The YRWP will conduct steelhead redd count surveys on Toppenish Creek.  At least 3 passes on 78 miles of suitable steelhead spawning habitat will be attempted between March 1st and June 15th to cover the entire steelhead spawning season.   The watershed is divided into reaches 3 to 8 miles in length.  Each reach is surveyed by a pair technicians or biologists.  Moving in a downstream direction all steelhead redds are identified, recorded and marked with flagging.  Waypoints at each redd location are collected with GPS units to examine the spatial distribution of steelhead spawning habitat.  Once redd counts are compiled, information will be utilized to produce a redd count database.

 

We will use a portable instream PIT tag array located above the confluence with Simcoe Creek on the mainstem Toppenish Creek and one in Simcoe Creek to estimate adult escapement to spawning habitat and determine the number of adult steelhead per redd in the mainstem Toppenish Creek steelhead spawning habitat.  All adult steelhead that enter the Denile fish trap at Prosser Dam on the Yakima River are now PIT tagged by the Yakama Nation (10 to 20 percent of the Yakima MPG run).  A total count at the dam is obtained with video counting equipment.  YN is able to disaggregate the total Prosser count into separate populations by detecting the number passing different points where antennae are installed.  In addition to an adult steelhead escapement estimate we will use this estimate of adult abundance to determine the number of fish/redd.    Fish per redd and fish per spawner will be used to evaluate freshwater productivity of the Toppenish population.