COLVILLE TRIBES September, 2019 | Volume 35 FISH & WILDLIFE NEWS

CHIEF JOSEPH HATCHERY UPDATE SPECIAL THANKS TO THE COLVILLE CONFEDERAT- In July, CJH staff was busy with male adults were collected for brood- PROJECT PARTNERS summer chinook broodstock col- stock at the fish weir site in the Okan- ED TRIBES REINTRODUCE lection, caring for juveniles on sta- ogan River. A total of 1,404 hatchery SALMON UPSTREAM tion and prepping for spring chinook adults and 41 hatchery jacks have been OF CHIEF JOSEPH AND spawning. In the beginning of August, removed from the CJH ladder and dis- broodstock collection continued be- tributed to tribal members. GRAND COULEE DAMS fore shifting focus to spring chinook CJH staff will continue to care for Several cultural releases took place spawning which began on August 14. the juveniles on station as well as prep along the Upper Columbia River to • Spring Chinook broodstock col- for summer chinook spawning set to reintroduce adult salmon to their his- lected: 339 Females, 318 Males, 8 Jacks begin in October. Staff will also shock toric habitat. The releases were the • Integrated Summer Chinook col- and pick the spring chinook eggs in first of its kind since salmon were cut lected to date: 321 Females, 245 Males, order to enumerate them and estimate off from the Upper Columbia by the 93 Jacks eggs per-female. construction of both Grand Coulee • Segregated Summer Chinook col- Dam in 1941 and Chief Joseph Dam lected to date: 281 Females, 251 Males, Chief Joseph Hatchery Employees in 1955. The cultural releases are part 31 Jacks of the Month are: July - Joe Frank and of a larger plan to pursue fish passage August - Zach Wilson-Arthur Another 8 wild and 2 hatchery fe- into the blocked areas. Thirty adult chinook were released SELECTIVE HARVEST & HATCHERY BROOD COLLECTION into Lake Rufus Woods on August 9, er levels within the state government 2014 at the Future of Our Salmon Con- upstream of Chief Joseph Dam. Thir- Despite forecasts for low numbers and on a national front. At the first ference which supported restoring ty more were released on August 16 at of adult salmon returning to the Up- release he said, “Our elders teach us salmon back to historic waters. Soon the Keller Boat Launch upstream of per Columbia River, more than 23,000 that each of us has a purpose on this after that, a 15-tribe coalition devel- Grand Coulee Dam and an addition- summer chinook and 49,000 sockeye earth and so do the salmon and we’ve oped a phased approach to fish pas- al 30 were released near Kettle were counted at Wells Dam. The se- seen the negative impacts to salmon sage and the Northwest Power and Falls, Washington on August 23. lective harvest crew managed to col- and it’s time to right something that’s Conservation Council adopted a sim- lect 893 hatchery and 519 wild adult Colville Tribal Chairman Rodney been wrong for 80 years now.” ilar approach. chinook for Chief Joseph Hatchery Cawston has embraced fish passage This effort gained momentum in “This has been a team effort involv- broodstock needs. and has brought the efforts to high- ing council members, Upper Colum- “We started fishing on July 8 and For Additional Information Contact: bia United Tribes staff and Colville ended on August 14, said Brian Di- Tribes Fish and Wildlife staff,” said etz, fisheries biologist for CTFW. “We CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF THE Friedlander. “The ceremonial re- fished a total of 26 days and complet- COLVILLE RESERVATION leases are a great start and allow the ed 113 sets with an average set dura- Randy Friedlander, membership and others to participate tion of 22 minutes.” Director of Fish and Wildlife in this great endeavor.” “Our goal was to collect all hatch- 1 Colville Street PO Box 150 Nespelem, WA 99155 INSIDE THIS ISSUE ery broodstock needed, then focus [email protected] on the tribes’ allocation of hatchery 1 Salmon Cultural Release or chinook and sockeye for distribu- 2 Salmon Cultural Release tion to the membership while freez- up harvesting 2,051.” Michelle Campobasso, 3 Lamprey Release ing enough salmon for ceremonies Fisheries staff set up a weir in the Public Relations Specialist and funerals,” said Dietz. “Based off 1 Colville Street PO Box 150 Okanogan River on August 19, to col- Selective Harvest & Nespelem, WA 99155 4 of the sockeye run size for 2019 we lect the rest of the hatchery brood. Chief Joseph Hatchery targeted 2,000 sockeye, and we ended [email protected] 4 “At