Old Franks Fishpasses 1999 Monitoring Update 2-4-2000
Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska
John Hannon, Craig Ranger District

This report summarizes the results of monitoring the Old Franks Fishpass Project during 1999 and makes comparisons with previous years. Monitoring efforts during 1999 focused on determining coho salmon escapement and colonization in the Old Franks system.

The 1999 monitoring activities included the following:

• Coho escapement estimate using mark-recapture data
• Coded wire tag collection from the common property fisheries by ADF&G
• Snorkel population surveys for coho and resident species in upper Old Franks Creek
• Re-survey of Upper Old Franks Creek anadromous fish habitat

Two fishpasses were constructed over waterfalls on lower Old Franks Creek on Prince of Wales Island (Figure 1) in 1992. Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) negotiated the fishpasses during the 1992 run. Coho moved into the upper reaches of the accessible habitat during that year while pink salmon did not make it to the upper fishpass. Pink salmon numbers have since increased and some pink salmon now make it through the upper fishpass. Chum salmon (O. Keta) have also begun to colonize the habitat between the fishpasses.

Data Available

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game began fisheries investigations in the Old Franks Watershed in 1978. These were augmented with additional fisheries data collected in 1989 (Zadina and Haddix 1993). The Forestry Sciences Lab collected baseline population and habitat data on the system in 1990 to later evaluate the response of the system to the introduction of anadromous salmonids (Bryant 1991). The Craig Ranger District of the US Forest Service began to monitor population and habitat conditions in the system in 1991 and has continued through 1999 (Hannon 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998). The Ketchikan Area conducted a watershed analysis relating to timber harvest in the upper watershed in 1994 (USDA 1994).

Stocking History

Sockeye salmon (O. nerka) fingerlings were stocked in 1992 and coho fingerlings were stocked in 1994, 1995, and 1996 (Table 1). The coho bioenhancement program was a three year project conducted by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Denton 1997). Coho egg takes were conducted above Salmon Lake, in McGilvery Creek, in the Karta system. Karta is eleven miles north of Old Franks, in Kasaan Bay on the east side of Prince of Wales Island (Figure 1). Egg takes were conducted in late October and November. The fry were stocked into the Old Franks system the following summer.

Sockeye and king salmon were both stocked into the Old Franks system in the past, in the 1950's and 1960's. No sockeye or king salmon runs developed, but there is a kokanee population in the Old Franks Lake system which may have been established from the sockeye stocking. Presently no other stocking is planned. Resident salmonids present above the barrier waterfalls in the system prior to fishpass construction and stocking were cutthroat trout (O. clarki), rainbow trout (O. mykiss), and Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma).

Table 1. Stocking History of the Old Franks system.
 

Date	Species	Age	Number	Location Planted	Source
1952	Sockeye	Green Eggs	60,000	Unknown	Buschmann Creek
1952	Sockeye	Eyed Eggs	35,000	Unknown	Buschmann Creek
1953	Sockeye	Green Eggs	165,550	Unknown	Buschmann Creek
1962	King Salmon	Fry	33,750	Lakes	Soos Cr., WA
1963	King Salmon	Fry	46,223	Lakes	Karta (Beaver Falls reared)
5-14-92	Sockeye	Fry	227,200	Lakes	Karta (Klawock H reared)
8-16-94	Coho	Fry	96,632	Upper Lake	Karta (Klawock H reared)
7-21-95	Coho	Fry	78,719	Bridge	Karta (Klawock H reared)
7-26-95	Coho	Fry	139,405*	O.F. Lake	Karta (Klawock H reared)
6-25-96	Coho	Fry	143,416	O.F. Lake	Karta (Beaver Falls reared)

34,735 cohos were coded wire tagged in 1994, 32,728 were tagged in 1995, and 44,431 were tagged in 1996.

*9,223 cohos with the same tag code were accidentally released into the Klawock River in 1995.

Methods

Site Description

The Old Franks watershed on Prince of Wales Island is 32 km east of Craig (Figure 1). It covers 65 km² and flows into Polk Inlet (Figure 2). The anadromous lakes in the system cover over 300 ha and there are over 19 km of anadromous streams made accessible by the fishpasses.

