Snake River Fall Chinook Brood Origin

Lyons Ferry Hatchery and Production of Snake River Fall Chinook: A Qualified Success Story.

Mark Schuck

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Lower Snake River Fish and Wildlife Compensation Plan - 1976 • Fall Chinook – 18,300 adults/year • Tucannon Spring Chinook – 1,132 adults/year to the river • Summer Steelhead – 4,656 adults/year to project rivers • In-place and in-kind (genetic integrity) • Resident fish – fishing opportunity – 67,500 angler days LFH Fall Chinook Production Goals (18,300 adults)

• 9.16 million subyearling smolts (101,880 lbs) – about 90 fpp (80 mm) – expected smolt-to-adult return (SAR) of 0.2% • Idaho Power Co. mitigation for Hells Canyon Complex – for 1.3 million eyed eggs – due after LFH reached 80% of capacity • Program to be built from Endemic Snake Chinook Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon Population and ESU Structure

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tel. 206.860.3405 fax. 206.860.3400 a Fall Chinook Egg Bank Program Goals • To maintain the population through artificial propagation until LFH could become operational. • Accelerate LFH startup by having multiple brood sources. • To monitor and maintain the genetic integrity of the stock. • Involved – NMFS, USFWS, WDFW (Old WDF) Sources of Broodstock for Lyons Ferry Hatchery During the First 4 Years

100% 90% 80% 70% 60% LFH 50% 40% IHR 30% KFH 20% 10% 0% 1984 1985 1986 1987 Lyons Ferry Fall Chinook Production Releases

3 Millions 2

0 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001

Yrl-direct Yrl-barge Subyrl-direct Subyrl-barge Stock Composition at Lyons Ferry based on CWT expansions

100

0 1987 1988 1989 1990

Lyons Ferry Umatilla Other • All 1989 brood juveniles were marked with CWT or BWT and released as subyearlings, and would not be used for broodstock. • No more incorporation of wild (unmarked) fish into broodstock. • Began trapping at LGR Dam in 1990 to: – reduce strays spawning naturally. – estimate stray rate at LGR. – supplement broodstock for LFH. • This Action moved Fall Chinook into a more collaborative forum that required better co-manager involvement. Co-Management History • NPT initiates a fall Chinook study in the lower Clearwater – 1988 • NPT formulates a plan for the construction and operation of NPT Hatchery – cir. 1988 • Numerous research projects in region prompts interested parties to initiate fall Chinook Technical meetings to improve coordination – cir. 1991. • Snake River Chinook listed under ESA in 1992 – Federal co-managers get involved. Co-Management History (continued)

• NPT envisions modified LFH fall Chinook program by addition of 3 FCAP facilities above LGR Dam – cir. 1994. • Fall Chinook Technical coordination meetings become regular and biannual (Prior to this time, most “coordination” was conducted under the US v OR forum). • FCAP facilities begin operation with fish from LFH - 1996 Co-Management History (continued) • Cooperative research initiated to address issues of adult returns (yearling and subyearling performance), straying, and spawning ground survey refinement – circ. 1996. • Co-managers agree on the need for a Snake basin Chinook management plan. Believe the plan can affect decisions regarding management under ESA – circ. 2002. • NPTH begins operation – 2003. Co-Management Success • Completion of a draft Snake River Hatchery Management Plan detailing production priorities, broodstock management, disease management, etc. (Cooperators = WDFW, NPT, CTUIR, USFWS, IDFG, IPC, NOAA, ODFW)

• Result – Draft presented in US v OR, and production priorities adopted for long term implementation. Production Program Priority Rearing Facility Number Age Release Location(s) Marking

225KAdCWT+VIE 450,000 1+ On station 1 Lyons Ferry 225K CWT +VIE 70K AdCWT 150,000 1+ Pittsburg Landing 2 Lyons Ferry 80K CWT only 70K AdCWT 150,000 1+ Big Canyon 3 Lyons Ferry 80K CWT only 70K AdCWT 150,000 1+ Captain John Rapids 4 Lyons Ferry 80K CWT only 5 Lyons Ferry 200,000 0+ On station 200K AdCWT 100K AdCWT 6 Lyons Ferry 500,000 0+ Captain John Rapids 100K CWT only 300K Unmarked 100K AdCWT 7 Lyons Ferry 500,000 0+ Big Canyon 100K CWT only 300K Unmarked

