Klamath Basin Cooperative Fall Chinook Spawning Ground Surveys and CDFG Run size Estimates

The California Department of Fish and Game annually coordinates spawning ground surveys in major and minor tributaries of the Klamath River above its convergence with the Trinity River. Major survey effort has been expended since 1995. Not all tributaries are surveyed each year. Other entities helping to collect data include Klamath National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, Americorp, Salmon River Restoration Council, Yreka High School, Discovery High School, Scott River High School and Etna High School. Most tributary population estimates are based on redd surveys. Bogus Creek has a weir where chinook are marked and population estimates are derived from mark/recapture techniques are used during carcass surveys. Mark/recapture techniques are also used on the Salmon River and Scott River where carcasses on spawning beds are marked and compared with subsequent surveys. The Shasta River has the longest continuous chinook escapement records and data are collected annually at the Shasta Racks where each fish is counted. The annual report issued by CDFG which purveys these results is the Klamath Basin Fall Chinook Spawner Escapement, In-river Harvest and Run Size Estimate (CDFG, 2003).

Main Klamath River Chinook Redd Counts

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata (USFWS) field office has performed redd counts over six reaches of the Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam to Happy Camp from 1993 to 2003. Counts are usually conducted from mid October to mid November but the timing varies somewhat in different years. The survey is conducted from an inflatable raft and approximately 20 days of survey effort are expended annually. See the USFWS reports for full results (Catalano et al., 1997; Magneson et al., 2001).

The reaches are as follows:

Reach 1: Iron Gate Dam to Ash Creek Access
Reach 2: Ash Creek Access to Beaver Creek Riffle Access
Reach 3: Beaver Creek Riffle Access to Blue Heron River Access
Reach 4: Blue Heron River Access to Seiad Bar
Reach 5: Seiad Bar Access to China Point
Reach 6: China Point to Indian Creek

Klamath River Chinook Historical Returns to the Klamathon Racks

Prior to the construction of Iron Gate Dam, a weir was operated on the Klamath River at Klamathon, California about five miles below the current site of Iron Gate Dam. The weir was operated to capture adult chinook salmon for spawning by the California Department of Fish and Game. Eggs and fry were reared at a small hatchery on Fall Creek, a Klamath tributary above the site of today's Iron Gate Dam. The Klamathon Rack data in KRIS was acquired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife office in Arcata, California. They had acquired it as part of their mainstem Klamath spawning studies. It is included here to show pre Iron Gate chinook run timing, however, full metadata was not available to KRIS staff.

Iron Gate Hatchery Returns of Steelhead, Chinook and Coho Salmon

Iron Gate Hatchery was constructed at the base of Iron Gate Dam to mitigate for the lost salmon and steelhead habitat upstream. The facility is funded by PacifiCorp but is run by the California Department of Fish and Game. Data in KRIS were provided by Kim Rushton, Iron Gate Hatchery Manager. For more discussion of hatchery goals and operation, see the Long Range Plan for Restoration of the Klamath River Basin Fishery Conservation Area (Kier Assoc, 1991). For further discussions on Iron Gate Hatchery steelhead declines and links to Klamath River water quality see the Mid-term Evaluation Of The Klamath River Basin Fisheries Restoration Program (Kier Assoc, 1999) and search in Acrobat on Iron Gate Hatchery steelhead. CDFG has also studied problems with residualism of steelhead juveniles in the Klamath River and whether rainbow trout returning to Iron Gate Hatchery were residents or anadromous (Chesney; 2000;  2002; 2003).

Downstream Migrant Trapping Results from Klamath River at Big Bar

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been operating downstream migrant traps on the mainstem Klamath and Trinity rivers since 1989 (Craig, 1991; 1992; Goldsmith, 1994, Scheiff et al., 2001).  The USFWS Arcata office has operated a juvenile salmonid downstream migrant trap at Big Bar, below Orleans on the Klamath River since 1989. Trap operation begins in February and goes through July or August as flows allow, and during the fall season in some years. Downstream migrants captured are identified to species, measured and a sub-sample weighed using the displacement method. The trap efficiency has been calculated since 1991, which allows an estimate of the number downstream migrants by species has been made since 1991. Comprehensive trap records from all years were shared with the KRIS project for Version 3.0 and they were integrated into one large source table, although time and budget did not allow more chart development. For a summary of recent downstream migrant trap results for both the Klamath and Trinity, including inter-annual comparisons see Scheiff et al. (2001). See the Fish Population KRIS Background page for more information. USFWS measured water quality at the Klamath Big Bar trap, including dissolved oxygen during acute juvenile fish kills in 1997 (see Halstead, 1997).