Escapement Counts

1999 escapement

We captured coho in lower Old Franks Creek, between saltwater and Lake Mary on six days between July 22 and September 2. A monofilament gillnet 16 m long and 2.4 m deep with 44 mm square mesh was drifted through pools with holding coho. A snorkeler identified pools for netting and aided in enticing fish into the net. Healthy coho were tagged below the dorsal fin with a 30 cm yellow spaghetti tag. The recapture event was conducted on October 4 by snorkeling upper Old Franks Creek and counting marked and unmarked coho. A Peterson estimate was used to estimate the population.

1993-1998 escapements

A Smith Root Model 1100 Fish Counter was installed in a horizontal flume at the upper fishpass and was used to count returning adult salmon between 1993 and 1998. A picket fish trap was installed in the exit pool of the fishpass, above the fish counter. The trap helped to validate counts made on the fish counter. Adult salmon captured in the picket trap were measured (mid-eye to fork length), examined for adipose clips, and tagged with a numbered 30 cm yellow spaghetti tag. The tag allowed us to identify fish upstream that passed through the fishpass and to identify fish that went back down over the falls. We took scales from coho and sockeye that were captured in the picket trap. A small number (7-16) of the adipose-clipped coho were killed each year at the fishpass to recover the coded-wire tags. The tags identify which stocked group the fish is from. We also conducted periodic snorkel counts from Lake Mary down to saltwater to monitor the upstream migration of the salmon. A Peterson mark-recapture estimate (Chapman modification) was used to estimate escapement through both fishpasses. Confidence intervals were calculated using Appendix II of Ricker (1975). The recapture events were conducted by snorkeling upper Old Franks Creek and walking smaller tributary streams, primarily Trail Creek and Toque Creek.

Neff Creek and New Pipe Creek Fish Survey

Neff Creek and New Pipe Creek both flow into upper Old Franks Creek on the left bank (looking downstream) at 1,675 and 3,564 meters up from the lake respectively. These tributaries were established as coho density monitoring sites. Reaches were marked with orange tags and surveyed using the tier 3 stream survey (USDA Forest Service 1999). The marked reaches were trapped using minnow traps baited with salmon eggs. Three pass depletion estimates were used to estimate fish populations. Three trapping sessions were used with each trapping session lasting 90 minutes. Captured fish were measured and removed from the stream until the end of the third trapping session. Program CAPTURE (White et al. 1982) was used to calculate the population estimate and confidence intervals. Insufficient numbers of cutthroat or dolly varden were caught to conduct population estimates on those species.

Stream Population and Habitat Surveys

Habitat surveys were conducted in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1999 on upper Old Franks Creek from the upper lake to the top of anadromous fish habitat. Fish densities (all ages and species) were determined annually since 1990 by snorkeling established habitat units. New snorkel units were marked periodically to adjust for natural changes in habitat units. The 1999 stream survey used the latest tier 3 stream survey protocol (USDA Forest Service 1999). Forty-eight newly established snorkel sites were marked with orange plastic tags on the upstream and downstream ends.
 
 

Results

Coho salmon escapement in Old Franks Creek

We trapped coho in lower Old Franks Creek on six occasions between July 22 and September 2. We marked 247 coho in lower Old Franks Creek, between saltwater and Lake Mary (Table 2). After September 2, pink salmon abundance prevented successful capture of coho. Figure 3 shows coho run timing since 1995. The 1999 timing appears earlier than in past years but the coho in 1999 were captured lower in the system than in past years. The coho timing in years prior to 1999 was based on captures in the exit pool of the upper fishpass. Coho routinely hold in the lower reaches of Old Franks Creek (lower 3 kilometers) in July and August before passing the upper fishpass.

We snorkeled upper Old Franks Creek on October 4 to count marked and unmarked coho for the recapture event. We counted 277 coho and seven of them were tagged. The escapement estimate is 8,582 (95% confidence interval = 4,458 – 18,069). This compares to estimates of 4,991 in 1998, 4,488 in 1997, 6,664 in 1996, 2,222 in 1995 and 250 in 1993 and 1994 (Figure 4).

