Portage Creek Steelhead Research Study 2019 By Jon

Portage Creek Steelhead Research Study 2019 By Jon George, Fisheries Consultant

Goals and Objectives • Partnership with Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF) Upper Great Lakes Management Unit (UGLMU) and the North Shore Steelhead Association (NSSA) • Documenting the status of wild steelhead population of the Portage Creek watershed using adult population estimates and life history characteristics • Applied science that can be used to develop steelhead management plans and harvest regulations • Monitor present regulations and habitat manipulation…. before and after (adaptive management)

Methods • Adult steelhead were biologically sampled (length, sex and scale samples) by members of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNTF) and the North Shore Steelhead Association (NSSA) • Each Angler was given sampling kits (measuring tape, knife, scale envelopes, tags, pencil and instructions) • Adult steelhead were captured (angling) and sampled (fork length, scale sampled, sexed, tagged and fin clipped) during their spring spawning migration • Steelhead aging (life history), data management and report writing was conducted by fisheries specialists with North Shore Environmental Services, Thunder Bay

Sampling Gear

Sampling Methods Sampling station Male or Female Fork length (mm) Scale sample Yearly fin clip

Steelhead Tagging Steelhead are tagged in Portage Creek to document movement patterns. stray rates, annual growth rates and validate aging accuracy

Steelhead Scale: Age 5 years (2 stream, 3 lake, 3 rd spawn) Life History Third Lake Year, Third Spawn Second Lake Year, Second Spawn First Lake Year, First Spawn Second Stream Year First Stream Year

Data Management A: Fish data recorded on envelope, scale sample placed inside B: Life history coded on back of envelope C: Life history data transferred to Excel spread sheet A B Portage Creek Spring 2012 Clips on Capture Year Date(d/m/y) Colour Tag Flen Lamp. Sex Spw. L/spw. Str. Lk. Age Mat. CLA CLC 3(FD) CLC 1(AD) CLC 7(RP) CLC 2(AN) CLC 5(LV) 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49000 432 1 1 2 3 3 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49001 581 2 2 3 5 4 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49002 384 1 1 2 3 3 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49003 479 S 1 2 1 1 2 3 2 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 48004 614 1 2 3 1 4 5 4 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49005 366 1 1 1 2 2 RP 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49006 551 1 2 2 1 3 4 3 RP An 2012 15/04/2012 Yellow 49008 594 W 2 6 2 1 7 8 3 RP 2012 15/04/2012 White 44050 522 1 3 1 1 3 4 2 RP Ad LV 2012 21/04/2012 Yellow 49009 492 2 1 2 3 3 RP 2012 21/04/2012 Yellow 49010 521 2 1 2 3 3 RP 2012 21/04/2012 Green 38115 631 2 4 2 2 5 7 4 RP Ad An C

Male steelhead may spawn after only one year in Lake Superior. Females usually spend two to three years in the lake prior to their first spawning migration.

Steelhead reside in their home spawning stream for one to three years before migrating (smolting) to Lake Superior. At age one year the young steelhead are approximately 8 cm. in length, 16 cm at age two years and 24 cm at age three years

Steelhead spawn for the first time (in the stream they were born) at age two years (males) to age six years. Age three to five is generally the age of the first spawning for both sexes. At maturity males have spent one to three years in Lake Superior and range in size from 30 to 60 cm. Females are generally a year older and have spent two to four years in Lake Superior and range from 48 to 65 cm

A healthy adult Steelhead population: 55% repeat spawners = 45% total annual mortality (30% natural mortality, 15% fishing mortality or harvest)

Adult steelhead have the ability to spawn multiple times in successive years. In Canadian waters of Lake Superior it is common for steelhead to spawn three to five years in a row especially if fishing mortality is low. Male steelhead generally have a lower repeat spawning level due higher post spawning mortality.

Summary • 2018 population estimate was 201 +- 169 a 90 % decline from 2007 • Using age 3 to index of recruitment there has been limited recruitment entering the spawning population since 2004 • Repeat spawning was 55 % in 2019 indicating an acceptable mortality rate of 45% • Maturity is mainly at age three and four years • Females matured at two and three lake years males generally a year younger • The number of stream years was 36% age one and 62 % age two • Portage Creek has a small and fragile spawning population compared to historic levels due to poor survival of smolts to maturity in Black Bay