North Olympic Peninsula Watershed Page

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DRAFT, last updated 3/15/05

Hoko River Watershed Page – WRIA 19, Tier 1

A. Watershed Information:

1. General Watershed Description: From WRIA 19 LFA (pp 23-24): The Hoko River is the largest stream in WRIA 19, providing about 25 miles of mainstem and about 80 additional linear miles of tributaries (Phinney and Bucknell 1975). It originates in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains at a lower elevation than the origin of the two other large watersheds in the Strait (the Elwha and Dungeness Rivers). Rainfall is abundant; a trait similar to the North Coast streams. Average annual rainfall is 90-120 inches (Pacific Northwest River Basins Commission 1970). The lower 10 miles of the Hoko mainstem flows through a moderately sloped terrain, and has a low gradient and plentiful gravel. The estuary extends into the river for more than a mile. The mainstem supports chinook (up to RM 21.5), chum (up to RM 22), coho (up to RM 23.2), and winter steelhead (up to RM 23.4) (Fig. B.2) (WDFW spawner survey database 1998; Streamnet 1999). The Little Hoko River is the major tributary in the lower basin, and joins the Hoko at RM 6.8. The Little Hoko flows through moderately steep terrain and has moderate to steep gradients above RM 3.5. Downstream, the Little Hoko has a low gradient as it flows through a flat valley to its confluence with the Hoko River. Fall chinook salmon, coho salmon, winter steelhead, and chum salmon spawn in the Little Hoko River, with coho salmon and winter steelhead spawning up to RM 3.9 in the mainstem and the lower 1.5 miles of Leyh Creek. Chum and chinook salmon spawn up to RM 3 in the Little Hoko River (WDFW spawner survey database 1998). In high flow years, chinook salmon have also spawned in Herman Creek, Bear Creek, and Brownes Creek (McHenry et al. 1996). Two smaller tributaries, Ossert Creek and Brownes Creek, provide spawning (in the lower mile) and rearing habitat for coho salmon and winter steelhead production, and join the Hoko River at RM 4.4 and 10 respectively (Phinney and Bucknell 1975).
   The upper Hoko River tributaries drain a precipitous, incised landscape. Several cascades exist, including Hoko Falls, which in low flow years impedes upstream passage of fall chinook. Four major tributaries enter the upper mainstem, and provide spawning and rearing habitat for coho salmon, winter steelhead, and occasionally for Chinook salmon. These tributaries include: Johnson Creek (spawning from RM 0-1), Herman Creek (RM 0-2.8 for coho salmon and to RM 1.6 for steelhead), the North Branch Herman (RM 0-2.8 for coho salmon and to RM 1.6 for steelhead), Ellis Creek (spawning from RM 0-1.3), Cub Creek (RM 0-1.5 for coho and to RM 1.0 for steelhead), and Bear Creek (RM 0-1.5). Unnamed tributaries also support coho salmon and winter steelhead
   (stream numbers: 19.0174, 19.0176, 19.0188, 19.0189) (WDFW spawner survey database 1998).
   Historically, the Hoko River basin was a coniferous forest of western hemlock, Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and Douglas fir with a few patches of red alder (Martin et al. 1995).
2. Hatchery impacts:
• Hoko River Fall Chinook broodstock program by Makah Tribe (North Coast, p. 133 "Program releases are 200,000 smolts to the Hoko River at river mile ten for a US/Canada indicator stock, 100,000 smolts to the Hoko River at river mile 16, 50,000 to the Little Hoko River, and the rest at river mile ten. Future plans for this stock include plantings in the Sekiu and Pysht Rivers")
• Hoko River Hatchery Winter Steelhead harvest program by Makah Tribe (North Coast, p. 174 "20,000 smolts are released at Hoko River; 10,000 are outplanted at Sekiu; 7,500 are outplanted at the Sail River. In addition, 5,000 fingerlings are released in Makah Reservation streams")
• NOPLE Strategy Table 4. Current Hatchery Information
• More hatchery information
3. Harvest impacts: More harvest information.
4. Stakeholders: Makah Tribe and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are co-manager of fisheries with WDFW; Public landowners include WDNR, Clallam County (Hoko Ozette Road) and Washington Department of Transportation (SR 112), and Washington State Parks (Hoko River Park); Major private landowners are Cascade Timberlands LLC (taking over ownership from Crown Pacific Timberlands with management provided by Olympic Resource Management LLC (a subsidiary of Pope Resources) and Rayonier.
5. Tier explanation (from NOPLE Salmon Habitat Recovery Strategy): Applying the Strategy Table 1 Tier Guidelines, the Hoko falls out as Tier 2 based on basin area, historic population numbers, number of ESA listed stocks. However, the TRG agrees that the Hoko River is a priority watershed (important seed population) for chinook recovery in the western strait. The Hoko still has chinook and the Makah tribe is actively trying to rebuild the population. The TRG felt that this factor argues the Hoko up to Tier 1.
6. Bibliography:
   • Hoko River Watershed Analysis, Pentec Environmental, 1994
   • NOPLE Summary Limiting Factors for Hoko River
   • WRIA 19 Limiting Factor Analsysis: Hoko River Astract
   • For more information about stocks, habitat, and watershed processes, check out Documentation (Appendix E).

