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
Fish Passage Center

BPA project number   9403300

Short description
Provide regional resource to successfully interface between fishery agencies, Tribes, and FCRPS operators. Analyze and report smolt monitoring data and recommend operations for fish passage. Implement specific actions required through ESA, provide data and analysis required for daily, weekly, and monthly fish passage mitigation management decisions. Collect migration data required for ESA measure implementation.

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Section 2. Goals

General
Supports a healthy Columbia basin; maintains biological diversity; increases run sizes or populations; adaptive management (research or M&E); program coordination or planning

Section 3. Background

Stream area affected

Hydro project   All of the projects in the Federal system.
Habitat types   Mainstem Columbia and Snake rivers and tributaries and reservoirs.

History
The Fish Passage Center (Water Budget Center) was established by the NPPC to design and implement a program to monitor smolt passage through the Columbia River. With this information it was to make recommendations as to how water stored for fish was to be released in order to increase smolt passage at the mainstem dams. In addition, the FPC was charged with design, analysis, and implementation of the Smolt Monitoring Program. Previous project number: 87-127.

Biological results achieved
Analysis which have been utilized in determining the hydrosystem operation measures. Collect and compile data used in the in season management of the FCRPS and coordination of the regions smolt monitoring program, including Comparative Survival Rate Study of Hatchery PIT Tagged Chinook, long-term consistent migration characteristics data, and management of a regional data base.

Project reports and papers
Annual Reports approved by CBFWA Members, Weekly updates on smolt passage numbers during the passage season, migration characteristics, dissolved gas symptoms, and System Operational Requests provided to Federal operators and regulators; issue specific technical analysis of fish passage; reporting to state water quality agencies.

Adaptive management implications
Smolt Monitoring Program design, Annual Reports, Weekly Reports, analysis, System Operational Requests provided to designated persons at the following agencies: Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Bureau of Reclamation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bonneville Power Administration. FPC analysis over the years has provided the foundation for several major changes in hydrosystem operations for anadromous fish, such as summer flows and flow targets. Development of data, and analysis as a basis for fish passage mitigation decision path activities.

Section 4. Purpose and methods

Critical uncertainties
Risks are unintended project outcomes, such as damage to other stocks. Critical uncertainties are limited to emergency events which could render facilities inoperable, natural events, or mechanical events that would cause facilities to be inoperable.

Alternative approaches
N/A

Justification for planning
N/A

Section 5. Planned activities

Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Present utilization and convservation potential of target population or area
The entire migration corridor is utilized; the conservation and recovery potential is dependent on adequacy of mitigation measures.

Assumed historic status of utilization and conservation potential
N/A

Long term expected utilization and conservation potential for target population or habitat
Recovery of listed stocks and enhancement improvement of non-listed stocks.

Contribution toward long-term goal
Data analysis which will be utilized in the long-term decision path.

Indirect biological or environmental changes
Modification of hydrosystem operations.

Physical products
Historical and real-time fish passage migration characteristics and passage conditions and environmental variables. Daily, weekly, and annual juvenile passage data and migration characteristics provided region-wide as a basis for short and long-term, as well as daily passage management decisions.

Environmental attributes affected by the project
Water temperature, water flow, water spilled in the FCRHS.

Changes assumed or expected for affected environmental attributes
Higher flows and water velocities, lower water temperatures, spill.

Measure of attribute changes
N/A

Assessment of effects on project outcomes of critical uncertainty
All data collected and analysis is subject to examinations of assumptions regarding sample rate, sample efficiency, and sample operations.

Information products
Monitoring, evaluation, and decision analysis.

Coordination outcomes
Implementation Team reports, Executive Committee reports, regional distribution of migration characteristics data, Smolt Monitoring Program design, Annual Reports, Weekly Reports, analysis, System Operational Requests provided to designated persons at the following agencies: Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bonneville Power Administration.

Provisions to monitor population status or habitat quality
By utilizing final and summary reports and assessing those against mitigation measure implementation, including historical comparisons of migration characteristics. Basin-wide passage monitoring program and smolt-to-adult return analysis.

Data analysis and evaluation
FPC staff and other parties conduct a broad scope of analysis, presented in annual and other reports, and compared with historical data.

Information feed back to management decisions
Daily reporting, weekly reports, daily updates to the FPC Internet home page.

Critical uncertainties affecting project's outcomes
N/A

Evaluation
Provision of real time data as a basis for daily passage management decisions, satisfaction of biological monitoring requirements for ESA purposes, provision of reporting requirements, real-time data, weekly reports, and annual reports.

Incorporating new information regarding uncertainties
Review and approval by Salmon Managers.

Increasing public awareness of F&W activities
Public distribution of data and response to specific requests, weekly reports, maintenance of the Internet home page.

Section 7. Relationships

Section 8. Costs and FTE

1997 Planned  $1,002,500

Other non-financial supporters
ODFW, WDFW, USFWS, IDFG, NMFS, CRITFC

The above out-year figures include a proposed 6.2% increase per year .

How does percentage apply to direct costs
These percentages apply to a portion of the total; they are not applied to capital outlay costs.