The 1999 coho escapement estimate was the highest since the fishpass was installed. It consisted mostly of coho spawned naturally in the Old Franks system. Three percent of the coho from the 1995 egg take spent two years in the Old Franks system before out-migrating. Those fish returned in 1999. Most spent just one year in freshwater and returned in 1998. The remainder of returning coho in 1999 were wild fish spawned in Old Franks.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game collected nine Old Franks tagged coho from the common property fishery in 1999. The estimated bioenhancement contribution, based on the tagging ratio and number of tagged fish collected, to the fisheries was 70 coho in 1999, 2,653 coho in 1998, 1,807 coho in 1997 and 1,877 coho in 1996 (Figure 5). Most coho in the commercial fishery were landed between July 15 and the end of August each year. Five sport caught coho were collected in 1998, three from Sitka and one each from Craig and Ketchikan. The estimated sport contribution in 1998 was 65 coho. Two sport caught coho were collected in 1997 at Sitka. Two sport caught coho were collected in 1996, one each in Sitka and Ketchikan. No sport contribution was estimated in 1996 or 1997.

Figure 5. Old Franks coho bioenhancement contribution to fisheries by date.

The majority of the bioenhanced coho completed their life cycle in three years, spending only one year in freshwater before outmigrating as smolts (Table 3).

Table 3. Percentage makeup of Old Franks coho bioenhancement returns by brood year source, based on coded wire tag returns.

Brood Year	1996 return	1997 return	1998 return	1999 return
1993	100%	1%
1994		99%	8%
1995			92%	100%

 

Table 4 shows the number of coho captured in the commercial fisheries by year harvested and year spawned (brood year).

Table 4. Coho bioenhancement contribution to commercial fisheries (number of fish) by brood year (horizontal axis) and return year (vertical axis).
Year Spawned (brood year)

	1993	1994	1995	Total
1996	1,877			1,877
1997	29	1,778		1,807
1998		206	2,447	2,653
1999			70	70
Total	1,905	1,985	2,516	6,406

 
 

The distribution of coho returns between the gear groups has varied throughout the years (Table 5). The coho were harvested relatively equally by trollers, gillnetters, and seiners in 1996 and 1998. Trollers dominated the harvest of Old Franks coho in 1997. Only trollers and gillnetters caught tagged coho in 1999.
 
 

Table 5. Old Franks coho bioenhancement contribution (number of fish) to commercial fisheries by gear type as estimated by coded wire tag recoveries.
 

Gear Type	1996	1997	1998	1999	Total
Troll	645	1,210	841	36	2,731
Drift Gillnet	699	375	767	34	1,875
Purse Seine	533	222	980		1,734
Sport			65		65
Total	1,877	1,807	2,653	70	6,407

The commercial fisheries captured 29% of the Old Franks coho in the northern part of Clarence Strait (district 106) when contribution for all years is combined (Table 6). High numbers were also captured on the outside of Baranof Island (district 113), the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island (district 102) and the outside waters west of Prince of Wales (district 104).
 
 

Table 6. Coho bioenhancement contribution (number of fish) to fisheries by area harvested (ADF&G statistical areas) and percentage of total harvest from all years by area.
 

Harvest Area (District)	1996	1997	1998	1999	Total	Overall %
Ketchikan Area (101)	129	32	303	6	533	8.3
southeast Prince of Wales (102)	278	84	399		936	14.6
west Prince of Wales, inside waters (103)	40	36	55	8	139	2.2
west Prince of Wales, outside (104)	257	219	154		625	9.7
Sumner Strait (105)	103	61	199		360	5.6
northern Clarence Strait (106)	693	374	730	34	1,834	28.6
Ernest Sound (107)			14		14	0.2
Wrangell (108)			2		2	0.0
Chatham Strait / Frederick Sound (109)	79	155	118		355	5.5
outside Baranof (113)	168	461	296	13	898	14.0
Cross Sound / Icy Strait (114)		27	12		39	0.6
C. Spencer to C. Fairweather (116)	9	23			32	0.5
offshore Column Pt. to C. Ommaney (154)	9	50	77		152	2.4
area not reported	132	268	104	8	488	7.6
Total	1,877	1,807	2,653	70	6,407	100

 
 
 
 
 

