HATCHERY AND GENETIC MANAGEMENT PLAN (HGMP) Hatchery Program: McKenzie Hatchery Spring Chinook Salmon Species or Hatchery Stock: Spring Chinook Salmon (stock 23) Agency/Operator: US Army Corps of Engineers / Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Watershed and Region: McKenzie River, Willamette River, Columbia River Date Submitted: February 2016 Revised Draft Submitted: May 04, 2018 Date Last Updated: May 1, 2018 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan (HGMP) describes the current management of the McKenzie Hatchery Spring Chinook Program. This HGMP is required to initiate formal Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7 consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to allow for artificial propagation of threatened natural-origin fish from the Upper Willamette River (UWR) Spring Chinook Salmon Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU). There is a two-part purpose of the McKenzie Hatchery spring Chinook program: to provide ESA conservation benefits, consistent with survival and recovery of the ESU, and, to mitigate for habitat lost or made inaccessible by the construction and operation of Blue River and Cougar Dams, which will provide adult returns to help meet harvest objectives for the McKenzie River, lower basin, and ocean fisheries. Because the McKenzie Hatchery Spring Chinook Program provides important conservation and reintroduction benefits to the natural population, the broodstock will be managed as an integrated stock with the natural population in the McKenzie River. Natural-origin spring Chinook salmon will be regularly incorporated into the hatchery broodstock when conditions permit. Natural-origin spring Chinook integration will be performed at levels that minimize the impact to the natural population. Hatchery spring Chinook spawning naturally in the McKenzie River Basin will be managed at less than 10% proportion of hatchery origin spawners (pHOS) in the entire McKenzie subbasin excluding the intentional reintroduction area upstream Cougar Dam. Increases in the production of natural-origin spring Chinook by additional actions that address other key limiting factors for McKenzie River spring Chinook salmon will also help reduce pHOS over time because pHOS is dependent upon the abundance of natural-origin fish. This HGMP describes several new management actions that are expected to reduce the proportion of hatchery-origin spawners (pHOS) in the McKenzie subbasin (excluding the South Fork McKenzie Basin above Cougar Dam and the McKenzie Basin above Trail Bridge Dam) to less than 10% in the long-term: 1) reductions in hatchery releases, 2) improvements in attraction of hatchery salmon back to the McKenzie hatchery, 3) removal of hatchery Chinook at Leaburg Dam, and 4) improvements in natural-origin returns to Cougar Dam. The hatchery smolt release in the McKenzie River has decreased from 1.2 million to 604,750 fish annually. Modifications to the hatchery ladder entrance went into effect in 2014 and provided immediate improvements to hatchery salmon attraction back to the hatchery in 2015. Additional improvements to the hatchery water supply will provide benefits for better attracting returning adults back to the McKenzie hatchery beginning in 2020. In 2015 and beyond, hatchery Chinook salmon may be removed at Leaburg Dam fish ladder in order to further reduce pHOS in the McKenzie River. Lastly, recent improvement at Cougar Dam (completion of the Water Temperature Control Tower and adult collection facility in 2007) may increase natural-origin Chinook salmon production and reduce pHOS. The HGMP includes the assessment of how these actions will likely reduce pHOS to less than 10% in in the entire McKenzie subbasin with the exception of the intentional reintroduction area above Cougar Dam 2 In 2018 the first full cohort of hatchery fish that have been released under the 604,750 smolt production regime will return as adults; therefore, 2018 will be the first time that the efficacy of the change to the productions level can be evaluated. It is not anticipated that changes to the 604,750 release level will occur until more empirical data is available to demonstrate the results of all of the management changes described above. In the future, the hatchery release level can be adjusted upwards or downwards to better meet conservation (broodstock and outplanting) and fishery goals while meeting pHOS targets. The maximum number of spring Chinook smolts that will be released into the McKenzie Basin is 787,000 at approximately 10 fish per pound (subject to the terms and conditions of any NMFS approval that results from the submission of this HGMP). Beginning with brood year 2018 an additional 261,000 smolts of McKenzie River stock spring Chinook salmon will be produced annually at Leaburg Hatchery for release into Coast Fork of the Willamette River for harvest mitigation which will be funded by ODFW. And beginning with July 1, 2018, ODFW will provide all necessary funding for Leaburg Hatchery operations. 3 SECTION 1. GENERAL PROGRAM DESCRIPTION ............................................................... 6 1.1) Name of hatchery or program. .................................................................................... 6 1.2) Species and population (or stock) under propagation and Endangered Species Act (ESA) status ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.3) Responsible organization and individuals. ................................................................. 6 1.4) Funding source, staffing level, and annual hatchery program operational costs. ......... 7 1.5) Location of hatchery and associated facilities. ........................................................... 7 1.6) Type of program. ........................................................................................................ 8 1.7) Purpose (goal) of Program. ......................................................................................... 8 1.8) Justification for the program. ...................................................................................... 8 1.9) List of program "Performance Standards". ................................................................. 9 1.10) List of program "Performance Indicators” designated by “Benefits” and “Risks". ... 9 1.11) Expected size of program.......................................................................................... 21 1.11.1) Proposed annual broodstock collection level (maximum number of adult fish). 21 1.11.2) Proposed annual fish release levels (maximum number) by life stage and location. ............................................................................................................................... 21 1.12) Current program performance, including estimated smolt-to-adult survival rates, adult production levels, and escapement levels. Indicate the source of these data. ................. 18 1.13) Date program started (years in operation), or is expected to start. ........................... 27 1.14) Expected duration of program. ................................................................................. 28 1.15) Watershed targeted by program. ............................................................................... 28 1.16) Indicate alternative actions considered for attaining program goals. ....................... 28 1.16.1) Key issues and alternatives. .................................................................................. 28 SECTION 2. PROGRAM EFFECTS ON ESA-LISTED SALMONID POPULATIONS ......... 29 2.1) List of ESA permits or authorizations in hand for the hatchery program. ................ 29 2.2) Provide descriptions, status, and projected take actions and levels for NMFS ESA- listed natural populations in the target area. ............................................................................. 30 2.2.1) Description of ESA-listed salmonid population(s) affected by the program. ........... 2.2.2) Status of ESA-listed salmonid population(s) affected by the program................. 32 2.2.3) Describe the hatchery activities, including associated monitoring and evaluation and research programs that may lead to the take of NMFS listed fish in the target area, and provide estimated annual levels of take. ................................................ 39 SECTION 3. RELATIONSHIP OF PROGRAM TO OTHER MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................................... 43 3.1) Describe alignment of the hatchery program with any Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU)-wide hatchery plan or other regionally accepted policies. Explain any proposed deviations from the plan or policies. ......................................................................................... 43 3.2) List all existing cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, memoranda of agreement, or other management plans or court orders under which the program operates. 48 3.3) Relationship to harvest objectives. ........................................................................... 49 3.3.1) Describe fisheries benefiting from the program, and indicate harvest levels and rates for program-origin fish for the last twelve years, if available. ............................. 49 3.4) Relationship to habitat protection and recovery strategies ....................................... 49 3.5) Ecological interactions. ............................................................................................