NEZ PERCE HARVEST MONITORING Annual Report December 1, 2005 - November 30, 2006 Prepared by David P. Statler and Aaron Gould Department of Fisheries Resources Management Nez Perce Tribe Lapwai, Idaho and Joseph Oatman Looking Glass Consulting Lapwai, Idaho and Rishi Sharma Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Portland, Oregon Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Division of Fish and Wildlife Portland, Oregon 97208-3621 Project Number: 2002-060-00 Contract Number: 25460 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Snake River Compensation Plan 1387 South Vinnell Way, Suite 343 Boise, Idaho 83709 Cooperative Agreement Number 14110-6-J014 January 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.......................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT AREA............................................................ 3 METHODS................................................................................................................... 5 Developed Harvest Monitoring Plan for Zone 6 and Snake River Tributaries......... 5 Determined Potential Run Sizes............................................................................... 7 Bonneville Dam.................................................................................................... 7 Snake River and Tributaries................................................................................ 8 Prepared Biological Assessments and Tribal Resource Management Plans............ 10 Biological Assessments........................................................................................ 10 Columbia River Fisheries................................................................................ 10 Snake River Basin........................................................................................... 11 Tribal Resource Management Plans.................................................................... 14 Grande Ronde Tribal Resource Management Plan......................................... 14 Imnaha River Subbasin Tribal Resource Management Plan........................... 18 Conducted Fisheries and Implemented Harvest Monitoring Methodology as 24 Planned........................................................................................................................... Disseminated Data.................................................................................................... 24 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................. 26 REFERENCES............................................................................................................. 28 APPENDIX A 2006 Snake River Basin Spring and Summer Chinook Sampling Plan.................... A-1 APPENDIX B Biological Assessment of Impacts of the Proposed Nez Perce 2006 Fisheries in the Snake River Basin................................................................................................ B-1 APPENDIX C Tribal Resource Management Plan-Grande Ronde River Spring Chinook Salmon Fisheries............................................................................................................ C-1 APPENDIX D Annual Fishery Implementation Plan for Nez Perce Grande Ronde Spring Chinook Fisheries - 2006............................................................................................... D-1 APPENDIX E 2007-2011 Nez Perce Tribal Management Plan for Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook in the Imnaha River Subbasin......................................................................... E-1 APPENDIX F Nez Perce Tribe Annual Fishery Implementation Plan for Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook in the Imnaha River Subbasin - 2006.................................... F-1 i LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Nez Perce Snake River Basin fishery locations for spring/summer Chinook salmon, ESA status and presence of hatchery and/or wild ESA components……………………………………………………………………. 3 2 2006 Nez Perce Tribe Snake River Basin spring/summer Chinook salmon monitoring and sampling structure and approach per fishery location……….. 6 3 2006 in-season forecast of spring/summer Chinook returning to Lower Granite Dam, Snake River……………………………………………………. 8 4 2006 projected Snake River tributary returns of adult spring and summer Chinook………………………………………………………………………… 9 5 Snake BA projected 2006 Nez Perce harvest of spring/summer Chinook salmon by location and incidental mortality of listed stocks............................. 12 6 Proposed harvest rates for marked (H) and unmarked (W) adult spring Chinook at various projected adult run sizes into Catherine and Lookingglass Creeks, upper Grande Ronde River, and Wallowa/Lostine river system............ 15 7 Distribution and management of adult Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon returning to the Lostine River in 2006.................................................... 17 8 Nez Perce harvest sliding scale and corresponding take levels for Imnaha River spring Chinook returns ……...................................................................... 19 9 Projected adult returns of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon in the Imnaha River in 2006 (revised ODFW Annual Operation Plan data)...........….. 22 10 Distribution and management of adult Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon returning to the Imnaha River in 2006..............................................….. 23 11 Summary of Nez Perce Tribe harvest targets and actual harvest for Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon, 2006..................................................… 24 12 Estimated Nez Perce harvest of salmon and steelhead during 2006 Zone 6 fisheries................................................................................................................ 26 13 Location specific target take limits and actual estimated take of listed Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon by Nez Perce fishers, 2006.................... 26 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Nez Perce Tribe Reservation and 1855 Treaty Area in Idaho, Washington and Oregon…………………………………………………………………………. 4 2 Proposed harvest rates for marked (H) and unmarked (W) adult spring Chinook at various projected adult run sizes into Catherine and Lookingglass Creeks and the Lostine and upper Grande Ronde Rivers ...........................…… 16 3 Imnaha River Harvest Matrix for Adult Snake River Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon................……........................................................................................... 20 4 2006 distribution of spring Chinook salmon between treaty harvest, hatchery broodstock requirement, and natural escapement or other management use........ 23 iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The primary objective of the Nez Perce Harvest Monitoring project (NPHMP) is to develop and implement a biologically sound anadromous fish harvest and harvest monitoring program. To accomplish this during 2006, we applied a step-wise harvest planning and implementation approach to specific fisheries during the reporting period, as follows: • Developed harvest monitoring plan for Zone 6 and Snake River tributaries. • Determined potential run sizes. • Prepared Biological Assessments and Tribal Management Plans. • Conducted fisheries and implemented harvest monitoring methodology. • Disseminated data. FY 2006 harvest management and monitoring activities for the Nez Perce Tribe encompassed Tribal treaty fishing activities in tributaries located in southeast Washington, northeast Oregon, and a majority of central Idaho. Within this area, the Tribe has the reserved right to access 50% of the fish available for harvest. The Tribe is responsible for developing the plans necessary to insure that proposed harvest is biologically and legally sound and that it occurs in the manner designed (i.e. take numbers, locations, dates and gear types). The 2006 Snake River Basin treaty tributary fisheries were designed and conducted consistent with Nez Perce Tribal Code, the Treaty of 1855, and the established U.S. v. Oregon harvest management framework (U.S. v. Oregon Parties 2005) The final 2006 Snake River Basin Spring and Summer Chinook Sampling Plan was completed on April 14, 2006, under subcontract with Looking Glass Consulting. Input to this plan was also provided by Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission biometrician expertise and NPHMP staff. The sampling plan guided the collection of catch data to determine Tribal fishing effort and fisher catch per hour or harvest per unit effort, which were applied to calculate estimated total catch or harvest for specific tributaries. Inseason monitoring of the catch composition of hatchery- vs. natural-origin and listed vs. unlisted fish (dependent upon existence and type of mark) was implemented so that numerical harvest guidelines and constraints could be tracked and appropriate steps taken to modify or close individual fisheries. Notably, the specific fisheries monitored and discussed in this report did not encompass all “usual and accustomed” fishing sites reserved to the Nez Perce Tribe under the Treaty of