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
Ann Cd Wire Tag Prog-missing Prod WA Htch (WDF)

BPA project number   8906600

Short description
Use coded-wire tags to evaluate hatchery production.

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Section 2. Goals

General
Adaptive management (research or M&E)

Section 3. Background

Stream area affected

History
1990 Tagged 1,434,101 Salmon
1991 Tagged 1,377,166 Salmon
1992 Tagged 1,299,245 Salmon
1993 Tagged 2,473,946 Salmon; Decoded 3,148 tags from returning salmon
1994 Tagged 1,949,381 Salmon; Decoded 3,794 tags from returning salmon
1995 Tagged 1,855,939 Salmon; Decoded 2,673 tags from returning salmon
1996 Tagged 1,752,186 Salmon; Decoded 1,150 tags from returning salmon

Biological results achieved
Estimated survival rates of one production group of chinook and coho from each hatchery for broods 1986-1991. Estimated contribution rates for each group that survival was estimated for.

Project reports and papers
Annual reports generated for: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996

Adaptive management implications
Data from this project provides specific measurable objectives pertaining to survival, contribution, and stray rates of adult salmon released from WDFW hatcheries. This allows addressing critical unceretainties relating to potential impacts to listed species from fish released from these hatcheries. It also provides information for potential harvest benefits to be accrued from hatchery operations.

Section 4. Purpose and methods

Specific measureable objectives
The project meets specific measurable objectives pertaining to hatchery performance audits and provides evaluation of survival, contribution, and straying of WDFW Columbia River hatchery salmon.

Critical uncertainties
Critical uncertainties include ability to provide a monitoring approach that provides specific measurable outcomes related to hatchery fish performance and the biological need to assess possible impacts to target stocks. Provides connection to other related projects because data is available for other BPA project use. There is a basin wide biological need to address potential biological impact to target and non-target species and populations.

Biological need
Critical uncertainties include potential interactions with listed species which need evaluation and documentation. These specific measurable objectives cannot be accomplished without being able to differentiate hatchery from wild fish or fish originating from various hatchery programs, particularly if a given hatchery program deals with a listed species. Trends in survival and contribution are important for use in modeling effects of various biological and physical parameters encountered by hatchery salmon.

Hypothesis to be tested
N/A This is a basic monitoring and evaluation project.

Alternative approaches
N/A Other alternatives not cost effective or logistically sound.

Justification for planning
N/A

Methods
Experimental Design: At least one production group of each species of salmon will be tagged at each hatchery. The specific measurable objectives are to produce estimates of survival, contribution, and straying for each species at each hatchery to meet IHOT program goals and recovery programs for listed species. Allows for identification of hatchery salmon on spawning grounds to assess impacts to natural populations. Simple statistics are used to make estimates and comparisons. Approximately 1.0 million chinook, 420,000 coho, and 500,000 spring chinook will be tagged each year.

Section 5. Planned activities

Constraints or factors that may cause schedule or budget changes
Allows evaluation of current management of hatchery system. Without this data judgement and risk of hatchery operations cannot be made.

Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Expected performance of target population or quality change in land area affected
Summary of expected outcomes include estimation and reporting of adult survival and contribution trends for each species at each hatchery for a ten year period. Depiction of inter-hatchery and interannual differences in these variables. Stray rates will be estimated and impacts on other affected stocks will be determined.

Present utilization and convservation potential of target population or area
N/A

Assumed historic status of utilization and conservation potential
N/A

Long term expected utilization and conservation potential for target population or habitat
N/A

Indirect biological or environmental changes
Preservation of genetic integrity of critical stocks.

Physical products
Approximately two million tagged fish will be released each year, tags from 2,000-5,000 returning adults will be collected and decoded, and analysis of several hundred tag codes will occur each year.

Environmental attributes affected by the project
N/A

Changes assumed or expected for affected environmental attributes
N/A

Measure of attribute changes
N/A

Assessment of effects on project outcomes of critical uncertainty
N/A

Information products
Project addresses biological need for long term data base on hatchery fish performance and potential interactions with critical stocks. Project produces an accessible body of data (coded-wire tag recoveries) accessible to a wide variety of users. Project annual reports are used as supporting evidence in Section 7 and 10 consultation/permits. Database provides information for fishery managers.

Coordination outcomes
Products: Quarterly and annual reports for FY90, FY91, FY92, FY93, FY94, FY 95. Presentation of project during 1992 BPA projects review. Tagging of over 6 million chinook and coho over FY90 to FY93. Tagging of an additional 6 million chinook and coho in FY94, FY95, FY96. Compliance with ESA regulations regarding releases of hatchery reared fish. Milestones: 1989-1990: Fall 1989, tagging of first broods; spring 1990 release of first broods under FY90 funding. 1991-1992: Tagging and releases of chinook and coho under FY91,92 funding. 1993-1994: Tagging and release of chinook and coho under FY92,93 funding. First years of returns to hatcheries, first year of data analysis under objective 3. 1994-1995: Continued tagging and release of chinook and coho under FY94 and FY95. Continued recovery of snouts at hatcheries, continued analysis of adult survivals and contribution rates. 1995-1996: Continued tagging and data analysis. 1996-1997: Continued tagging and data analysis. 1997-1998: Continued tagging and data analysis, data analysis for objective 3 complete. 1999-2000: Continue tagging and data analysis of subsequent broods.

MONITORING APPROACH
Each year a budget is prepared outlining specifying measurable objectives such as the number of fish to be tagged, and the number of recovered fish to have tags decoded, and analyzed. Projected costs to accomplish these tasks are included. Staff can easily compare outcomes with objectives using the annual reports that are produced each year. The annual reports produced by this agency and the two other agencies involved in the project, provide a very comprehensive summary of survival and contribution trends of salmon reared at Columbia Basin hatcheries.

Provisions to monitor population status or habitat quality
N/A No single target stock.

Data analysis and evaluation
Data taken as a whole can receive some rigorous statistical evaluation, however the data lends itself better to qualitative evaluation of trends and performance evaluations. It also provides basis for Integrated Hatchery Team hatchery audits of post-release performance.

Information feed back to management decisions
Data is maintained in central database in Portland, OR by the PSMFC, and is therefore readily accessible.

Critical uncertainties affecting project's outcomes
Additional funding to expand range or scope of coded-wire tag releases throughout the Columbia Basin system as well as funds to provide additional sampling capability for spawning grounds and freshwater fisheries.

Evaluation
The database is maintained by the PSMFC in Portland, Oregon. Annual reports and IHOT audits will also provide information. Specific elements include: 1) survival, 2) contribution to fishery and escapement, and 3) stray rates.

Incorporating new information regarding uncertainties
Additional critical uncertainties will be evaluated as to their potential effects on project outcomes and discussed with COTR of project with recommendations to determine best course of action to pursue.

Increasing public awareness of F&W activities
The project provides specific measurable objectives, a project rationale and a summary of expected outcomes. The project provides a long term data set neccesary for those portions of IHOT hatchery audits to determine hatchery effectiveness, and addresses the biological need of evaluating potential interactions with listed species and their recovery plans. Public awareness is enhanced by committment made to providing good tools to evaluate actions in the Columbia Basin using hatchery fish.

Section 7. Relationships

Opportunities for cooperation
Coded wire tag database is available to other projects for use in achieving specific measurable objectives of these projects.

Section 8. Costs and FTE

1997 Planned  $303,000

Other non-financial supporters
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

N/A

How does percentage apply to direct costs
Portion of direct costs.