FY 2001 Ongoing proposal 198605000

Section 1. General administrative information
Section 2. Past accomplishments
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
Section 4. Budgets for planning/design phase
Section 5. Budgets for construction/implementation phase
Section 6. Budgets for operations/maintenance phase
Section 7. Budgets for monitoring/evaluation phase
Section 8. Budget summary

Reviews and Recommendations

Additional documents

Title	Type

Section 1. Administrative

Proposal title	White Sturgeon Mitigation And Restoration In The Columbia And Snake Rivers
Proposal ID	198605000
Organization	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW)
Proposal contact person or principal investigator
Name	David Ward
Mailing address	17330 S.E. Evelyn Street Clackamas, OR 97015
Phone / email	5036572000 / [email protected]
Manager authorizing this project	David Ward
Review cycle	FY 2001 Ongoing
Province / Subbasin	Systemwide / Systemwide
Short description	Restore and mitigate for hydrosystem-caused loss of white sturgeon productivity through intensive fisheries management, supplementation, and modified hydrosystem operation. Assess success of mitigation efforts, and assess losses in unstudied areas.
Target species

Project location

Latitude	Longitude	Description

Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)

Sponsor-reported:

RPA

Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:

Reviewing agency	Action #	BiOp Agency	Description

Section 2. Past accomplishments

Year	Accomplishment
1988	Developed methodologies: Habitat mapping and modeling; capture gears for various life stages; marking and aging techniques.
1990	Elliott J.C. and R.C. Beamesderfer. 1990. Comparison of efficiency and selectivity of three gears used to sample white sturgeon in a Columbia River reservoir. California Fish and Game 76(3):174-180.
1990	McCabe, G.T., Jr. and L.G. Beckman. 1990. Use of an artificial substrate to collect white sturgeon eggs. California Fish and Game 76(4):248-250.
1992	Determined that dams limit movements of white sturgeon and have functionally isolated populations in mainstem Columbia River reservoirs.
1992	Described population dynamics and found them to be unique in each reservoir.
1992	Found population productivity to be 10-100 times higher downstream from Bonneville Dam than in Bonneville, The Dalles, or John Day reservoirs.
1992	Identified reduced flows and subsequent poor recruitment as the key factor limiting white sturgeon productivity in impoundments.
1992	Determined reservoirs provide large areas of suitable habitat for juvenile and adult white sturgeon, but compensatory population responses may reduce productivity if carrying capacity is exceeded.
1992	Determined over-fishing had occurred in the three lowermost reservoirs of the Columbia. Described appropriate exploitation rates under the reduced productivity resulting from the development and operation of the hydrosystem.
1993	Beamesderfer, R.C. 1993. A standard weight (Ws) equation for white sturgeon. California Fish and Game 79(2):63-69.
1993	McCabe, G.T., Jr. 1993. Prevalence of the parasite Cystoopsis acipenseri (Nematoda) in juvenile white sturgeons in the lower Columbia River. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 5(4):313-316.
1993	McCabe, G.T., Jr., R.L. Emmett, and S.A. Hinton. 1993. Feeding ecology of juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Lower Columbia River. Northwest Science 67(3):170-180.
1993	North, J.A., R.C. Beamesderfer, and T.A. Rien. 1993. Distribution and movements of white sturgeon in three lower Columbia River reservoirs. Northwest Science 67(2):105-111.
1993	Parsley, M.J., L.G. Beckman, and G.T. McCabe, Jr. 1993. Spawning and rearing habitat use by white sturgeons in the Columbia River downstream from McNary Dam. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 122(2):217-227.
1993	Warren, J.J. and L.G. Beckman. 1993. Fishway use by white sturgeon to bypass mainstem Columbia River dams. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sea Grant Extension Project, Columbia River Series WSG-AG 93-02
1994	Parsley, M.J., and L.G. Beckman. 1994. White sturgeon spawning and rearing habitat in the Lower Columbia River. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 14:812-827.
1994	Rien, T.A., and R.C. Beamesderfer. 1994. Accuracy and precision in age estimates of white sturgeon from pectoral fin rays. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 123(2):255-265.
1994	Rien, T.A., R.C.P. Beamesderfer, and C.A. Foster. 1994. Retention, recognition, and effects on survival of several tags and marks on white sturgeon. California Fish and Game 80(4):161-170.
1995	Beamesderfer, R.C.P., T.A. Rien, and A.A. Nigro. 1995. Dynamics and potential production of white sturgeon populations in three Columbia River reservoirs Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 124:857-872.
1995	DeVore, J.D., B.W. James, C.A. Tracy, and D.A. Hale. 1995. Dynamics and potential production of white sturgeon in the Columbia River downstream from Bonneville Dam. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 124:845-856.
1997	Demonstrated increased abundance of white sturgeon in The Dalles and John Day reservoirs. Some of this recovery was attributable to intensive harvest management and reduced exploitation.
1997	Transplanted white sturgeon to The Dalles Reservoir and demonstrated survival and growth of those fish one and two years later.
1997	Completed initial population estimates for white sturgeon in Ice Harbor, Little Goose, and Lower Monumental reservoirs.
1997	Determined that white sturgeon larvae are susceptible to gas bubble trauma in laboratory experiments.
1998	Developed habitat maps and flow-habitat models for the Columbia River up to Priest Rapids Dam.
1998	Used index sampling to develop initial descriptions of white sturgeon populations in Rock Island Reservoir, Lake Rufus Woods, and Lake Roosevelt.
1998	Documented presence of species-specific viral pathogens in wild Columbia River white sturgeon.
1998	Developed two indices to index the relative abundance for age-0 white sturgeon.
1998	Determined that hydropeaking at The Dalles Dam displaces white sturgeon eggs and larvae from incubation areas
1998	Counihan, T.D., A.I. Miller, M.G. Mesa, and M.J. Parsley. 1998. The effects of dissolved gas supersaturation on white sturgeon larvae. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 127:316-322.
1999	Transplanted approximately 3,300 juvenile white sturgeon from below Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Reservoir and 5,500 to John Day Reservoir.
1999	Used trawls to index the abundance of age-0 white sturgeon in Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day reservoirs.
1999	Used gillnets to compare with trawls in The Dalles and John Day reservoirs; used gillnets to index age-0 abundance in McNary, Ice Harbor, and Little Goose reservoirs.
1999	Completed population estimate for Bonneville Reservoir.
1999	Prepared white sturgeon harvest guidelines for 2000.
1999	Counihan, T.D., and C.N. Frost. 1999. Influence of externally attached transmitters on the swimming performance of juvenile white sturgeon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 128:965-970.
1999	Counihan, T.D., A.I. Miller, and M.J. Parsley. 1999. Indexing the relative abundance of age-0 white sturgeon in an impoundment of the lower Columbia River from highly skewed trawling data. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 19:520-529.

