Private Nonprofit Salmon Hatchery Permit Application
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APPLICATION PRIVATE NONPROFIT SALMON HATCHERY PERMIT STATE OF ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME I. IDENTIFICATION OF APPLICANT A. Private Nonprofit Corporation Name: Sitka Sound Science Celller Address: P.O. Box 13 73 Sitka, Alaska 99835 Phone 907 747 8878 (Pl ease attach a copy of Articles of Incorporation for the above nonprofit corporation organi zed in accordance with Alaska Statute 10.20) B. Individual Completing This Form Name: Li sa Busch /Jim Seeland Address: P.O. Box 13 73 Sitka. Alaska 99835 Phone: 9077478878 C. Relation to Above onprofit Corporation Director of Sitka Sound Science Center/ Board ViceChair 2 II . STATEMENT OF APPLICANT'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Ex pl ain why you have decided to apply for a hatchery permit and what yo u generall y ex pect to accompli sh by the operation of the proposed hatchery. The Sitka Sound Science Center (SSSC) is applying fo r a permit to operate the Sheldon Jackson Hatchery (SJH). SSSC has been managing SJI-I since 2007 when the permi t holder (PNP permit #3), Sheldon Jackson Coll ege, cl osed its doors. SJI-I has been in operation since 1975 and has provided a base for in struction of vari ous fi sheries courses over the years. The hatchery was one of many traini ng tools that SJC offe red in their Environm ental Sciences program. Additionall y, n l11d s fro m salmon cost recovery operations provided foundational funding for the hatchery. For the past three years SSSC has occupi ed the Sage Building whi ch houses, in part, the hatchery. The organi zation negotiated a 10 year lease on the buil di ng and has empl oyed quali fied professionals to staff the hatchery. Many needed repairs have been made to SJ H along with daily maintenance under SSSC's watch. Thi s permit appli cation wi ll be an integral part of SSSC's mi ssion of fo stering fisheries education and research in the Si tka Sound area. SSSC has established strong relati onships with NSRAA, UAS Fi sheries Technology Program, local fish processors, the community of Sitka and govenm1ent agencies and expects to develop and expand collaborati ve relationships in the future. The organizati on desires to continue operati ons of SJI-I into the foreseeable future, with an eye toward instruction of fi sheri es-related subj ects, supporting research efforts, and utili zing cost recovery of returning ad ul t salmon to help fund hatchery operations. This perm it is requesting an increase of pink salmon green egg numbers from I million to 3 million eggs. The increased release of pinks will allow for considerably hi gher cost recovery revenue in the coming years. The increased number of released fry wil l not require any increase in infrastructure costs and onl y a slight increase in operational costs. Local processors have expressed strong support for th is increase and there is a ready market for these fi sh. The other aspect of the new permit request that vari es from the current PNP Permit #3 is that SJI-I would li ke to reduce chinook releases to 0, down ii-om 100,000 in the current permit. SSSC would also like to see the coho egg numbers increased from the current 150,000 to 25 0,000. The reasoning behind thi s change is due to very poor returns of adult chinook over many years. Coho survivals have been considerably bener than chinook, salmonid lifestage instructi on is very similar for both species, and there is a ready market fo r coho through local processors. Chum salmon production would remain the sa me as in PNP Permit #3. One million green eggs will be taken, incubated and released fro m SJI-I. An additional 9 million chum eggs will be taken at the Medvejie Hatchery, incubated there and then rearedlreleased from the Deep Inlet remote rearing site. SSSC has negoti ated a cost recovery contract with NSRAA whi ch provides much-needed revenue for SJ I-I hatchery operations and provides a substanti al contribution to the common property fi shery. FTP's are in place which allow for the transfer of eggs from either SJI-I to Medvej ie and vice versa should there be a short fal l of chum salmon eggs at either facil ity. This exchange offers an element of security for both sites. 3 III. PRODUCTION GOALS AND HATCHERY SITE INFORMATION Millions of eggs req uired for hatchery A. Egg Capacities by species at start-up at capacity Pi nk Sal mon 3.000.000 3.000.000 Chum Sal mon 10.000.000 10.000.000 Coho Salmon 25 0.000 25 0. 