about the same time the ceremo- LAMPREY RELEASES CONTINUE IN SEVERAL LOCAL TRIBUTARIES nial releases took place, we released an additional 60 summer chinook into Pacific lamprey are rarely seen in the Okanogan sub-basin but Rufus Woods for a tracking study,” said fisheries managers are working hard to change that. Efforts have Casey Baldwin, research scientist for been underway since 2017 with multiple releases happening every CTFW. “This study will help to answer year. Recovery of this fish species is a cooperative effort between several important monitoring ques- agencies, tribes and hydroelectric operators. tions, such as fallback rate, post release “Lamprey translocated into the Okanogan sub-basin are captured movement behavior, release site effec- at downriver mainstem Columbia hydroprojects,” said John Rohr- tiveness and whether or not the fish back, fisheries biologist for CTFW. “The lamprey that were trans- find and use the spawning habitat.” located in August were captured at Priest Rapids Dam, brought to The adult summer chinook used Wells Dam where they were measured and PIT tagged, and then we in the releases came from the Wells released them into the Okanogan.” Hatchery since that facility has sur- “During late July through early September for the past few years, plus fish and a history of infrequent Grant PUD fisheries staff deploy and lower four perforated me- IHN virus detections. The Washing- chanical lamprey traps into both the right and left-bank fish ladders ton Department of Fish and Wildlife at Priest Rapids Dam to be fished during the night when lamprey performed the fish health screenings are most actively migrating,” said Mike Clement, biologist for Grant for IHN, a virus that could affect res- County PUD. “The following morning the traps are retrieved, ident trout. Each group of salmon are duction of marine derived nutrients at existing dams, life cycle modeling, checked, and fish collected are transferred to a fish holding facility.” tested before they are released into the for stream, riparian, forest and wildlife. cost and financing considerations, and blocked areas. Future sampling efforts over the next five to seven years should a final report. Phase I also includes Fish passage and reintroduction provide fisheries managers the data they are looking for. The data The tribes’ goals for reintroduc- ceremonial and educational releases. work performed by UCUT and its collected will provide indications of spawning and rearing success. tion include: member tribes include: implement- • Phase II involves interim passage • Meet cultural and ceremonial “The goal is to reestablish a viable lamprey population but it’s too ing a phased approach that will con- facilities and experimental pilot re- needs of the tribes by reconnecting early to tell if the fish have successfully spawned, but the fish we sider important science and feasibility leases of non-ESA listed salmon into salmon with their historic habitat and have released have been detected at PIT arrays in the streams where questions and work with state, federal blocked areas. reconnecting salmon with the people. they were released, in the mainstem Okanogan, and even in down- and local stakeholders to systematical- • Contribute to knowledge about stream locations,” Rohrback said. ly evaluate and implement fish passage movement, survival, and behavior into the blocked area: Since 2017, over 500 lamprey have been released by CTFW. Lam- of fish in the streams, reservoirs and prey have been released into the Similkameen River, Omak Creek, dams that will answer key uncertain- • Phase I included habitat assess- Salmon Creek, the Okanogan River, and the mainstem Columbia ties or better inform the development ments to determine the quantity and immediately downstream of the mouth of the Okanogan. of experimental designs for studies in suitability for spawning and rearing, later phases of reintroduction. fish stock and risk assessments (which • Provide opportunity for salmon looked at the genetic, disease, compe- to spawn in the natural environment tition, predation risks and benefits of to generate offspring for downstream 40 stocks of fish across five species: fisheries and future stock for addition- spring chinook, summer/fall chinook, al reintroductions. steelhead, sockeye, and coho), evalua- • Ecosystem benefits such as reintro- tion of passage facilities, technologies

Picture provided by Grant County 2 PUD of a trap used to catch lamprey 3