Section 3. Relationships to other projects

Project ID	Title	Description

Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2001 cost	Subcontractor

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost

Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase

Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2001 cost
1. Develop and implement mitigation actions that do not involve changes to hydrosystem operation and configuration.	a. Transplant approximately 10,000 juvenile white sturgeon from areas downstream from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles and John Day reservoirs (ODFW).	Ongoing	$130,935
1.	b. Collect, hold, and spawn wild white sturgeon to produce age-specific cohorts and evaluate the feasibility of using artificial propagation as a mitigation tool (CRITFC and USFWS).	2	$331,236
1	c. Conduct laboratory experiments to determine the size at which artificially-propagated white sturgeon should be stocked to avoid predation (USGS).	1	$82,982
2. Develop and implement mitigation actions that involve changes to hydrosystem operation and configuration.	a. Describe the effects of daily dam operations on spawning by white sturgeon by using telemetry to monitor behavior of pre-spawn and spawning fish (USGS).	1	$46,523
2.	b. Describe the effects of dam operations on recruitment by correlating habitat measures with indices of recruitment (USGS and USFWS).	1	$137,626
2.	c. Describe the potential effect of reservoir drawdowns on the physical habitat available for white sturgeon in John Day, Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite reservoirs (USGS).	1	$46,522
3. Monitor and evaluate actions to mitigate for lost white sturgeon production due to development, operation, and configuration of the hydrosystem.	b. Determine if the indices developed from trawling and gillnetting follow similar trends with changes in densities that result from variable recruitment (WDFW, ODFW, and CRITFC).	2	$176,482
4. Assess losses to white sturgeon productivity caused by development and operation of the hydrosystem.	a. Determine if reduced turbidity caused by hydrosystem development influences predation on age-0 white sturgeon (USGS).	2	$82,982
4.	b. Determine sex, maturational status, and reproductive potential of sturgeon in impounded and unimpounded reaches and correlate disease load with reproductive fitness (OSU).	2	$88,830

