BPA Fish and Wildlife FY 1998 Proposal

Section 1. Summary
Section 2. Goals
Section 3. Background
Section 4. Purpose and methods
Section 5. Planned activities
Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation
Section 7. Relationships
Section 8. Costs and FTE

see CBFWA and BPA funding recommendations

Section 1. Summary

Title of project
Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery

BPA project number   8335000

Short description
Design and construct and implement hatchery supplementation facilities for the Nez Perce Tribe to assist in recovery and restoration of spring/summer, and fall chinook in the Clearwater subbasin.

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Nez Perce Tribe

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Section 2. Goals

General
Supports a healthy Columbia basin; maintains biological diversity; maintains genetic integrity; increases run sizes or populations; adaptive management (research or M&E); program coordination or planning; project should be integrated with NMFS recovery plan for Snake River basin fall chinook

Section 3. Background

Stream area affected

Stream name   Mainstem Clearwater River; S.F. Clearwater River; M. F. Clearwater River; Selway River; Lochsa River; Lolo Creek; Newsome Creek, Mill Creek; Boulder Creek; Warm Springs Creek; Meadow Creek; Eldorado Creek; Johns Creek; Ten Mile Creek; Fish Creek; Brushy Fork Creek
Stream miles affected   Mainstem Clearwater River, 60+; S.F. Clearwater River, 60+; M. F. Clearwater River, 20+; Selway River, 20+; Lochsa River, 60+; Lolo Creek, 60+; Newsome Creek, 30+, Mill Creek, 15+; Boulder Creek, 10+; Warm Springs Creek, 5+; Meadow Creek, 50+; Eldorado Creek, 30+; Johns Creek, 30+; Ten Mile Creek, 15+; Fish Creek, 30+; Brushy Fork Creek, 20+
Subbasin   Clearwater river
Land ownership   Public and private

History
Nez Perce Tribe proposed project to Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. Amended to Program in 1983. Current planning and predesign initiated in 1987. State and Federal coordination resolved. NEPA process in progress with ROD targeted for 1997. Final design to begin 1997; continue until completed. Facilities to consist of two Central Incubation and Rearing Facilities (CIRF) and six satellite facilities, outplanting to "treatment" streams matched to "control" streams for testing supplementation, and one "experimental" stream to explore tests . Monitoring and evaluation implemented in 1993 to establish habitat and population base lines. Master Plan, Genetic Risk & Resource documents (2), Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, Supplement to the Master Plan, Broodstock Management Plan, multiple water evaluation reports, temperature, and flow data gathering, Preliminary Design Memorandums, Cultural Resource Surveys as background for developing the project. Land leases established at Cherrylane facility. Sweetwater Springs acquisition from IDFG being negotiated. USFS special use permits being finalized for satellite facility sites and weirs.

Biological results achieved
1993: Broodstock development begun using "surplus" hatchery production outplanted to Meadow Creek, Selway River 1993-94 to study and evaluate supplementation strategies. Adult returns expected to begin 1996-98.
1993-95: Juvenile monitoring shows initial survival following releases for two consecutive years.

Project reports and papers
1984: Feasibility Study by CH2-M Hill.
1992: Master Plan Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery
1992: Genetic Risk Assessment Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Master Plan.
1994: Draft Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
1994: Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Predesign Study.
1995: Selway Genetic Resource Assessment
1995: Supplement to Master Plan
1997: Broodstock Management Plan, Kincaid, NBS. (in progress).
1996: Final Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (completed).
1996-7: NEPA Environmental Assessment and Record of Decision (in progress).

Adaptive management implications
Recovery of weak spring chinook stocks in Lolo, Newsome, Mill, Meadow, Boulder, Warm Spring, and White Sand Creeks. Recovery of fall chinook in lower mainstem Clearwater River, as a listed ESA stock.

Section 4. Purpose and methods

Specific measureable objectives
Juvenile survival following release evaluated within the stream and at Snake River dams.
Adult spring chinook natural spawning returns to Lolo Creek >162; Mill Creek >46; Newsome Creek >51; Boulder Creek >60; Warm Spring Creek >14; Meadow Creek > 244; Totals >577.
Adult spring chinook hatchery broodstock returns to Lolo Creek >136; Mill Creek >36; Newsome Creek >68; Boulder Creek >67; Warm Spring Creek >16; Meadow Creek > 323 Totals >646.
Available spring chinook harvest >284 fish.
Adult fall chinook natural spawning returns to lower and upper mainstem Clearwater River >4,625
Adult fall chinook hatchery broodstock returns to Cherrylane Clearwater River >1,598
Available fall chinook harvest >1,151 fish.

Critical uncertainties
Supplementation success as planned may not be effective.
Bureaucratic process cannot be activated in a timely manner to provide facilities for hatchery production as needed to prevent extinction of listed stocks.

Biological need
Recover weak populations rapidly, 2-4 generations (8-16 years) to population sizes supporting ESA delisting.
Prevent loss of biodiversity and inbreeding depression due to small population size.
Develop population sizes capable of sustaining Tribal and Non-Tribal Harvests.

Hypothesis to be tested
* Mimicking natural rearing conditions during early life stages enhances post release survival in the supplementation process
* Supplementation technology can recover weak populations through introduction of parr, presmolts, smolts into natural streams.
* Modification of hatchery environment to mimic life stages of natural fish during incubation and rearing will enhance supplementation responses.

