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
Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Outplanted Upstream of Lower Granite Dam

BPA project number   9801003

Short description
Monitoring and evaluation of returning adult fall chinook salmon outplanted as yearlings above Lower Granite Dam

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Section 2. Goals

General
Adaptive management (research or M&E)

Section 3. Background

Stream area affected

Stream name   Snake River; Clearwater River; Grande Ronde River; Imnaha River; other tributaries between Lower Granite and Hells Canyon dams
Stream miles affected   N/A Monitoring and evaluation project
Hydro project   four lower Snake River dams
Subbasin   Snake River
Land ownership   private and public
Acres affected   N/A Monitoring and evaluation project
Habitat types   N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

History
Project work will start during the adult migratory period beginning September, 1997. This data form was completed in February 1997. This project will include spawning surveys similar to those conducted from 1991-1996 as part of BPA project 9102900. About half of the effort in conducting spawning surveys will be funded by the Idaho Power Company

Biological results achieved
N/A Field work begins in the fall of 1997

Project reports and papers
N/A Field work begins in the fall of 1997

Adaptive management implications
N/A Field work begins in the fall of 1997

Section 4. Purpose and methods

Specific measureable objectives
Objective To monitor and evaluate the movements and spawning distribution of adult fall chinook salmon returning from test releases of yearling fall chinook salmon upstream of Lower Granite Dam.

Critical uncertainties
Limited adult returns from releases impose the risk of not having enough fish to obtain useful results. Handling adult returns and implanting radio tags at Lower Granite Dam imposes a limited risk to individual fish.

Biological need
The use of supplementation to help restore Snake River fall chinook salmon began in 1996 with test releases of yearling fish above Lower Granite Dam. Additional test releases of yearling fish are scheduled for 1997 and 1998 in the Snake and Clearwater rivers. To determine if supplementation is a viable recovery measure we need to know whether or not returning adult fish spawn in suitable areas.

Hypothesis to be tested
N/A: This monitoring and evaluation project does not involve testing

Alternative approaches
We considered collecting spawned-out fish to determine distribution. This approach was rejected because the Snake River is to large and deep for this method.

Justification for planning
N/A: This project is primarily field oriented

Methods
We will tag between 30 and 200 fish per year, targeting half the number of returning adult outplants in any given year or release group. This should allow us to determine the spawning distribution of about one third of the returning adult outplants that are trapped at Lower Granite Dam. Trapping, and most of the tagging, will be carried out by NMFS in the course of normal fish counting operations.
Tagged fish will be tracked at and above Lower Granite Dam using fixed receivers and mobile tracking methods. Fixed receivers will be placed in the Snake River and near the mouths of tributaries. Additional receivers will be in place at Lower Granite Dam as part of project 9204101 and will provide information on fall-back. Weekly tracking will be conducted over Lower Granite Reservoir, the free- flowing Snake River, and portions of the major tributaries above Lower Granite Dam. Ground tracking will be conducted along roaded sections of the Snake and Clearwater rivers.
Redd surveys will be conducted to monitor overall spawning distribution. Weekly aerial redd surveys of the Snake, Grande Ronde, Imnaha, and Clearwater rivers will be conducted in conjunction with tracking surveys. In addition, redd searches will be conducted in deep-water areas of the Snake River using underwater video cameras.
Tracking records for radio-tagged fish will be compiled to determine the movements and spawning location of individual fish. The annual spawning distribution of radio-tagged fish will be presented by river section for each release year, and release location. The annual redd distribution will be also be presented by river section. Once the full complement of age classes are represented for each release group, we will compare the percent distribution of returning adult outplants to: a) the overall redd distribution of fall chinook salmon, and b) the locations outplanted fish were released. These comparisons will show whether or not the majority of yearling outplants that return to spawn do so in suitable habitat near their release locations.

Section 5. Planned activities

Constraints or factors that may cause schedule or budget changes
Contingent upon NMFS permit acquisition

Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Expected performance of target population or quality change in land area affected
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

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

Assumed historic status of utilization and conservation potential
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

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

Contribution toward long-term goal
The project will help assess the efficacy of supplementation as a mitigation measure for Snake River fall chinook salmon recovery and provide information for potential future recovery actions

Indirect biological or environmental changes
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

Environmental attributes affected by the project
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

Changes assumed or expected for affected environmental attributes
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

Measure of attribute changes
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

Assessment of effects on project outcomes of critical uncertainty
N/A Monitoring and evaluation project

Information products
This project monitors the spawning distribution of adult fall chinook salmon released as yearlings above Lower Granite Dam. Information from monitoring will help evaluate supplementation.

Coordination outcomes
Coordination of this project with the University of Idaho will enhance data collection for project 9204101, and provided needed equipment for this project without the need for additional funding. Coordinating radio-tracking with the Nez Perce Tribe during ongoing redd surveys of the Clearwater River sub-basin will provide needed data for this project without the need for additional funding. Coordination with the National Biological Service will provide needed equipment for this project without the need for additional funding.

MONITORING APPROACH
This project should be measured by its ability to accurately determine the spawning distribution of returning adult fall chinook salmon released as yearlings above Lower Granite Dam.

Provisions to monitor population status or habitat quality
N/A This is the monitoring component of the LSRCP Lyons Ferry Hatchery fall chinook salmon evaluation study.

Data analysis and evaluation
Spawning distribution data will be compiled and categorized by release year and location.

Information feed back to management decisions
Information about the distribution of adult returns from yearling outplants is part of the LSRCP Lyons Ferry Hatchery evaluation study.

Critical uncertainties affecting project's outcomes
Improved mainstem survival would alleviate the uncertainty of enough adult returns.

Evaluation
Success could be assessed by: a) the percentage of tagged fish that are actually tracked to their spawning locations, b) the collection and summary of accurate redd counts, and c) the collection of fall-back information at Lower Granite Dam.

Incorporating new information regarding uncertainties
The project biologist and cooperators meet regularly to compare project results and progress and discuss necessary adaptations

Increasing public awareness of F&W activities
All opportunities to inform the public on project activities will be utilized.

Section 7. Relationships

Opportunities for cooperation
Used radio tags from project 9204101 will be obtained from the University of Idaho for use in this project. Telemetry receivers will be borrowed from the National Biological Service, Cook, Washington, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Dayton, Washington. Redd surveys will be carried out in cooperation with Idaho Power Company, U.S. Forest Service, and Nez Perce Tribe. Some of the duties of this project will be shared with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Nez Perce Tribe.

Section 8. Costs and FTE

Other non-financial supporters
Idaho Power Company, Boise, Idaho; U.S. Forest Service, Wallowa Whitman National Forest, Enterprise, Oregon

N/A No long term costs expected