Juvenile Coho in Neff Creek and New Pipe Creek

We marked reaches of Neff Creek and New Pipe Creek to be used as coho density monitoring sites in the upper watershed. Reaches of FP3 channel type short enough to be sampled with a depletion population estimate in one day were selected. Coho populations and densities in these two streams were lower than densities in Trail Creek and Toque Creek (Figure 6). Trail and Toque Creek were not sampled in 1999 but densities were likely similar or higher than in 1997 or 1998, consistent with the rest of the watershed. Coho densities are highest and probably at carrying capacities low in the Old Franks system, in the area of Trail Creek and possibly Toque Creek. Judging by coho densities, colonization is still occurring above the lakes. Neff Creek and New Pipe Creek both flow into upper Old Franks Creek on the downstream left bank at 1,675 and 3,564 meters up from the lake respectively.

Figure 6. Juvenile coho salmon densities in Old Franks tributary streams.
 
 
 
 

Table 7 shows the summary statistics for Neff and New Pipe Creek for comparison with riparian habitat management objectives (RHMO’s).

Table 7. Stream survey summary statistics for Neff and New Pipe Creeks, both FP3 channel type.
 

Stream	Reach Length (m)	Pool Count (n)	Mean Residual Pool Depth (cm)	Mean channel bed width (m)	Total pool length (m)	BFW/ Mean Depth ratio	Total LWD/KM	LWD Key / KM	PL/KM	PL/ CBW	POOL SPACING	RPD/CBW	Sub D50	Sub D84
Neff Creek	153.7	8	62	5.4	121	33	150	0	52	0.3	3.6	9	20	38
New Pipe Creek	152.6	8	46	5.9	75	19	564	33	52	0.3	3.2	13	42	94

 
 
 

Salmonid Abundance and Distribution in Upper Old Franks Creek

The 1999 juvenile snorkel survey included 49 habitat units between Upper Old Franks Lake and the top of anadromous habitat on Old Franks Creek. Coho densities were .11 fish per square meter (or 8.7 square meters of habitat per fish) in slow water (pool) habitats and .015 fish per square meter (or 65 square meters per fish) in fast water (riffle) habitats. These densities were the highest we have seen since the fishpass was installed (Figure 7). They were even higher than in 1995 when coho fry were planted in upper Old Franks Creek. Although 1999 had the highest coho densities we have observed, coho densities are probably still below carrying capacity in the creek. Densities should increase further in the next generation. Coho densities have been consistently over two times higher in slow water habitats than in fast water habitats.

We combined cutthroat and rainbow counts during snorkel surveys because the juveniles are nearly indistinguishable during snorkel surveys. The 1999 cuthroat/rainbow density was higher than all years since 1994 when the highest density was recorded. The 1994 density was still over twice the density recorded in 1999. Surveys in all years except 1997 were conducted between mid-July and mid-September, following cutthroat and rainbow fry emergence. The survey in 1997 was conducted in mid-June, prior to cutthroat and rainbow emergence so consisted entirely of age 1+ fish (Table 8). The density of age 1+ cutthroat/rainbow in 1997 was also the lowest since monitoring began.

The Dolly Varden density in 1999 was similar to 1998 when the highest density of all years was recorded. Dolly varden are difficult to find during snorkel surveys so they typically are significantly under counted. They seem to be more active and visible during high water when other species are harder to count and snorkeling conditions are more difficult.

Figure 7. Fish densities in Upper Old Franks Creek.
 
 

Table 8. Percentage of age 1+ (versus age 0) cutthroat/rainbow (>50 mm) and coho (>55 mm) counted during snorkel surveys.
 

	Aug/1994	Aug/1995	Sep/1996	Jun/1997*	Jul/1998	Aug/1999
Cut/Rnb	23%	25%	30%	100%	42%	64%
Coho		0%	13%	12%	19%	12%

* The 1997 survey was conducted in mid-June, prior to cutthroat and rainbow emergence.

Based on qualitative observations, coho appeared to be more associated with some sort of cover (undercut banks, rootwads, tree branches) with lower water velocities than were the cutthroat/rainbow. The small cutthroat/rainbow (50-150mm) were often in faster water currents, but where there were large congregations of juvenile coho (>20) there were usually a few cutthroat/rainbow mixed in. The large cutthroat/rainbow (> 150mm) were generally in the largest, deepest pools with or without cover; the same areas that the adult coho congregated. Newly emergent fry were most abundant along the stream margins in very shallow (<10cm) water.

