1.1 Title
Little Trapper/ Kowatua/Tatsatua Escapement - Sampling 2015
1.2 Introduction
Sockeye salmon enumeration via weir (counting fence) has been conducted at Little Trapper Lake for over 30 years and provides a long term index of sockeye escapement into the Taku River. Weir counts and biological sampling are used to reconstruct the run of Taku River sockeye. Kowatua and Tatsatua creeks are significant Chinook salmon producers and collection of biological data and tags (applied in the lower Taku River) are used to generate abundance estimates for Chinook in the Taku drainage.
1.3 Contract Period
On or about July 2, 2015 through to April 30, 2016, with options to renew for 2 additional 1 year periods at the sole discretion of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Option periods if exercised will be May 1, 2016 through to April 30, 2017 and May 1, 2017 through to April 30, 2018.
The field component of the project will be conducted from approximately 10 July 2015 through to 20 September 2015 (prior to the Little Trapper Lake sockeye run through to completion of the Kowatua/Tatsatua creeks Chinook die-off) with an option to extend the contract for two (2) additional years.
All reporting and the submission of samples must be concluded not later than 30 September 2015. There is an option to extend the contract for two (2) additional years.
Note that this is merely an estimate of the expected work and the number of actual days will depend on fishing patterns (fish timings) and funding available to deliver the project.
1.4 Objectives of the Requirement
The work involves the use of an enumeration weir on the Kowatua River at the outlet of Little Trapper Lake, British Columbia. The work is to be performed during the annual sockeye run.
2.0 Requirements
2.1 Tasks, Activities, Deliverables and Milestones
The contractor will be responsible for performing the following tasks:
1. Operation of an enumeration weir on the Kowatua River at the outlet of Little Trapper Lake, during the sockeye run.
2. Maintenance of this enumeration weir in a fish-tight state unless prevented from doing so by extreme high-water events.
3. Enumeration of all salmon and spaghetti tags passing through the enumeration weir. Recovery of as many spaghetti tags as possible without unduly disrupting migration.
4. Sampling 800 live sockeye for length (MEF, matched with 200 POH lengths), sex, scales (five per fish), axillary appendage clips, and tags. Sampling must be conducted in proportion to run timing.
5. Sampling any broodstock collected, for length (MEF and POH) and scales (five per fish) matched with otoliths, by sex.
6. Sampling all available post-spawn Kowatua and Tatsatua Chinook for adipose-clips, floy tags and coded-wire tags, secondary marks, length (MEF and POH), sex, and scales (five per fish) over the full course of the spawning/die off period as per the protocol provided by the Project Authority (PA).
7. Collection of L. Trapper Lake outlet hydrological information; specifically water level and temperature daily (document time of measurement to nearest hour).
8. Recording of data collected on forms provided by the PA.
9. Documentation of information relevant to project objectives, for example weir installation dates, high water events, in a daily log supplied by the contractor.
10. Submission of all scales collected to date by August 31, 2015 to the PA.
11. Submission of remainder of scales collected by September 30, 2015 to the PA.
12. Communication of project updates to the PA by 10 am each Monday and Thursday for the duration of the project.