Main Klamath and Tributary Water Temperature Data

There now hundreds of water temperature datasets for Klamath River basin locations in KRIS Version 3.0. Mainstem Klamath River and Middle Klamath Basin tributary water temperature data has been collected by numerous entities and agencies including Klamath National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Karuk Tribe, PacifiCorp, the California State Water Resources Control Board and the California Department of Fish and Game. Much of the data for years before 1995 for both the Klamath and tributary basins was assimilated by Tim Mahan on behalf of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and provided for use in KRIS.

A water temperature database for the years 1997-2002 was contributed to KRIS by the Klamath National Forest Supervisors Office.  The dataset covers Klamath National Forest landholdings in the Middle Klamath sub-basin, as well as the Scott River sub-basin.  The original source database includes the 165 sites across the Klamath National Forest.  The in KRIS database includes 68 sites in the Klamath basin, with 41 in Middle Klamath sub-basin tributaries, 12 in the mainstem Klamath River, and 15 in the Scott River sub-basin.  An ArcView shapefile of monitoring locations is included in KRIS and descriptions of monitoring site locations can also be viewed as a table.

The region-wide temperature data assimilation by the Institute for Forest and Watershed Management (IFWM) at Humboldt State University, formerly known as the Forest Science Project, aided data acquisition for Version 3.0 greatly. IFWM published an access database of  stream temperature monitoring data for the northern California coast (Lewis et al., 2000). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Field Office has deployed automated temperature sensors throughout the Klamath and Trinity River watersheds, including the a number of stations along the mainstem Klamath River. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has published numerous reports which utilize the water temperature data they collect (Guillien, 2003; Zedonis, 2003). Water temperature references used in KRIS are based on Pacific Northwest wide literature on salmonids and temperature (Armor, 1990; McCullough, 1999; Sullivan et al., 2000; Welsh, 2001). See the KRIS Temperature Background page for more information.

Yurok Tribe Mainstem Klamath River Water Temperature Monitoring

The Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department has collected water temperature data at select sites from Tree of Heaven below the Shasta River downstream to Weitchpec and Young's Ranch below. The study is headed by the Water Management and Rights Protection Division of the Fisheries Department which is located in the Yurok Tribal Center in Weitchpec. Data is provided to Dr. Thomas Hardy at Utah State University to use in the Klamath River Flow Study. Onset Instrument Tidbit automated temperature sensing devices were placed in the river at eight locations throughout the summer and fall in 1999 and 2000. Data was edited for outliers and provided for use in KRIS. Water quality conditions were intensively monitored during fish kills in summer 2000 and refugia at the mouths of cold water streams surveyed at that time as well.

Water temperature references used in KRIS are based on Pacific Northwest wide literature on salmonids and temperature (Armor, 1990; McCullough, 1999; Sullivan et al., 2000; Welsh, 2001). See the KRIS Temperature Background page for more information.

Klamath River Basin Water Quality Data (1996-1997)

In 1996 and 1997 the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board coordinated a comprehensive water quality monitoring effort for the mainstem Klamath River, Lost River and Middle Klamath tributaries. The program is sponsored by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 104 (b) grant. Cooperating entities include the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Geologic Service (formerly NBS), California Department of Fish and Game, Pacific Corp and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Most data were collected with the use of monitoring equipment during field visits but some water quality samples were also sent to laboratories. Sid Taylor of the State Water Resources Control Board provided photographs of Klamath River sampling locations and access points. For field locations check the Source Table mh96a.dbf. The parameters measured were as follows:

Main Stem Klamath River Hardy Phase II Flow Study

Hardy Phase I (1999) based flow recommendations on historical flows before and after dams were constructed, but Hardy Phase II (Hardy and Addley, 2001) had the benefit of additional field data collected along the mainstem Klamath River for nearly a decade by USFWS, CDFG, the Karuk Tribe, the Yurok Tribe and others. This monitoring added data on fish, substrate, habitat types, depth, velocity and other factors so that Phase II recommendations have a much broader and less theoretical basis. The flow recommendation process employed a prioritization of species and life stages to be considered within the year and/or within a specific month.

Main Stem Klamath River and Major Tributary Flow Data

Mainstem Klamath River flow data has been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and captured in most cases from the USGS Internet site. Large tributaries such as Indian Creek have also been measured periodically. To learn more about USGS flow data and applicable terminology, see an excerpt from Wahl et al. (1995). Periods of record vary for each stream gauge but are specified by station in metadata notes provided by USGS:

Station name : KLAMATH R NR HAPPY CAMP CA
Station number: 11521000
latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 414720
longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1231822
state code.................................... 06
county code................................... 093
hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010209
drainage area (square miles).................. 7070.00
contributing drainage area (square miles).....
gage datum (feet above NGVD)..................
WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
----Date Range In File----
1 10/01/1911-09/30/1912