Alternative approaches
ALTERNATIVE 1: USE OF EXISTING PRODUCTION HATCHERIES; a) the Tribe is not a legal signatory participant to LSRCP/USFWS program; b) mitigation requirements not being met by existing hatcheries, c) existing facilities cannot meet biological design criteria required for NPTH, d) existing facilities are not meeting IHOT guidelines.
ALTERNATIVE 2: NATURAL HABITAT ENHANCEMENT AND RESTORATION: a) natural production survival from spawning adult to smolt is not great enough to counter act the smolt to adult mortality caused during passage through the lower river hydropower systems and in ocean mortality, b) only artificial enhanced survival through use of hatchery and supplementation offers short term hope of counter acting excessive smolt to adult mortality, and c) smolt to adult survival through the lower river hydrosystem must be increased at least two fold to prevent population decline and four fold to rebuild populations naturally.

Justification for planning
N/A, project focuses on supplementation production implementation even though coordination must occur.

Methods
Supplementation using one or more of the following products; adults, gametes, eggs, fry, parr, presmolt, sub-yearling smolts, and yearling smolts.
Captive broodstock may become necessary in the event populations decline to near extinction levels.

Section 5. Planned activities

Constraints or factors that may cause schedule or budget changes
Extinction of existing species and populations if supplementation is not undertaken within the next year.
Supplementation may not be able to compensate for smolt to adult mortality occurring in the hydrosystem.
Involuntary change of genetic traits promoting natural survival.

Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Expected performance of target population or quality change in land area affected
1,600 - 3,200 spring chinook adult recovery to tributary streams annually by year 2,015.
2,500 - 5,000 fall chinook adults recovery to lower mainstem Clearwater River by year 2,015.
2,000 - 4,000 summer chinook adults restored to M.F. Clearwater, Lochsa, & Selway Rives annually by year 2,015.

Present utilization and convservation potential of target population or area
Less than 250 spring chinook natural spawners, less than 200 fall chinook natural spawners.

Assumed historic status of utilization and conservation potential
Greater than 5,000 spring chinook natural spawners and greater than 5,000 fall chinook natural spawners.

Long term expected utilization and conservation potential for target population or habitat
Rebuild and maintain natural spawning populations through supplementation in order to provide harvestable abundances from each species and stock.

Contribution toward long-term goal
Spring, Summer, Fall chinook for the purpose of delisting and providing harvest.

Indirect biological or environmental changes
Improved habitat protection and enhancement, flow regimes to support emigration of juveniles and immigration of adults, improved juvenile and adult hydro-passage facilities.

Physical products
NA

Environmental attributes affected by the project
Protection of riparian habitat in relation to stopping logging and or mining in this area.

Changes assumed or expected for affected environmental attributes
NA

Measure of attribute changes
NA

Assessment of effects on project outcomes of critical uncertainty
Monitoring and evaluation measures juvenile and adult survival changes over time.

Information products
Juvenile post release survival is measured using parr density counts, PIT tag recoveries traps and dams, adult counts at weirs and on the spawning grounds.

Coordination outcomes
1983 - 1994: Feasibility, site evaluations, Master Plan development, Genetic Risk Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, Cultural resource assessments.
FY95-97: Complete NEPA analysis; develop draft hatchery operating manual; monitor key parameters at satellite sites; monitor watershed activities; refine production goals; complete preliminary facility design; refine harvest management plan.

MONITORING APPROACH
Supplementation using one or more of the following products; adults, gametes, eggs, fry, parr, presmolt, sub-yearling smolts, and yearling smolts.

Provisions to monitor population status or habitat quality
M&E population base line data gathered for each stream; established treatment and control streams, and a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan.

Data analysis and evaluation
Annual reports and recommendations collated over time with other projects studying supplementation.

Information feed back to management decisions
Adaptive management responses to modify supplementation & production actions.

Critical uncertainties affecting project's outcomes
Idaho Salmon Supplementation studies, NMFS recovery plan.

Evaluation
Through monitoring and evaluation of project in comparison with Yakima Hatchery and other supplementation programs.

Incorporating new information regarding uncertainties
Reports and recommendations in review with NPPC, CBFWA, U.S. v. OREGON PAC.

Increasing public awareness of F&W activities
Through publication of annual reports at BPA, community involvement, interaction with state and federal fisheries production programs.

Section 7. Relationships

Opportunities for cooperation
State and/or Federal hatcheries will furnish broodstock from hatcheries when populations are abundant. State and Federal agencies can provide short term support to fish production as necessary.

Section 8. Costs and FTE

1997 Planned  $1,860,000
1996 Unobligated  $2,499,047

Other non-financial supporters
Pulp and Paper Workers Resource Council, Idaho Salmon and Steelhead Unlimited, Wallowa County Commissioners.

NPTH is a supplementation project intended to rebuild natural populations in conjunction with the NMFS Recovery Plan and to fulfill Tribal needs for recovery and restoration. While NMFS is doing research on "natures" approaches to production, this project has been moving in that direction since its beginning. For example, it has looked at mimicking natural production through temperature controlled incubation, naturalized habitats for early and final rearing, velocity conditioning and predator avoidance response conditioning, and low density rearing. All for the purpose of meeting the needs of the fish and not for the convenience of man in order to enhance post release survival and establish strong natural reproducing populations capable of with standing harvest.

How does percentage apply to direct costs
Total except administrative portions affected by tax exemptions.