Spring at Lilliwaup: Summer Chum Program Extended and Creek Restoration Planning Begins

Spring is always a busy time at Lilliwaup Creek Hatchery, as staff participate in field activities related to steelhead, summer chum, and Chinook recovery. This spring is particularly action-packed, marked by the extension of our summer chum program, and the start of a new project to develop a habitat restoration plan for Lilliwaup Creek.

Successful Summer Chum Recovery Program to be Extended

LLTK's efforts to rebuild the ESA-listed Lilliwaup summer chum stock will continue for an additional one to two years. Since 1998, the stock has been enhanced by artificially propagating the adult summer chum returning to Lilliwaup Creek.

“The number of returning adults has increased significantly--from 15 to 20 per year in the 1990s to an average of 850 in the past five years,” said Michael Schmidt, LLTK's Director of Fish Programs.

But a freak flood event in December 2007 destroyed all of the summer chum eggs incubating at Lilliwaup Hatchery, and buried the naturally spawning summer chums’ redds (nests) in Lilliwaup Creek under several feet of gravel. Consequently, few natural-origin or hatchery-origin summer chum are expected to return in 2010 or 2011.

“To buffer the effects of the '07 fish loss, the project’s Technical Workgroup, comprised of LLTK, tribal, state, federal and other nonprofit resource managers, decided to increase the number of fish reared and to extend the supplementation effort,” said Michael. “LLTK is simultaneously working to restore Lilliwaup Creek’s salmon habitat so that the summer chum population can persist naturally.”

Lilliwaup Creek Restoration Planning Begins

In a recent article (LLTK Receives Grant for Lilliwaup Creek Habitat Restoration, Feb 2010), we reported that LLTK would develop a plan, funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, for restoring and protecting salmon habitat in Lilliwaup Creek. In February, we began work on the assessment phase of the project.

“The assessment phase will last from April to August.” said Jed Moore, LLTK's Fish Programs Assistant. “LLTK staff and contractors will survey the current in-stream and stream bank--or riparian--habitat and hydrological conditions in the portion of the creek that is accessible to salmon. Current conditions will then be compared to historic conditions and evaluated based upon the needs of the salmon that utilize the habitat.”

The area above Lilliwaup Falls, which is inaccessible to salmon, will also be assessed for stream bank stability, to help determine the potential for landslides that could threaten downstream habitat.

In the fall, options for addressing the issues identified during the assessment will be considered and landowners and other stakeholders will be invited to hear and comment upon proposed solutions. It is expected that the planning period will be complete, and the project design phase will commence, by winter of this year.