Station name : KLAMATH R BL IRON GATE DAM CA
Station number: 11516530
latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 415541
longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1222635
state code.................................... 06
county code................................... 093
hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010206
drainage area (square miles).................. 4630.00
contributing drainage area (square miles).....
gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 2162.44
WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
----Date Range In File----
1 10/01/1960-09/30/1993

Station name : KLAMATH R A ORLEANS
Station number: 11523000
latitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)...... 411813
longitude (degrees, minutes, and seconds)..... 1233200
state code.................................... 06
county code................................... 023
hydrologic unit code.......................... 18010209
drainage area (square miles).................. 8475.00
contributing drainage area (square miles).....
gage datum (feet above NGVD).................. 355.98
WATSTORE parameter code....................... 00060
WATSTORE statistic code....................... 00003
Discharge is listed in the table in cubic feet per second.
----Date Range In File----
1 10/01/1927-09/30/1993

Middle Klamath Basin Climate Data

Rainfall and snowfall data for the Middle Klamath Basin was downloaded for use from the California Data Exchange Center (CDEC) web site as text files and converted into Dbase IV for use in KRIS. Relative location maps are also downloaded and can be viewed as Pictures associated with climate Topics. Snowfall data is displayed for April to allow inter-annual comparisons. Data collection in other months is too sporadic to allow for substantial comparison.

Green Sturgeon Catch Data from Indian Net Harvest

The Klamath River has a green sturgeon population, although no population estimates are available for this species. Data in KRIS comes from Indian net harvest information collected by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department. For more information on green sturgeon of the Klamath River see Nakamoto et al. (1995). To view contents of workshops in 1990 and 2000 on green sturgeon research and management see Taylor, 1990 or Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department, 2000.

Photos of the Klamath Basin by Michael Hentz

Naturalist Michael Hentz has photographed the Klamath River and its watershed as a vocation and as a passion. His photos of the Klamath River watershed for the World Wildlife Fund serve to document riverine and upland conditions in this area recognized globally for its biodiversity. Hentz also boated down the Klamath River from its headwater tributary, the Sprague River, through Upper Klamath Lake, through several reservoirs and down the river to the ocean. Michael donated the use of his photos for KRIS Version 3.0 but requests credit for any use outside KRIS. 

Photos of the Klamath River and Its Tributaries by Patrick Higgins

Patrick Higgins  is a consulting fisheries biologist with an office in Arcata, California and has worked on the KRIS project since its inception. Pat has traveled the Klamath Basin extensively since 1988 as he helped with various projects and reports. His first reconnaissance photos were taken when he was assisting with the Long Range Plan for the Long Range Plan for the Klamath River Basin Conservation Area Fishery Restoration Program (Kier Assoc, 1991), in which he authored Chapters 3-5. He returned to the field for the Mid-term Evaluation Of The Klamath River Basin Fisheries Restoration Program (Kier Assoc, 1999) in which he wrote chapters on fish populations and habitat change. He is also an avid angler and some photos may come from fishing trips. His photos may be used by anyone, if both he and the KRIS project are properly credited.

Oregon State University Thermal Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) Study

Oregon State University conducted a study of the water temperature of the mainstem Klamath River from below Iron Gate Dam to below the Scott River in 1996. The study employed Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) to characterize surface water temperatures. OSU also radio tagged chinook salmon and monitored their locations during the time of the survey. Images shown in KRIS are taken from the OSU ArcView project which was completed in support of this project. See McIntosh and Li (1998): Final Report - Klamath Basin Pilot Project: Coldwater Refugia Study and Videography. The study was funded by the Klamath Basin Fisheries Restoration Task Force. The text below is the abstract from McIntosh and Li (1998):

"We found forward-looking infrared (FLIR) to be an effective, highly accurate, and cost effective method to map stream temperatures in the mainstem Klamath River. Results from the July 1998 flight matched patterns observed from instream monitors and modeled temperatures. Stream temperatures were mapped from just above Seiad (river km 217) to just above Cottonwood Creek (river km 297) and ranged from 23.8 to 26.8oC (mean = 25.4 oC). These temperatures are just below or exceed the upper incipient level for salmonids. This suggests that temperature is a bottleneck for life stages of wild salmonids that rear or hold in this section of the Klamath River during July and August. Elevated stream temperatures should not affect hatchery reared chinook salmon as they are exposed to lower stream temperatures during their migratory phases. Potential thermal refugia were only found in association with tributary junctions, thermal refugia were not associated with individual channel units. We also radio-tagged nineteen adult fall chinook salmon with temperature sensitive tags in September 1996 and tracked them until late October 1996. There was no evidence that migrating adult fall chinook salmon were behaviorally thermoregulating during their upstream migration. Water temperatures were moderate for salmonids during the fall migration. Daily maximum temperatures did not exceed 20.0oC, but were typically above 15.0oC."