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Volume 2012/13, Issue 11
| March 26, 2013 |
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47th Annual Cal-Neva Conference:
April 4-6
International Congress for Conservation Biology
July 21-25
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Key Highlights
March 4, 2013 - March 17, 2013
Calaveras River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Shelton Road (RM 28) and a total of 24 O. mykiss were captured, increasing the season total to 128.
Stanislaus River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Oakdale (RM 40) and a total of 5,469 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 132,503. No data is available for monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park (RM 9) during the reporting period.
Tuolumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Waterford (RM 30) and a total of 217 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 2,495. Monitoring continued at Grayson (RM 5) and no Chinook salmon were captured. The season total remains at 2.
Mokelumne River Juvenile Migration Monitoring continued at Vino Farms (RM 54) and a total of 2,477 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 51,280. Monitoring continued at Golf (RM 38) and a total of 230 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 2,107.
Stanislaus River Weir Monitoring continued and 7 Chinook salmon passed upstream through the weir between March 4 and March 17, increasing the total to 7,065.
Tuolumne River Weir Monitoring continued with a total of 22 Chinook salmon passing upstream through the weir between March 4 and March 17, increasing the total to 2,224.
San Joaquin River Conditions. San Joaquin River flow at Vernalis decreased from 1,944 cfs to 1,418 cfs. Daily average water temperature in the San Joaquin River ranged from 56.2�F to 62.9�F at Vernalis, and from 56.9�F to 63.6�F at Mossdale. Daily average dissolved oxygen (DO) in the San Joaquin River ranged from 9.9 mg/L to 11.4 mg/L at Mossdale, and from 10.0 mg/L to 10.4 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 3,153 cfs to 5,985 cfs.
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2011/12 Calaveras River Juvenile Migration Monitoring
The Calaveras River rotary screw trap at Shelton Road (RM 28) operated eight days between March 4 and March 17 and a total of 24 O. mykiss were captured, increasing  the total to 128. Daily catches ranged from zero to ten individuals (Figure 1). Of the O. mykiss captured, eleven were YOY (<100 mm) and rated as fry, and thirteen were Age 1+ (100-299 mm) and were rated as parr (n=4), silvery parr (n=7) and smolt (n=2). 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 53.4�F to 58.8�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.28 NTU to 2.30 NTU. During the reporting period, daily average combined flow from New Hogan Dam (NHG) and Cosgrove Creek (COS) fluctuated between 24 cfs and 58 cfs, and at Bellota (MRS) flow fluctuated between 6 cfs and 15 cfs (Figure 1). Table 1. Biosampling data for O. mykiss captured at Shelton Road between March 4 and March 17, 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.
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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 5,469 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 132,503. Most of the Chinook salmon measured were fry (n=998), but parr (n=2) were also observed (Table 2).
No O. mykiss were captured during the reporting period. The season total remains at 21.
Table 2. Biosampling data for Chinook salmon and O. mykiss captured and measured at Oakdale between March 4 and March 17, 2013. Parentheses indicate range.
Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 51.0�F to 55.9�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.42 NTU to 2.38 NTU. Daily average flow at Goodwin Dam (GDW) decreased from 1,015 cfs to 306 cfs, and flow ranged from 1,098 cfs to 503 cfs at Ripon (RIP) (Figure 2).
Three trap efficiency evaluations were conducted during the reporting period with naturally spawned juvenile Chinook salmon marked caudal fin green (CFG). Preliminary estimates of capture efficiency are provided in Table 3.
Table 3. Trap efficiency tests conducted at Oakdale between March 4 and March 17, 2013.
 Figure 2. Daily Chinook salmon catch at Oakdale and Stanislaus River flow recorded at Goodwin Dam (GDW) and Ripon (RIP) in 2013. No data is available for monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park (RM 9) during the reporting period.
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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 217 Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 2,495. Most of the measured fish were parr (n=61) but fry (n=128) and smolt (n=23) were also observed (Table 4).
Table 4. Biosampling data for Chinook salmon captured and measured at Waterford between March 4 and March 17, 2013. Parentheses indicate range.
Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 55.0�F to 66.6�F, and turbidity ranged from 0.39 NTU to 3.14 NTU. Daily average flow at La Grange (LGN) was stable between 163 cfs and 169 cfs (Figure 3).
One trap efficiency evaluation was conducted during the reporting period with naturally spawned juvenile Chinook salmon marked caudal fin orange (CFO). Preliminary estimates of capture efficiency are provided in Table 5.
Table 5. Trap efficiency tests conducted at Waterford between March 4 and March 17, 2013 .
Figure 3. Daily Chinook salmon catch at Waterford and Tuolumne River flow recorded at La Grange (LGN) between January 1 and March 17, 2013.
 Tuolumne River rotary screw trap monitoring at Grayson (RM 5) continued during the reporting period and no Chinook salmon were captured. The season total remains at two.
Instantaneous temperature taken at the trap ranged from 56.1�F to 63.0�F, and turbidity ranged from 1.02 NTU to 12.62 NTU. Daily average flow at Modesto (MOD) ranged between 195 cfs and 251 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 March 17, 2013.