B. Salmon Habitat Recovery Priorities:

1. Salmonid stocks & their status. From State of Our Watersheds Report 2004, NWIFC SSHIAP, p. 132:
   

   SASSI Stocks (SaSI)	ESA Status	Origin	Prod_Type	1992 Stock Status	2002 (WDFW) Stock Status*
   Hoko Fall Chinook (Map)	Not warranted	Native	Composite	Depressed	Depressed
   Hoko Coho (Map)	Not warranted	Mixed	Wild	Healthy	Healthy
   Hoko/Clallam/SekiuFall Chum (Map)	No data	Native	Wild	Unknwn	Unknown
   Hoko Winter Steelhead (Map)	Not warranted	Native	Wild	Healthy	Healthy
   Western Strait Coastal Cutthroat	Not warranted	Native	Wild		Unknown 2000 (WDFW)

   
   * 2002 WDFW SaSI is incomplete and incorrect and additional information about specific stocks is available from local co-manager fisheries biologists.
   From 2002 SaSI Report: "Allozyme analysis has shown that Hoko chinook are genetically distinct from all other Washington Chinook stocks examined, although they share some allele ferquency similarities with north coastal stocks (reference omitted). This is a native stock with composite production. The Makah Tribe is conducting a hatchery-supplementation program that uses native brookstock to rebuild the stock."
2. Priority salmon stocks. All stocks are important and should be recovered and restored.  The following stocks deserve additional mention.  Hoko Fall Chinook because limited left in WRIA 19 and necessary to retain genetic diversity, to be used potentially in repopulating other WRIA 19 streams.  Chinook important for tribal economies.  Chum because basis of food chain and most widely distributed stocks and biomass and tonnage is the greatest.  Stock has been degraded significantly and restoring could be best contribution toward recovery.
3. Priority Limiting Watershed Process & Habitat Features. TThe main land use in WRIA 19 is commercial forestry and the following habitat features and/or watershed processes are responsible for the poor PVCs identified above
   • From State of Our Watersheds Report 2004, NWIFC SSHIAP:
     • Sedimentation due to high road densities, improper forest road construction and maintenance, poor forest practices, mass wasting;
     • channel instability-incision due to high sedimentation rates, lack of LWD;
     • reduced LWD-channel complexity due to riparian/floodplain roads, channelization, incision
     • poor riparian conditions, due to FP-riparian encroachment, poor forest practices
     • increased freq/mag peak flows, due to channelization, conversion from late-seral conifer to early-seral mixed forest
     • high stream temperatures, due to loss of riparian conifer cover
• See Limiting Factor Summaries from NOPLE Strategy Documentation (Appendix E), and see also Abstract from WRIA 19 LFA (p 6)
• Little Hoko River is listed on 1998 303d List for Temperature
4. Major actions to protect and improve: The following major actions are necessary to protect and improve the above-identified priority salmonid stocks:
   • See Recommendations from Abstract from WRIA 19 LFA (p 6)
   • See also additional recommendations from bibliography under Section A above
5. Priority actions and areas: The following priority actions and areashave been specifically identified as priorities in resolving the priority limiting watershed processes and habitat features identified above:
   • See Attached Table of "Priority Actions and Areas"
   • See also NOPLE Strategy Section F
6. Community issues: The following community issues are relevant to protecting and restoring the above-identified priority salmonid stocks in this particular watershed:
   • NOPLE Strategy Section G

C. Recovery Projects:

• Washington State Parks purchased (with a portion donated) about 20 acres located about two miles west of Sekiu in Clallam County; Washington State Parks, in conjunction with the the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, is converting pasture to forest, and controlling livestock and exotic vegetation.
• One of the largest watershed scale restoration efforts on the Olympic Peninsula was conducted by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe from on the Little Hoko River from 1994-1998, including livestock management/removal, road abandonment, riparian reforestation, off-channel development, and extensive lWD additions. Extensive monitoring data set in progress.
• The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in conjunction with Crown Pacific placed LWD and revegetated riparian areas along the Hoko and Little Hoko River.

D. Monitoring:

• Washington Department of Ecology
• WDOE 2002-2004 303(d) Map
• Streamkeepers of Clallam County
• USGS Real-time flow monitoring

E. Emerging Issues: