/L and 12.65 mg/L (Figure 14).

 

Table 7. Annual Fall-run Chinook passage prior to February 3, 2009 - 2013.
    

  

Figure 11. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Tuolumne River Weir in relation to daily average flows (cfs) recorded in the Tuolumne River at La Grange (LGN) and Modesto (MOD), and in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis (VNS) in 2012/13.

Figure 12. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Tuolumne River Weir in relation to instantaneous water temperature recorded at the weir, and daily average water temperature recorded in the Tuolumne River at Modesto (MOD) and in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis (VER), Mossdale (MSD) and Rough & Ready (RRI) in 2012/13.

 

Figure 13. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Tuolumne River Weir in relation to instantaneous turbidity recorded at the weir in 2012/13.  

 

Figure 14. Daily upstream Chinook passage at the Tuolumne River Weir in relation to instantaneous dissolved oxygen recorded at the weir, and daily average dissolved oxygen recorded in the San Joaquin River at Mossdale (MSD) and Rough & Ready (RRI) in 2012/13.


San Joaquin River Conditions

During the reporting period, flow in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis fluctuated from 1,419 cfs to 1,844 cfs (Figure 16). Water temperature in the San Joaquin River ranged from 47.4�F to 53.2�F at Vernalis, from 47.9�F to 53.0�F at Mossdale, and from 45.6�F to 49.6�F at Rough 'n Ready Island (Figure 17). Average daily dissolved oxygen (DO) in the San Joaquin River fluctuated from 8.8 mg/L to 9.3 mg/L in the deep-water ship channel (measured at Rough 'n Ready Island), and from 10.4 mg/L to 11.4 mg/L at Mossdale (Figure 18).

 

Figure 16. San Joaquin River flow at Vernalis from February 1, 2012, through February 3, 2013.

 


Figure 17. San Joaquin River daily average water temperature at Vernalis, Mossdale, and Rough 'n Ready from February 1, 2012, through February 3, 2013.


 

Figure 18. San Joaquin River daily average dissolved oxygen at Mossdale and Rough 'n Ready, from February 1, 2012, through February 3, 2013.


Delta Exports

Mean daily pumping at the C.W. Jones Pumping Plant (federal pumps previously known as Tracy Pumping Plant) ranged from 874 cfs to 3,614 cfs (Figure 19). Mean daily pumping at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant (state pumps) ranged from 986 cfs to 2,401 cfs. Combined total exports (state and federal pumps) during this period ranged from 2,831 cfs to 4,601 cfs.

Figure 19. Daily exports at the state and federal pumping stations from February 1, 2012, through February 3, 2013.

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Data Disclaimer:  The data displayed on the FISHBIO website are courtesy of California Department of Fish & Game (CDFG), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Tri-dam, Turlock Irrigation District (TID), Modesto Irrigation District (MID), East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) and FISHBIO.  Data are intended to be current, but are preliminary and are not guaranteed to be accurate.  Source data compiled and provided by FISHBIO, from whom further information can be obtained.  Use or reproduction of this data is prohibited without prior permission.