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost

Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase

FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2002	FY 2003
$300,000	$300,000	$700,000	$400,000

Section 6. Budget for Operations and Maintenance phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2001 cost	Subcontractor

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost

Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase

Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

Task-based budget

Objective	Task	Duration in FYs	Estimated 2001 cost
1. Develop and implement mitigation actions that do not involve changes to hydrosystem operation and configuration.	d. Continue intensive fisheries management and monitoring of harvest in Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day reservoirs (WDFW, ODFW, and CRITFC).	Ongoing	$491,240
3. Monitor and evaluate actions to mitigate for white sturgeon production due to development, operation, and configuration of the hydropower system.	a. Monitor the effects of mitigation actions on impounded populations of white sturgeon (John Day Reservoir in 2001) (ODFW, WDFW, and CRITFC).	Ongoing	$397,918
3.	c. Describe annual variation in white sturgeon recruitment between Bonneville and Priest Rapids dams on the Columbia River and downstream from Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River (USGS, WDFW, and ODFW).	Ongoing	$151,767

Outyear objectives-based budget

Objective	Starting FY	Ending FY	Estimated cost

Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase

FY 2004	FY 2005	FY 2002	FY 2003
$1,200,000	$900,000	$1,250,000	$800,000

Section 8. Estimated budget summary

Itemized budget

Item	Note	FY 2001 cost
Personnel	FTE: ODFW = $54,129 WDFW = $45,392 USGS = $159,204 USFWS = $119,593 CRITFC = $61,569 OSU = $35,000	$474,887
Fringe	ODFW = $18,196 WDFW = $11,458 USGS = $50,761 USFWS = $34,189 CRITFC = $19,395 OSU = $17,500	$151,499
Supplies	ODFW = $66,483 WDFW = $11,875 USGS = $9,435 USFWS = $23,850 CRITFC = $11,424 OSU = $18,000	$141,067
Travel	ODFW = $12,684 WDFW = $12,064 USGS = $2,000 USFWS = $2,080 CRITFC = $5,650	$34,478
Indirect	ODFW = $40,154 WDFW = $18,983 USGS = $84,132 USFWS = $52,350 CRITFC = $35,438 OSU = $18,330	$249,387
PIT tags	# of tags: 22000	$52,800
Subcontractor	Yakima Indian Nation (from CRITFC)	$20,000
Personnel	FTE: ODFW = $143,652 WDFW = $207,588 USGS = $69,076 CRITFC = $23,283	$443,599
Fringe	ODFW = $72,783 WDFW = $53,485 USGS = $25,473 CRITFC = $7,334	$159,075
Supplies	ODFW = $38,762 WDFW = $31,375 USGS = $10,912 CRITFC = $4,620	$85,669
Travel	ODFW = $16,630 WDFW = $28,490 USGS = $4,515 CRITFC = $750	$50,385
Indirect	ODFW = $71,385 WDFW = $75,422 USGS = $41,791 CRITFC = $13,279	$201,877
PIT tags	# of tags: 4300	$10,320
Subcontractor	Yakima Indian Nation (from CRITFC)	$90,000
		$2,165,043

Total estimated budget

Total FY 2001 cost	$2,165,043
Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds	$400,000
Total FY 2001 budget request	$1,765,043
FY 2001 forecast from 2000	$1,950,000
% change from forecast	-9.5%

Reason for change in estimated budget

Tasks not completed in FY99 and FY00 will be completed in FY01 with unspent funds carried over.

Reason for change in scope

No change in scope

Cost sharing

Organization	Item or service provided	Amount	Cash or in-kind

Reviews and recommendations

This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.

REVIEW:
CBFWA Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:

Date:
Jul 14, 2000

Comment:

REVIEW:
NWPPC Funding Recommendation

Recommendation:
Fund

Date:
Sep 13, 2000

Comment:

Rationale: Budget increase inappropriate in this review.

REVIEW:
NW Power and Conservation Council's FY 2006 Project Funding Review

Funding category:
expense

Date:
May 2005

FY05 NPCC start of year:	FY06 NPCC staff preliminary:	FY06 NPCC July draft start of year:
$1,431,916	$1,251,853	$1,251,853

Sponsor comments: See comment at Council's website