Mid-Columbia River Survey
Mark Sytsma
Pacific Ballast Water Group
4-5 December 2007
Jeff Cordell
Robyn Draheim
Columbia River Basin
671,000 km2 basin
7 states, 1 province
2,000-15,000m3/s discharge
Historical peak discharge in
late spring/early summer
Peak discharge reduced by
50% by impoundments,
irrigation diversion, power
generation
AIS Surveys
– Identified in the National Invasive Species Act
of 1996 (NISA)
– LCRANS implemented in 2001 with USCG
funding
– MCRANS implemented in 2005 with USFWS
funding
Survey Areas
• LCRANS:
– Mouth to Bonneville
(Rkm 234)
– Incl. tidal portion
of Willamette
• MCRANS:
– Bonneville to
Priest Rapids (Rkm
639
– Lower Granite dam on
the Snake (Rkm 173)
LCRANS Results
• 81 introduced species present
• Increasing rate of discovery (at least for
some species)
35
Species accumulation
30
25
Fish
Invertebrates
20
15
10
5
0
1800
*
1850
1900
1950
Year of discovery
2000
Biological Control
20
Gradual Spread
Ship Fouling
Ballast Water
Solid Ballast
Fishery Enhancement
Escape
Accidental
Release by an Individual
Ornamental Pond
Aquarium
Number of species
LCRANS Results
• Shipping was the most common vector
35
30
Invertebrates
25
Vertebrates
Plants
15
10
5
0
Middle
Columbia/Lower
Snake
49 shallow-draft barge
terminals
Primary cargo: grain
wood pulp, petroleum
products, shipping
containers
Columbia River Barge Traffic
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
Upriver
tonnage
3.5
2.1
2.1
3.3
3.2
Downriver
tonnage
7.2
6.2
7.6
8.3
7.4
Upriver
7498
5754
5234
2555
1980
Downriver
7307
5754
5174
2556
1907
41
32
28
14
10
Vessel trips
Average daily
Hanford Reach
51–mile, free-flowing reach
between Priest Rapids and
McNary dams
Objectives
• Provide baseline data on presence of AIS
• Test hypotheses
– Habitat modification by impoundment results in
higher number of AIS
– Barge traffic and associated terminals results in
introduction of AIS
Project Structure
• Literature Review
– Kurt Schultz OSU
• Historical reports
and sampling
sites
Project Structure
• Field sampling
– July 1 – August
31 (avoid
salmonids)
• 59 sampling sites
– Proximity to
shipping vector
– Historical
sampling sites
– Habitat type
• Bonneville
pool/Hanford
Reach
comparison
Results
• 50 AIS found in literature and field surveys
54% Fish
14% Aquatic plants
12% Crustaceans
20% Other
50
Number of Species
40
ANS
30
CRYPT
20
NATIVE
10
ol
lu
sk
s
O
Pl
th
er
an
ts
In
*
ve
rte
br
at
es
M
am
m
al
s*
sh
Fi
M
ic
Aq
ua
t
ph
ib
ia
ns
*
An
ne
lid
Cr
s
us
ta
ce
an
s
0
Am
–
–
–
–
Results
• 12 species were new records for the middle
Columbia River
• 3 species were new records for the
Columbia Basin
– Caecidotea laticaudatus (isopod)
– Crangonyx floridanus (amphipod)
– Hapacticella paradoxa (harpacticoid copepod)
(Cordell et al. 2007. Aquatic Biology 1:17-20.)
Effect of Location
8
Total AIS
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
# ANS plants
5
200
400
600
800
Dis tance to Colum bia Rive r m outh (k m )
Plants AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Dis tance to Colum bia River m outh (km )
5
# ANS invertebrates
• No effect of
location on
abundance of AIS in
Columbia River
samples
Total # ANS
7
Invertebrate
AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Dis tance to Colum bia River m outh (km )
800
Vectors of Introduction
• Fish stocking was the dominant associated
vector
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Ballast water and shipping was the 2nd most
common associated vector
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Hull fouling was not an important
associated vector
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Other associated vectors were escape from
commercial cultivation
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Other associated vectors were aqauarium
releases
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Other associated vectors were spread from
other established populations
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Vectors of Introduction
• Accidental release, unauthorized stocking,
and recreational boating activity
Number of Species
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ESC
AQ
OR
SB
BW
HF
Vectors
GS
AX
FS
RI
REC
Barge Terminals
8
Total AIS
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
10
# ANS plants
20
30
40
50
60
Ne ar e s t bar ge te r m inal (k m )
5
Plants AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
10
5
# ANS invertebrates
There was no clear
association of AIS
with barge
terminals
Total # ANS
7
20
30
40
50
60
Ne ar e s t bar ge te r m inal (k m )
Invertebrate
AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
Ne ar e s t bar ge te r m inal (k m )
60
Shipping-related AIS
6
# Shipping vector ANS
There was no clear
association of AIS
with a shippingrelated vector with
barge terminals
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
20
40
Ne are s t barge te rm inal (k m )
60
Boat Launchs
8
Total AIS
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0
2
4
# ANS plants
6
8
10
Ne ar e s t boat launch (k m )
5
Plants AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
Ne ar e s t boat launch (k m )
5
# ANS invertebrates
There was no clear
association of AIS
with boat launches
Total # ANS
7
Invertebrate
AIS
4
3
2
1
0
0
2
4
6
8
Nearest boat launch (km)
10
Hanford Reach
No difference between Hanford
and reservoirs samples
However, Pseudodiaptomus
forbesi was often dominant in
Columbia River and Ice Harbor
reservoirs, but was absent from
the Hanford Reach where native
calanoid copepods dominated and
from the upper Snake reservoirs
where native cladocerans and
cyclopoid copepods dominated
As
ia
er
ica
Am
er
ica
Am
Eu
ra
sia
Eu
ro
Ne
pe
w
Ze
Af
al
an
r ic
d/
a
Au
st
ra
lia
No
rth
So
ut
h
Number of Species
MCRANS AIS Origins
35
30
25
Other
20
Plants
15
Invertebrates
10
Fish
5
0
Species Origin
Not Found
• Exopalaemon modestus (Siberian prawn)
– Common in lower Columbia with unpublished
reports in middle Columbia
– No seines or trawls used because of listed fish
species
Not Found
• Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand
mudsnail)
– Common in lower Columbia and Snake
– Present in the Deschutes River
– Lack of habitat?
Not Found
• Myocastor coypus (nutria)
– Common in lower Columbia and Willamette
– Unconfirmed reports from tri-cities area
– Climate limitation?
Recommendations
• Integration of AIS management in agency activities
– HACCP
• Better coordination between states and between
agencies within states
• Follow-up surveys
• Research
–
–
–
–
–
Facilitation (e.g., climate change impacts)
Impacts (e.g., corbicula, milfoil, copepods, asian carp
Hull fouling vector needs more study
Prevention
Management