September 1993
September 1993
Dakota Recall
September 1993
Chinook Salmon
Why is there such a difference between this fish in lakes Oahe and Sakakawea?
September 1993
Lately there’ s been some concern regarding Chinook salmon numbers and size of fish in Sakakawea vs. Lake Oahe. The Great Planers Trout and Salmon club of Bismarck asked the North Dakota Game and Fish Dept. for relative information. Following is a report from Greg Power, regarding the salmon situation on the two waters of the Missouri River, followed by a comment from Lee Klapprodt, leader of the Salmon Club.
by Greg Power
As you’ re painfully aware, salmon fishing on Lake Sakakawea has been difficult the past few years. At the same time, Lake Oahe’ s fishery remains respectable. To better understand why there are currently such disparate fisheries between the two sister reservoirs, one must look at the amount of adequate habitat for salmon during drought periods.
Fortunately, the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers Master Manual studies have been helpful in documenting the following information.
Beginning in 1987, we’ ve experienced a decline in the reservoir’ s elevation. Correspondingly, there had been a reduction in the volume of cold water habitat( that is, water 59 degrees or colder and dissolved oxygen 5 parts per million or higher.)
This reduction resulted in less than 2 million acres feet of cold water habitat in Lake Sakakawea during the summer months of 1988, 1989, 1990,( possibly) 1991 and 1992.
When cold water habitat is reduced below 2 million acre feet( as it was these five years) it appears to negatively impact both Chinook salmon and rainbow smelt. Less habitat is ultimately manifested in the fishery. Both abundance and conditions have been declining for a number of years, especially beginning in 1987. This correlates closely with reduced habitat.
Interestingly, though Lake
Oahe has also suffered from near record low lake levels between 1988 and 1992, and less cold water habitat, the loss of cold water habitat has not been nearly as significant as it has been for Lake Sakakawea.
For example, according to the Corp’ s cold water habitat model, Lake Sakakawea had only 431,000 acre-feet of habitat in late summer 1990, whereas Lake Oahe had 2,455,000 acre-feet. Reasons why Lake Sakakawea cold water habitat suffers more than Lake Oahe( or Ft. Peck) during drought periods are not understood.
Regardless of the specific cause, this is likely the reason we’ re observing fewer and smaller salmon in Lake Sakakawea vs. Lake Oahe. In addition, there are certainly fewer smelt in Sakakawea than five or more years ago, and the smelt status is of the utmost concern.
There’ s some good news in the long run. First, we still have every intention to stock cisco into Lake
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