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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 2,477 juvenile Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 51,280.
Average daily flow from Camanche Reservoir (CMN) ranged from 241 cfs to 282 cfs (Figure 5). Instantaneous temperature ranged between 48.7�F and 50.4�F, and instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.20 NTU and 2.08 NTU.
Figure 5. Daily juvenile Chinook catches at Vino Farms and Mokelumne River flow recorded at Camanche Reservoir (CMN), between December 1, 2012, and March 17, 2013.
The Mokelumne River rotary screw trap at Golf (RM 38) continued sampling intermittently during the reporting period. A total of 230 juvenile Chinook salmon were captured, increasing the season total to 2,107.
Average daily flow from Woodbridge Dam (WBR) ranged from 90 cfs to 135 cfs (Figure 6). Instantaneous temperature ranged between 53.4�F and 57.0�F, and instantaneous turbidity ranged between 1.60 NTU and 2.46 NTU.
Figure 6. Daily juvenile Chinook catches at Golf and Mokelumne River flow recorded at Woodbridge Dam (WBR), between December 15, 2012, and March 17, 2013.
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2011 Stanislaus River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring
Between March 4 and March 17, seven Chinook salmon were detected by the Vaki Riverwatcher as they passed upstream of the Stanislaus River weir.The total passage to-date of 7,065 is the highest observed at the Stanislaus weir since monitoring began in 2003 (Figure 5; Table 6). Daily passage ranged between 0 and 3 Chinook salmon (Figure 7).
Fourteen O. mykiss were detected passing upstream, increasing the season total to 81.
Instantaneous water temperature measured at the weir ranged between 55.0˚F and 59.7˚F, and daily average water temperature at Ripon (RPN; RM 15) ranged between 53.5˚F and 58.9˚F (Figure 8). Instantaneous turbidity ranged between 0.67 NTU and 1.86 NTU (Figure 9). Instantaneous dissolved oxygen at the weir ranged between 8.86 mg/L and 11.89 mg/L, and daily average dissolved oxygen at Ripon (RPN; RM 15) ranged from 9.24 mg/L to 10.30 mg/L (Figure 10).
Daily average flows in the Stanislaus River at Goodwin Dam (GDW; RM 58) decreased from 1,015 cfs to 306 cfs. Flows at Ripon (RIP; RM 15) decreased from 1,098 cfs to 503 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 March 17, 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.
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2011 Tuolumne River Weir Adult Migration Monitoring
B etween March 4 and March 17 a total of 22 Chinook salmon were detected by the Vaki Riverwatcher as they passed upstream of the Tuolumne River weir. Total passage to-date of 2,224 is less than the 2,850 passages observed in 2011 at the Tuolumne weir (Table 7). Daily passage, ranged between 0 and 5 Chinook salmon (Figure 11).
No O. mykiss were detected during the reporting period. Season total remains at three.
Daily average flow in the Tuolumne River ranged from 163 cfs to 167 cfs at La Grange (LGN; RM 50) and 195 cfs and 251 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 59.7˚F and 64.1˚F and daily average water temperature at Modesto (MOD; RM 17) ranged between 58.6˚F and 63.5˚F (Figure 12). Instantaneous turbidity ranged between 0.86 NTU and 3.07 NTU (Figure 13), and instantaneous dissolved oxygen ranged between 10.25 mg/L and 10.79 mg/L (Figure 14).
Table 7. Annual Fall-run Chinook passage prior to March 17, 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.
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San Joaquin River Conditions
During the reporting period, flow in the San Joaquin River at Vernalis decreased from 1,944 cfs to 1,418 cfs (Figure 16). Water temperature in the San Joaquin River ranged from 56.2�F to 62.9�F at Vernalis, from 56.9�F to 63.6�F at Mossdale, and from 55.5�F to 60.0�F at Rough 'n Ready Island (Figure 17). Average daily dissolved oxygen (DO) in the San Joaquin River fluctuated from 10.0 mg/L to 10.4 mg/L in the deep-water ship channel (measured at Rough 'n Ready Island), and from 9.9 mg/L to 11.4 mg/L at Mossdale (Figure 18).
Figure 16. San Joaquin River flow at Vernalis from March 1, 2012, through March 17, 2013.
Figure 17. San Joaquin River daily average water temperature at Vernalis, Mossdale, and Rough 'n Ready from March 1, 2012, through March 17, 2013.
Figure 18. San Joaquin River daily average dissolved oxygen at Mossdale and Rough 'n Ready, from March 1, 2012, through March 17, 2013.
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Delta Exports
Mean daily pumping at the C.W. Jones Pumping Plant (federal pumps previously known as Tracy Pumping Plant) ranged from 1,702 cfs to 2,899 cfs (Figure 19). Mean daily pumping at the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant (state pumps) ranged from 1,450 cfs to 3,108 cfs. Combined total exports (state and federal pumps) during this period ranged from 3,153 cfs to 5,985 cfs.
Figure 19. Daily exports at the state and federal pumping stations from March 1, 2012, through March 17, 2013.
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