Tier 3 Stream Survey of Upper Old Franks Creek

We conducted the tier 3 survey to mark new habitat units for fish density measurements. The survey determined total usable habitat area in the stream and segregated out specific habitat types. The total usable area at a baseflow condition was 113,238 square meters (Table 9). The split between slow water and fast water area showed a lower proportion of slow water habitat in 1999 than in past surveys. This is because the new survey protocol classifies pools based on specifically defined hydraulic characteristics (residual depth and minimum area) so some areas that may have appeared to be pools in the past actually key out as riffles. The total area surveyed was higher in 1994 and 1999 than in prior years because these surveys were more thorough and covered all stream area to the top of anadromous habitat.

Table 9. Comparison of total macro habitat unit areas in Upper Old Franks Creek by year.
 

Year	Slow Water	Fast Water	Total Area	% slow water
1990	55,708	39,140	94,848	59
1991	46,088	42,178	89,658	51
1992	49,243	45,679	94,922	52
1994	58,435	54,184	112,989	52
1999	49,379	63,502	113,238	44

 

Table 10 shows summary elements from the habitat survey data. These data elements will be used to compare to regional riparian habitat management objectives (RHMO’s) and can be an indicator of stream and fish habitat condition. The RHMO’s have not yet been derived for use with the latest protocol.
 
 

Table 10. Upper Old Franks Creek stream survey summary statistics, 1999.
 

Chan Type Reach	Side Channel Reach Length (m)	Unit Location (m from lake)	Reach Length (m)	Pool Count (n)	Mean Residual Pool Depth (cm)	Mean channel bed width (m)	Total pool length (m)	BFW/Mean Depth ratio	Total LWD/KM	LWD Key / KM	Pools/KM	Pools/ CBW	POOL SPACING	RPD/CBW
FP5	138.5	0.0	1266.1	11	111	29	838	62	212	21	9	0.3	4.0	26
LC1	0.0	1266.1	375.8	8	67	21	206	28	72	11	21	0.4	2.3	31
FP5	402.5	1641.9	2570.7	35	100	24	1404	50	258	26	14	0.3	3.0	24
MC2	0.0	4173.5	612.3	20	67	19	374	30	73	5	33	0.6	1.6	28
FP5	84.0	4800.6	557.4	10	88	19	274	47	205	34	18	0.3	2.9	22
FP4	533.7	5358.0	1669.6	37	64	18	842	33	242	69	22	0.4	2.6	28
MC2	0.0	7027.6	455.6	12	79	12	108	25	86	22	26	0.3	3.2	15

The coho escapement in 1999 was the highest since the fishpasses were installed. The 1999 escapement was significantly higher than only the 1993 – 1995 escapements. The 95% confidence intervals are wide because we had a small number of recaptures relative to the number of marked coho. Coho production and escapement during this initial colonization period have exceeded expectations for the first generation of returns. Escapements should continue to increase as not all rearing habitat in the upper watershed is yet fully seeded.

The 1999 return included mostly naturally spawned Old Franks coho. No coded wire tagged coho were captured or observed during escapement monitoring activities. The 1999 return included offspring from coho produced by the first year of bioenhancement (brood year was 1996). Most production returning in 1999 can be attributable to coho that used the fishpasses.

Coho salmon juveniles are present throughout the accessible habitat in the Old Franks watershed, although all habitat is not yet fully seeded. The few small tributary streams, for example Toque Creek and Trail Creek, flowing into the lakes and lower Old Franks Creek appear fully seeded. Toque and Trail Creek densities are in the range of .4 – 1.0 coho per square meter in September. The snorkel surveys in upper Old Franks Creek indicate that habitats in that area currently have coho densities of 1/2 to 1/8 that of similar stream channels on southern Prince of Wales Island (Craig District unpublished data). Rearing densities in the lakes are unknown but minnow trapping and fyke netting catch rates indicate that densities are high. It appears, judging by observed rearing densities, that the upper Old Franks Creek area (above the lakes) has the capability to produce more coho than are now present.

Sports fishing occurred at the mouth of Old Franks Creek in 1999, mostly by local residents in the Skowl Arm area. Fishing activity seemed lower than in 1997 when anglers were observed fishing at the mouth on many occasions.