100K AdCWT 200,000 0+ Pittsburg Landing 8 Lyons Ferry 100K CWT only

9 Oxbow 200,000 0+ Hells Canyon Dam 200K AdCWT 10 Lyons Ferry 200,000 0+ Pittsburg Landing 200K Unmarked Direct stream evaluation 11 Lyons Ferry 200,000 0+ 200K AdCWT Near Captain John Rapids 12 DNFH/Irrigon 250,000 0+ Transportation Study a 250K PIT tag only 13 Lyons Ferry 200,000 0+ Grande Ronde River 200K AdCWT 14 DNFH/Irrigon 78,000 0+ Transportation Study a 78K PIT tag only 15 Umatilla 200,000 0+ Hells Canyon Dam 200K AdCWT 16 Lyons Ferry 200,000 0+ Grande Ronde River 200K Unmarked 17 Umatilla 600,000 0+ Hells Canyon Dam 600K Ad only TOTAL Yearlings 900,000 Subyearlings 3,528,000

Lyons Ferry Fall Chinook Production Releases

3 Millions 2

0 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 Yrl-direct Yrl-barge Yrl-Accl Subyrl-direct Subyrl-barge Subyrl-Accl Subyrl-IP Co-Management Success • Adoption of a consolidated basin wide marking plan for hatchery production (WDFW – NPT – IDFG – IPC – with buy off by NOAA Fisheries)

• Result – significant improvement in ability to reconstruct the run of Chinook that escape above LGD to spawn. Estimated Contributions of Fall Chinook 15000 Adult Returns to Lower Granite Dam, 1975-2006 14000 13000 12000 Stray 11000 Snake Hatchery 10000 9000 Wild/Natural 8000 7000 6000 Chinook listed 5000 under ESA 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '05 Return Year Original chart – Jay Hesse Management Actions Past and Present

Past Present Hatchery Lyons Ferry Lyons Ferry Acclimation Ponds Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery Idaho Power Company

Habitat Stable Hells Canyon Flows Flow/Temperature Augmentation

Hydrosystem Transportation Transportation Summer Spill

Harvest Reduction in Take Reduction in Take

* Slide Courtesy of Jay Hesse and Billy Connor Cooperative and Joint Management Effort

Funding Source Implementers Hatcheries Lower Snake River WDFW Compensation Plan NPT BPA/NPCC IPC IPC CTUIR ODFW IDFG Monitoring and Lower Snake River Redd Counts (NPT, IPC, USFWS, Evaluation Compensation Plan WDFW) BPA/NPCC Juvenile behavior and survival BLM (USFWS, NPT, USGS, NOAA) IPC Hatchery performance (WDFW, NPT) COE Run Reconstruction (WDFW, NPT, PSC (Southern NOAA, UofI, USvOR-TAC) Boundry Fund) So after all the cooperative efforts to meet co-managers needs and desires, and building the program back from the brink of the 1989 stray disaster –

We are now successful – right?? Fall Chinook Returns to the Snake River: Natural and LSRCP Production

28,000 24,000 20,000 18,300 16,000 12,000 7,500 8,000 2,500 4,000 0 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 Fish LSRCP Goal Habitat Capacity TRT Interim Things we now know

• Fall Chinook abundance has increased, but the extent to which that will be maintained and can be attributed to recent changes in management vs merely improvements in ocean productivity is uncertain.

• Hatchery releases upstream of Lower Granite Dam have increased the abundance of spawners in natal habitat, with assumed contribution to increased production.

• Adult abundance via annual run-reconstruction of fish to Lower Granite Dam. (Close to mitigation and minimum viability abundance!) What we don’t know that could hurt us!

• The contribution/influence of hatchery fish on natural fish productivity

• The productive capacity of remaining habitat

• Whether hatchery programs are affecting the life history structure of the natural population

• Long-term viability of an ESU with only a single extant population spatial structure and diversity What Qualifies our Success?

• Can hatcheries be part of the ESA solution, or will they continue to be considered part of the problem?

• Can Mitigation due to the States and Tribes be pursued in an ESA world? How do you implement potentially conflicting Congressional Mandates?

• Collaborative Approach is the only way to eventually answer these questions. Contributors

• Jay Hesse – NPT • Bill Arnsberg – NPT • Debbie Milks – WDFW • Billy Connor - USFWS Funding Provided by QUESTIONS?