Larry Phillips, Department of Fish and Wildlife, on “Season movements and associated management implications for coastal cutthroat trout in South Puget Sound”:

Presented observational data from multi-year, multi-agency study

Coastal Cutthroat trout is an important sport fish species that historically supported a large harvest fishery, and overharvest resulted in declines (anecdotal).

In 1997 the Natural Marine Fisheries service petitioned to list cutthroat trout under Endangered Species Act.  Determined it wasn’t in danger, but this was based on little data.

Stock Status challenges: “Coastal cutthroat trout don’t follow the rules,” and a general lack of data

In 2006 WDFW began surveying South Puget Sound streams to create methods to detect changes in relative abundance.

Fish were tagged with acoustic tags.  There was low post-tagging mortality, and high post-spawning mortality.  None of the tagged fish went outside study area.   

Conclusions include: “Index surveys may be useful at detecting changes in relative abundance over time.”  “Goldsborough and Mill Creek could be important spawning locations in South Puget Sound.”

And then a couple questions for David Beauchamp, regarding stratification of the coastal ocean and the effects of copper.  Recent research has shown that copper hampers coho salmon’s ability to detect predators.

The invasive New Zealand mud snail was discovered by a birdwatcher/shell enthusiast  in Capitol Lake in October of 2009.  There has been an intensive effort to control the mudsnail since it’s discovery.   Mudsnails outcompete native gastropods by outfeeding them and they don’t serve as an alternative food source for fish.  They have been spreading west from the Great Lakes where it is believed they were introduced through the release of European ship’s ballast water.

Wendy Brown from the Invasive Species Council warned the audience that these mudsnails have also been spread by unsuspected restoration biologists by moving them from one stream restoration site to another.  She also told the story of one biologist who found over 120 mudsnails hidden in the mud on his boots. 

Two primary methods have been attempted in Capitol Lake to try to control the invasion – freezing and increased salinity levels.   The freezing was found to be very effective – killing 98 percent of the snails.  The saltwater flush from opening the tidegate in the lake caused increased salinities above 20 for 7 to 8 hours.  This was much less effective than the freezing – only 12 percent mortality.  

Next steps will be to continue to experiment with freezing conditions this winter, weather permitting, and to do some follow up small scale trials of salt concentrations.

Shellfish growers in Oregon and Washington are finding that their shellfish production is being negatively impacted by increasing ocean acidity caused by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.  Betsy Peabody explained how the shellfish are not able to grow their shells when the ocean water acid levels are too high.  

There is a study of natural shellfish populations in Puget Sound to see if there is a similar impact on their populations as what is being experienced in the hatcheries.  At Big Cove in Totten Inlet and Dabob Bay in Hood Canal it was found that high periods of spatfall coincided with low CO2 conditions in the water in both 2009 and 2010.   There is not enough evidence yet to demonstrate a definite effect from acidification on natural shellfish populations, but it is recommended that monitoring continue to look for an impact.

David Beauchamp, University of Washington, on “Pelagic Food Web Ecology in Puget Sound: Implications for Marine Growth & Survival of Chinook Salmon”:

We need to consider the next life stage for chinook and the processes involved.

Smolt to adult survival is highly correlated with body weight in July, suggesting this weight represents ‘critical size’.  Offshore growth in May to July is a ‘critical period’ for determining survival.

Possible factors affecting growth and survival: feeding rate; food availability (data limitations); temperature; competition (within species, among salmon, forage fish); predation

Total ocean survival is tightly linked to early offshore marine growth.  Offshore feeding was significantly higher during years of high survival. 

Chinook must feed at a high rate (>60% max) to grow and minimize size-selective mortality.

Conclusions:  Feeding rate is more important than temperature.  Temperature effects are minimal, but non-linear.  Variable feeding rate suggests food limitation, data on needed on their prey.  Competition by herring more important than competition between hatchery and wild chinook and other salmon.

A climate change analysis conducted by the University of Washington that used the results of 20 different climate models projected that by 2080 there would be a 75 percent loss of snowpack in the upper Nisqually watershed.   Alan Hamlet from the University of Washington explained that by the 2040’s the models also predicted a 20 percent higher chance of a 100 year flood event than historical conditions. 

The hydrologic patterns in the watershed due to climate change are  predicted to be a shift towards more runoff in the winter and the loss of flow in the summer months due to reduced summer precipitation and the loss of the snowpack.

Wendy Brown, Invasive Species Council, RCO, on “Invasive mudsnails in Capitol Lake”:

New Zealand mud snail found in October 2009: “perfect invader”, tiny, parthenogenic, fast reproducing, dense, tolerant of moderate salinty levels

Impacts: consumes large quantities of primary production; out-competes natives; not a good source of food for fish, as they pass through undigested, restricted recreational opportunities, costs to aquaculture and [elsewhere] municipal water control facilities

Spread by: fish hatcheries; recreational watercraft and trailers; anglers and hunters; sand and gravel mining, dredging; commercial shipping; pets, fish and wildlife; natural resource management activities.

