Oregon \ Northern California Area Report, November 2008-2009

Authors: Paul Scheerer, Jimmy Leal, Alan Mauer, Stewart B. Reid, Douglas Markle, Shannon Richardson, Ray Perkins, Samuel Plemons

Year: 2009 (xli)

Abstract

The northwestern extreme of the desert region includes several endorheic drainage subbasins in Oregon, northeastern California, and northwestern Nevada (Fort Rock, Chewaucan, Goose, Warner, Catlow, Alvord, Malheur Lakes, Coyote Lakes, and Quinn). This region supports remnant fish faunas that once inhabited extensive pluvial Pleistocene lakes. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 1) conducted distribution surveys and obtained population estimates for Interior redband trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, at 223 locations in six subbasins in SE Oregon, 2) obtained stream population estimates, operated a downstream migrant screw trap, and radio tracked spawning migrations for Warner suckers, Catostomus warnerensis, in the Warner subbasin, 3) obtained a population estimate for Borax Lake chub, Gila boraxobius, in the Alvord subbasin, 4) obtained a population estimate for Foskett Spring speckled dace, Rhinichthys osculus ssp., in the Warner subbasin, and 5) conducted a chemical treatment of the last 22 mile section of upper McDermitt Creek (Quinn subbasin) to remove non-native rainbow trout, brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, and brown trout, Salmo trutta from Lahontan cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi, habitat (a total of 42 miles was treated from 2007 through 2009). In October, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Nevada Department of Wildlife began re-introducing Lahontan cutthroat trout into the McDermitt Creek drainage in Sage, Line Canyon, and Corral Canyon creeks in Nevada and in upper Indian Creek in Oregon. The Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a restoration project to expand habitat for Foskett Spring speckled dace at Dace Spring. Specked dace will be introduced into the new habitat from Foskett Spring in 2010. Stewart Reid, Western Fishes, continued to monitor populations of Modoc sucker, Catostomus microps, and suppress nonnative fishes from Modoc sucker habitats in the Goose Lake subbasin. Stewart assisted the USFWS in completing a Five-Year Status Review of the Modoc Sucker which recognized the presence of the Goose Lake population in Oregon and recommended downlisting the species from endangered to threatened. Drs. Doug Markle, Oregon State University, and Stewart Reid synthesized available taxonomic data and photo-documented listed or list-able Oregon desert fishes for a book-in-progress focusing on freshwater fishes of Oregon. The California Department of Fish and Game’s Heritage and Wild Trout Program conducted fish surveys for Inland redband trout and nonnative trout at more than 80 locations in Modoc and Lassen counties. Tissue samples from redband trout were also collected for genetic analysis.