000 B. Location Description I. Site (stream a nd/or lake name, ADF&G str eam number, and exact geographical coordinates) INDIAN RIVER: Geographi c coordinates 57 °03 ' 00 " N . latitude, 1350 019 ' 13 " W. longitude. Lot 7 of the Sheldon Jackson College subdi vision located at 834 Lincoln Street Sitka, A laska on Crescent Bay. The lot includes the hatchery tanks, raceways, the roe shed, The M ill Build ing and the Sage Buil ding. Built in 1929, the Sage building is part of the Sheldon Jackson Coll ege National Historic Landmark, designated by the National Park Service. 2. Site Physical Description (attach topographic map and photographs of proposed site). Photos and maps are in A ppendices G and J) a. Topography The hatchery occupies approximately 18,500 sq ft of fi lled waterfront lands. There is a 3 1,216 sq ft tidelands lease associated with the faci lity. The parcel is primaril y rock with some fill , trees and vegetation to the waterside. b. Geology There is only a mi ld slope to the property but it is primari ly level fill. Geology of the area is generall y thi n- to med ium-bedded interstratified graywacke and argilli te and sla ty argil lite" (ibid: 13 ). Ove rl ying the bedrock on northern Bara nof Island are un consolidated depos its of all uvium , glac ial debri s, and vo lca ni c ash. In Sitka, the In dian Ri ver delta and much of Sitka Natio nal Hi stor ical Park is compri sed of alluvium that has been reworked by marine processes (SNHP 1998:100). c. Soils Rip rap and shot rock fill covered by a thin layer of soil and vegetation. Soils in the Sitka area are ty pi ca ll y classifi ed as spodosols. Soil s aroun d Sitka ha ve becn classifi ed by Rieger et al. ( 1979: 152- 154) as "typi c cryoh um ods, loam y, hil ly to steep hu mic cryorthods, and ve ry gra ve ll y. http://dnr.alaska. gov/parks/oha/castl eh ill/chpmvo . htm 4 C. Current Land Usc and Ownership Status I. Have the land or usage rights been acquired? Yes. SSSC has a long term lease with Sheld on Jackson Co llege for the Sage Building 2. What is (will be) the legal form of any usage rights? QUI' legal lease for Sage bui lding, which includes th e hatchery, wa ter ri ght s and ea sements. The wa ter ri ghts for the Sheldo n Jackson Hatchery are conveyed with the lease of th e property (see Append ix A: Hatc hery Water Lin e Easement). 3. List the additional state and federal pennits needed by the applicant to build and operate the proposed hatchery. Examples may include: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permit; Department of Na tural Resourccs Water Use, Land Use, and Tidelands Lease Permits; and U.S. Forest Se rvice Land Us e Permit. Use Permits (land and water) N/A D. Water Supply The water quantity, minimum and Maxim temperatures, and the amounts of silt loading wi ll be criti ca l fac tors in the evaluation of wMer suppl y adequacy. Care should be exercised in the evaluation of these questions. I. Source (e.g., lake, stream, well, spring). Indian Ri ver. 113-41-019 2. Water' source characteristic (e.g., substrate, size of drainage area, gradient, ground water characteristics). Measured values of suspended sediments in Indian Ri ver are quite low (USGS 2002) between 1.0 and 4.0 mg/L. Indian Ri ver flows through a large U-shaped post glacial vall ey, with elevati ons in the basin ranging from sea level to about 3,700 feet. A large porti on o f the upper basin drains alpine regions while the valley 1100rs relati vely wide, l1at and covered by muskeg and spruce forest. In the distal reach, the ri ver bi sects Sitka National Hi storic Park. The lower 0.4 miles of the Indian Ri ver can be characterized as a low gradient gravel-cobble bed alluvial channel. The drainage area is 12.3 miles. 5 3. Water quality characteristics (in every case, cite the qualifications of the individual making the assessment and the methodes) used). SEE PAGE 13, APPENDIX B a. Recommended parameters to measure for evalu ating potential hatchery water supply. E ithe,' fill out the table below or attach a copy of the water quali ty analysis conducted. Levels for the hatchery water Water Onalities Standards source Alkali nity at least 20 mg/L as caCO.] SEE APPRENDIX B Arse ni c <0.05 mg/L Page 13 Bari 1II11 <5 .0 mg/L) Cadmi um <0.0005 mg/L « 100 mg/L alkalinity <0.005 mg/L (::: 10 0 mg/L alkal inity) Carbon dioxide < 1.0 mg/L Chloride <4 .0 mg/L Copper <0.006 mg/L « 100 mg/L alkal ini ty) <0.03 mg/L (::: 100 mg/L alkalini ty) Dissolved oxygen >8.0 mg/L Hydrogen sulfide <0.003 mg/L Iron <0.1 mg/L Lead <0.02 mg/L Magnes ium < 15 mg/L Mercury <0.0002 mg/L N icke l <0.0 I mg/L N itra te (NO, ) < 1.0 mg/L N it rate (NO, ) <0.1 mg/L N itrogen (N, ) < I 100/0 total gas pressure «1030/0 ni trogen gas) Petroleum (oil ) <0.00 I mg/L pH 6.