Response work group formed in November 09, consisting of FW state and federal; general administration; DoE; DNR; Olympia; Invasive Species Council

Response: 1)  close Capitol Lake; 2) lake level lowered in response to freezing temperatures (90% mortality rate); 3) saltwater back flush (12% mortality rate, negative but temporary impact on resident benthic invertebrates)

For more information: http://www.invasivespecies.wa.gov

A couple questions and answers:

What would the impact of a estuary conversion have on the New Zealand mud snail?

A littl irrelevant, because we don’t have the time.

Could opening up the lake to an estuary lead to a great spread?

Possibly.

Betsy Peabody, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, on “Ocean acidification monitoring in Totten Inlet”

Partners: NOAA PMEL, UW, Pacific Shellfish Institute, PS Restoration Fund, Pacific Coast Sehllfish Growers Association; Taylor Shellfish, Baywater, Inc.; Department of Ecology; funded by Puget Sound Partnership

Warning signs were repeated larval mortalities in WA and OR shellfish hatcheries and shellfish failures in Willapa Bay/Grays Harbor.

These were part of larger problem of ocean acifidication.  25% of human-emitted CO2 is absorbed by oceans leading to a decrease in pH (an increase in acidity), which affects ocean life.

Coastal upwelling brings deep water in the North Pacific, which  contains more CO2 than the rest of the world, to the surface.

More CO2 in the water leads to a decrease in aragonite, which is required by shelled organisms.

Question studied: Is there an effect on natural shellfish populations in Puget Sound?

Study:  A two year sampling effort of Big Cover, Totten Inlet and Dabob Bay, Hood Canal, which are both important shellfish places.

Increasing acidity could affect shellfish production, and their role in natural filtration, ecological services, and ecosystem restoration.  The non-scientist would notice fewer local food sources, increasing eutrophic waters, and troubled economies.

Thus far, no sign yet that natural shellfish populations are affected.

“Knowing about potential local effects increases the urgency to reduced CO2 emissions.”

Stormwater in a pilot low impact development (LID) project in Pierce County near Hylebos Creek is successfully being infiltrated and filtered of contaminants despite some problems with construction of the LID elements and poor soils at the site.

Curtis Hinman from the Washington State University Puyallup Research and Extension Center explained how an 8 acre development with 35 homes was constructed in 2002 as a pilot project to evaluate the potential of low impact development techniques to mimic native hydrologic function and protect the nearby Hylebos stream.   The project was built using bioretention swales or raingardens along all the roadways, previous concrete along the road shoulders, compost amended soils around the homes, and a compost amended sloped dispersion area for any remaining stormwater runoff.

Curtis explained that there were problems with the project because the builder did not have much guidance on how to build the raingardens, the largest raingarden ended up being lined because of sewer concerns, and the site had poor soils for infiltration.   Despite these challenges when post development stormwater was evaluated the results showed that the site was exceeding the goals for stormwater reduction and infiltration.   The LID features in the development combined with the compost amended slope removed 96 percent of the stormwater on site.   In addition a water quality analysis showed that metal contaminants in the water were at non detectable levels and were much less than metal levels in stormwater runoff in typical residential developments.

Alan Hamlet, member of Climate Impacts Group at University of Washington, on “Flow regime change forecast for Nisqually/Deschutes Rivers & Chambers Creek”

Showed graphs with historic climate change and projected change.

Two different scenarios based on different reductions in greenhouse gas emissions show vastly different results, but only after a couple of decades. 

Columbia Basin Climate Change Scenarios Project goals and objectives: provide a wide range of products to address multiple stakeholder needs, increase spatial and temporal resolution, provide a large ensemble of climate scenarios to assess uncertains, and address hydrologic extremes

Studied changes to runoff and frequency extreme events for the Nisqually watershed.  Also the increase of sediment discharge at teh Nisqually headwaters in Mt. Rainier Nationa Park due to glacier melting.

Question for future research:  How will sea level rise  and sediment change affect Nisqually delta? 

The Budd Inlet Treatment Plant in Olympia operated by LOTT discharges the equivalent of 17 Olympic size swimming pools of water a day into Puget Sound, according to Laurie Pierce of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance.  It’s nitrogen contribution to the Sound is equal to that of the Deschutes river watershed.   In 1992 an upgrade to the plant significantly reduced nitrogen levels in the plant’s discharge.  Without that improvement the wastewater from the Thurston County area would be having a much greater impact on nitrogen levels in the South Sound.  

The new focus for reduction of nitrogen loading and impacts of wastewater on Budd Inlet and the South Sound is the movement towards decentralized treatment facilities that are focused on where the growth is happening in Thurston County – Lacey/Hawks Prairie, Tumwater, and Chambers Prairie.   At each of these decentralized locations the goal is to reclaim water for reuse and for recharge of the aquifer instead of discharging to Puget Sound.  LOTT is also working with the Squaxin Tribe and others to identify and implement projects to address non point sources of nitrogen to the Deschutes River to help reduce the overal nitrogen contribution to Budd Inlet and the South Sound.