U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Pacific Region Columbia River Basin Hatchery Review Team Columbia River Basin, Lower Snake Province Clearwater and Salmon River Watersheds Kooskia, Dworshak, and Hagerman National Fish Hatcheries Assessments and Recommendations Final Report, Appendix B: Briefing Document; Summary of Background Information June 2009 Please cite as: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2009. Dworshak, Kooskia, and Hagerman National Fish Hatcheries: Assessments and Recommendations Appendix B: Briefing Document; Summary of Background Information. Final Report, June 2009. Hatchery Review Team, Pacific Region. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. Available at: http://www.fws.gov/Pacific/fisheries/Hatcheryreview/reports.html. 2 USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 Figure 1. Clearwater and Salmon Subbasin Fisheries Facilities1 1 Modified figure from: NWPPC. 2004. Mountain Snake Province Artificial Production Review and Evaluation (APRE) Report. p.1. USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 Table of Contents I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region ................................................................ 1 II. Dworshak National Fish Hatchery ....................................................................... 81 IIA. DWORSHAK NFH B-RUN STEELHEAD ................................................................... 93 IIB. DWORSHAK NFH SPRING CHINOOK .................................................................... 129 IIC. DWORSHAK NFH CLEARWATER FALL CHINOOK ................................................ 163 IID. DWORSHAK NFH RESIDENT RAINBOW TROUT ................................................... 164 III. Kooskia National Fish Hatchery ....................................................................... 165 IIIA. KOOSKIA NFH SPRING CHINOOK ........................................................................ 178 IV. Hagerman National Fish Hatchery ................................................................... 215 IVA. HAGERMAN NFH B-RUN STEELHEAD ................................................................. 228 IVB. HAGERMAN NFH A-RUN STEELHEAD ................................................................. 255 IVC. HAGERMAN NFH RESIDENT RAINBOW TROUT ................................................... 286 V. Cooperative Programs ......................................................................................... 289 VA. NEZ PERCE TRIBE CLEARWATER RIVER COHO REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM ..... 289 VI. References ............................................................................................................ 301 Appendix B – Table of Contents i USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region A. Watersheds and geographic description The Lower Snake Subbasin encompasses 1,059,935 acres (1,656 square miles) within portions Adams, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Whitman, Garfield and Asotin Counties in the southeastern corner of Washington State (Figure 1). This subbasin includes a portion of the Snake River Mainstem and a number of its tributaries, including Deadman Creek, Almota Creek, Alpowa Creek, and Penawawa Creek. Approximately 5 percent of the Snake River‘s total watershed is located downstream of the Clearwater River at Lewiston, Idaho, and this region is relatively arid compared to the Snake River‘s upstream drainage areas. As such, only a small portion of the Snake River mainstem flow is derived from tributaries located within the Lower Snake Subbasin. (NWPPC Clearwater Subbasin Plan, Nov. 2003, p. 1-2) The Lower Mainstem Snake Subbasin includes 137 miles of mainstem Snake River habitat as well as numerous smaller tributaries. The majority of the Snake River mainstem section of the subbasin is composed of four reservoirs backed up by dams (Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite dams) that are operated for various purposes, including hydropower production and navigation. The lower six miles of the mainstem Snake River are part of the reservoir backed up by McNary Dam on the mainstem Columbia. (NWPPC Lower Snake River Subbasin Plan, May 2004, p.3) Figure 1: Lower Snake River Subbasin (NWPPC Lower Snake River Subbasin Plan, May 2004) The Clearwater River subbasin is located in northcentral Idaho between the 46th and 47th latitudes in the northwestern portion of the continental United States (Figure 2). It is a region of mountains, plateaus, and deep canyons within the Northern Rocky Mountain geographic province. The Appendix B – I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region 1 USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 subbasin is bracketed by the Salmon River subbasin to the south and St. Joe River subbasin to the north. The Clearwater River drains approximately a 9,645 square mile (24,980 km2) area. The subbasin extends approximately 100 miles (161 km) north to south and 120 miles (193 km) east to west (Maughan 1972). Four major tributaries drain into the mainstem Clearwater River: the Lochsa, Selway, South Fork Clearwater, and North Fork Clearwater rivers. The Idaho–Montana border follows the upper watershed boundaries of the Lochsa, Selway, and eastern portion of the North Fork Clearwater rivers in the Bitterroot Mountains. The North Fork Clearwater then drains the Clearwater Mountains to the north, while the South Fork Clearwater River drains the divide along the Selway and Salmon Rivers. Dworshak Dam, located two miles above the mouth of the North Fork Clearwater River, is the only major water regulating facility in the subbasin. Dworshak Dam was constructed in 1972 and eliminated access to one of the most productive systems for anadromous fish in the subbasin. The mouth of the Clearwater is located on the Washington–Idaho border at the town of Lewiston, Idaho where it enters the Snake River 139 river miles (224 km) upstream of the Columbia River. (NWPPC Clearwater Subbasin Plan, Nov. 2003, p.28) Figure 2: Map of the Clearwater River Subbasin and NFH Facilities (NWPPC Mountain Snake APRE Report,2004, p.5) 2 Appendix B – I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 The Snake Hells Canyon subbasin includes the mainstem of the Snake River and the small tributaries that flow into it as the Snake River flows from Hells Canyon Dam to the mouth of the Clearwater River at Lewiston, a length of 109 miles (Figure 3). The Snake River forms the border between Oregon and Idaho for the upper 71 miles of the subbasin and the border between Washington and Idaho for the lower 38 miles. The subbasin contains 862 square miles, or 551,792 acres. About 62% of this area falls in Idaho, 31% is in Oregon and the remaining 7% is in Washington. The subbasin contains part of five counties: Adams, Idaho, and Nez Perce in Idaho; Asotin in Washington; and Wallowa in Oregon. The lower portion of the subbasin contains the town of Asotin and portions of Clarkston and Lewiston. The remainder of the subbasin is either rural or undeveloped. The Salmon, Imnaha, Grande Ronde, and Clearwater rivers, as well as Asotin Creek, are major tributaries that join the Snake River in the Snake Hells Canyon subbasin. These rivers drain a combined area of 19,280 square miles (12,339,200 acres) and dramatically influence the water quality and hydrologic conditions in the Snake River. (NWPPC Snake Hells Canyon Subbasin Plan, May 2004, p.4) Figure 3: Snake Hells Canyon Subbasin ( NWPPC Snake Hells Canyon Subbasin Plan, May 2004, p.4) Appendix B – I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region 3 USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 The Salmon River subbasin covers approximately 36,217 square km (13,984 square miles), or 16.7% of the land area of Idaho and 6% of the land area of the Columbia River basin (Figure 4). Ten major hydrologic units (watersheds) occur within the subbasin: the Upper Salmon, Pahsimeroi, Middle Salmon–Panther, Lemhi, Upper Middle Fork Salmon, Lower Middle Fork Salmon, Middle Salmon–Chamberlain, South Fork Salmon, Lower Salmon, and Little Salmon watersheds. The Salmon subbasin has over 1,900 named streams with a combined length of 15,695 stream kilometers (9,752 miles). These streams flow from headwaters in the Beaverhead, Salmon River, Lemhi, Lost River, Sawtooth, and smaller mountain ranges to the mouth of the Salmon River at its confluence with the Snake River in lower Hells Canyon. The largest of the major watersheds is the Upper Salmon; the smallest, the Little Salmon. (NWPCC Salmon Subbasin Plan, May 2004, p1-7-1-8) Figure 4: Map of the Salmon River Basin (NWPPC Salmon River Subbasin Plan May 2004 p 1-8) 4 Appendix B – I. Introduction to the Lower Snake Region USFWS Columbia Basin Hatchery Review Team Lower Snake NFHs Assessments and Recommendations Report – June 2009 B. Historical distribution of salmon and steelhead throughout region 1. Lower Snake River Subbasin The Lower Snake River Subbasin is home to 18 native and 17 introduced fish species including white sturgeon, rainbow trout, kokanee, mountain whitefish, brown trout, bull trout, chiselmouth, common carp, peamouth, northern pikeminnow, longnose dace, speckled dace, redside shiner, bridgelip sucker, largescale sucker,