Recreational use of the upper Old Franks area has increased since the logging roads were built into the watershed. Canoeists brushed a trail from the end of the road to a point on Old Franks Creek to allow easier access for hauling canoes between the road and the creek. Fishing opportunities in the upper watershed are primarily limited to resident fish. Most coho turn relatively dark by the time they reach the upper watershed in late September and October so are less desirable than fresh fish available near the mouth.

Logging activities in the upper watershed continued in 1999. Approximately 2.5 miles of new road were completed. Harvest operations were initiated on 14 new logging units. These activities should be completed in 2000. Access to the upper watershed will probably be limited again in 2000 by the logging activities.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Conclusions

1. Coho salmon successfully passed through both fishpasses and reached all accessible habitat in the upper watershed.
2. Old Franks coho populations have increased at least 18 fold since fishpass construction.
3. Sockeye used the fishpasses but returns to the system were lower than anticipated.
4. Stocking coho above the fishpasses increased the rate of colonization above what would have been possible from the pre-existing run below the barriers.
5. Pink and chum salmon readily colonized the habitat between the fishpasses but few have made it above the upper fishpass.
6. The largest resident fish populations in the lakes are rainbow trout followed by Dolly Varden, cutthroat, and kokanee in that order.
7. The largest resident fish individuals are cutthroat followed by rainbow and Dolly Varden in that order.
8. Low numbers of resident fish are present in upper Old Franks Creek and the surveyed tributaries.
9. Juvenile coho abundance has surpassed abundance of resident species in the watershed.

Acknowledgements
This work could not have been completed without the faithful field work and dedication of Susan Farzan, Chad Fealko, and Tim Paul.
 

Contents of past Old Franks reports

The following is a list of related work done in the Old Franks Watershed and the years covered:

1978-1989 - Zadina and Haddix 1992. Summary of work from 1978 - 1989, lake physical characteristics, water chemistry, and bathymetric measurements, zooplankton sampling, resident fish sampling, anadromous species production potential estimates, bioenhancement recommendations

1990 - Bryant 1991. Upper Old Franks Creek habitat and fish survey, lake zooplankton densities, resident fish surveys in Old Franks and Upper Old Franks Lakes, discussion of possible species interactions following anadromous introductions

1994 - Hannon. 1995. First bioenhancement coho release, escapement estimate, watershed analysis summary, stream survey summary of upper Old Franks Creek, upper Old Franks Creek fish survey

1994 - USFS 1994. Watershed Analysis - physical and biological characteristics of the watershed upstream of Upper Old Franks Lakes, riparian habitat conservation areas identified, effects of the logging on fish habitat evaluated

1995 - Hannon. 1996. Escapement data, resident fish surveys in Lake Mary and Old Franks Lake, upper Old Franks Creek fish survey, electrical fish counter accuracy test

1996 - Hannon. 1997. First year of bioenhancement returns, coded wire tag results, escapement data, resident fish surveys in Lake Mary and upper Old Franks Lake, stream surveys of Trail Creek and Toque Creek, upper Old Franks fish survey

1993-1996 - Denton 1997. Summary of the coho bioenhancement work completed, egg take methods and results, incubation and rearing, tagging and release data, transport and planting, coded wire tag results from 1996

1997 - Hannon. 1997b. Escapement data, coded wire tag results, Trail Creek and Toque Creek coho population data, upper Old Franks Creek fish survey

1998 – Hannon. 1998. Escapement data, coded wire tag results, Trail Creek and Toque Creek coho population data, upper Old Franks Creek fish distributions
 
 

• /Stream survey/ofdatanalysis99.xls Upper Old Franks Creek tier 3 stream survey
• /Stream survey/Trib Surveys/Neff Creek Survey.xls and New Pipe Creek Survey.xls
• /Stream survey/Snorkeldata/Snorkel breakdown.xls upper Old Franks snorkel survey data
• 120199allofcwt.xls coded wire tag results for all years
• 99ofescape.xls escapement count and tagging data

Data files for years prior to 1999 are in the following folders /unit/fw/fish/Oldfranks/1998/, /1997/, /1996/, /1995/, /1994/, and /pre 1994/.