Feasibility of Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish Above or Within the Hells Canyon Complex James A. Chandler Editor Technical Report Appendix E.3.1-2 December 2001 Hells Canyon Complex FERC No. 1971 Copyright © 2003 by Idaho Power Company Evaluation of Reintroduction Alternatives James A. Chandler Fisheries Biologist Don Chapman BioAnalysts, Inc. Technical Report Appendix E. 3.1-2 Feasibility of Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish above or within the Hells Canyon Complex Chapter 11 December 2000 Revised July 2003 Hells Canyon Complex FERC No. 1971 Copyright © 2003 by Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Chapter 11: Reintroduction Alternatives TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................. i List of Tables.................................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Methods...................................................................................................................................... 1 2.1. Downstream Migration Survival....................................................................................... 1 2.1.1. Free-Flowing River Segments.................................................................................. 2 2.1.2. Reservoir Segments.................................................................................................. 4 2.1.3. Brownlee Reservoir.................................................................................................. 4 2.2. Estimates of Smolt-to-Adult Returns ................................................................................ 6 2.3. Estimates of Required Escapement................................................................................... 7 2.3.1. Low Required Escapement (LRE) ........................................................................... 7 2.3.2. High Required Escapement (HRE) .......................................................................... 8 2.4. Reintroduction Scenario Evaluations................................................................................ 8 2.4.1. Scenario 1: Free-Flowing River Passage ................................................................. 8 2.4.2. Scenario 2: Passage at Hells Canyon Dam and Oxbow Dam .................................. 9 2.4.3. Scenarios 3A and 3B: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability ............................................................................................................... 9 2.4.4. Scenario 4: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability, Upper Reservoir Collection .................................................................................... 10 2.4.5. Scenarios 5A and 5B: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability, Collection and Transport at Brownlee Dam ...................................... 10 2.4.6. Scenarios 6A and 6B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, Collection at Swan Falls Dam....................................................................... 10 Hells Canyon Complex Page i Feasibility of Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish Idaho Power Company 2.4.7. Scenarios 7A and 7B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, Collection at Swan Falls Dam, Collection and Transport at Brownlee Dam 11 2.4.8. Scenario 8A and 8B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, 100% Bypass at Brownlee Dam ................................................................... 11 2.4.9. Scenarios 9A and 9B: Collection at C.J. Strike Dam, 100% Bypass at Brownlee Dam......................................................................................................................... 11 3. Results ...................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1. Free-Flowing River Scenario .......................................................................................... 12 3.2. Oxbow and Hells Canyon Scenarios............................................................................... 12 3.2.1. Scenario 2: Passage at Hells Canyon Dam and Oxbow Dam ................................ 12 3.3. Upstream of Brownlee Dam Scenarios ........................................................................... 13 3.3.1. Scenarios 3A and 3B: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability ............................................................................................................. 13 3.3.2. Scenario 4: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability, Upper Reservoir Collection .................................................................................... 14 3.3.3. Scenarios 5A and 5B: Passage of Adults at Brownlee Dam—1957 Subbasin Availability, Collection and Transport at Brownlee Dam ...................................... 14 3.4. Upstream of Swan Falls Dam Scenarios......................................................................... 15 3.4.1. Scenarios 6A and 6B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, Collection at Swan Falls Dam....................................................................... 15 3.4.2. Scenarios 7A and 7B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, Collection at Swan Falls Dam, Collection/Transport at Brownlee Dam ...... 16 3.4.3. Scenarios 8A and 8B: Passage of Adults from Hells Canyon Dam to C.J. Strike Dam, 100% Bypass at Brownlee Dam ................................................................... 16 3.4.4. Scenarios 9A and 9B: Collection at C.J. Strike Dam, 100% Bypass at Brownlee Dam......................................................................................................................... 16 4. Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 17 4.1. Ability to Maintain Production Potential ........................................................................ 17 4.2. Assumptions.................................................................................................................... 18 4.2.1. Survival Estimates.................................................................................................. 18 Page ii Hells Canyon Complex Idaho Power Company Chapter 11: Reintroduction Alternatives 4.2.2. Smolt-to-Adult Returns and Required Escapement Assumptions ......................... 18 4.2.3. The “No-Fishing” Assumption............................................................................... 21 4.3. Subbasin Smolt Production............................................................................................. 21 4.4. Hatchery Supplementation .............................................................................................. 23 4.5. Costs of Reintroduction................................................................................................... 24 4.5.1. Facilities ................................................................................................................. 24 4.5.2. Operations .............................................................................................................. 25 4.6. Feasibility of Reintroduction........................................................................................... 25 4.6.1. Goals of Reintroduction ......................................................................................... 25 4.6.2. Recovery and the Evolutionarily Significant Unit ................................................. 26 4.6.3. Ecosystem Recovery .............................................................................................. 27 4.6.4. Harvest Potential .................................................................................................... 28 4.6.5. Marine-Derived Nutrients ...................................................................................... 29 5. Summary and Conclusions....................................................................................................... 30 6. Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................ 31 Hells Canyon Complex Page iii Feasibility of Reintroduction of Anadromous Fish Idaho Power Company LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Number of spring/summer chinook and steelhead PIT-tagged and released at the Salmon River trap near Riggins and at the Snake River trap near Lewiston, recovered at four downstream dams (Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, and McNary), and rate of recovery. Data are from Buettner and Brimmer (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998). ....................................... 39 Table 2. Description of reintroduction scenarios evaluated................................................ 40 Table 3. Mortality coefficients and survival estimates of spring chinook salmon, steelhead, and fall chinook salmon for different reaches of the Snake River. .......................................................................................................... 41 Table 4. Required adult escapement of spring