BPA Fish and Wildlife FY 1997 Proposal

Section 1. Administrative
Section 2. Narrative
Section 3. Budget

see CBFWA and BPA funding recommendations

Section 1. Administrative

Title of project
Phalon Lake Wild Rainbow Trout Trapping and Spawning Facility

BPA project number   5513300

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
WDFW

Sponsor type   WA-State/Local Agency

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

BPA technical contact   ,

Biological opinion ID   N/A

NWPPC Program number   10.8B.25

Short description
Planning, engineering, design, construction and operation and maintenance of wild rainbow trout trapping and spawning facility at Phalon Lake. Project will allow for the continuation and possible expansion of an existing temporary WDFW trapping and spawning facility which supplies wild Kettle River origin rainbow trout for stocking area lakes and the Kettle and Spokane rivers.

Project start year   1997    End year   1998 - construction, ongoing O&M

Start of operation and/or maintenance   1999

Project development phase   Planning

Section 2. Narrative

Related projects
Not directly related to any other FWP project. This project is an important component of a project funded by Washington Water and Power (WWP) to enhance wild trout populations in the upper Spokane River. A portion of the production from this facility would be planted into the Spokane River as part of an agreement between WWP, WDFW and the Spokane Fly Club. This project also addresses the need to use more vigerous broodstocks to plant mixed-species waters in the upper Columbia Basin to enhance survival and improve recreational fishing.

Project history
WDFW has operated a make-shift, temporary trapping and spawning operation at Phalon Lake utilizing wild rainbow trout broodstock obtained from the Kettle River since the late 1980's. In recent years, the numbers of fish trapped and eggs obtained have declined due,in part, to poor conditions for holding and spawning adults. This project was first subbmitted and adopted into the FWP in 1995.

Biological results achieved
We hope to obtain up to 1,000,000 eggs from this facility annually for stocking into the Kettle River, Spokane River and area mixed-species lakes. This program will help restore wild trout populations in the selectes stream systems and result in increased trout survival from plants in local lakes.

Annual reports and technical papers
Information used to generate this project summary included annual hatchery production reports and DJ/WB reports. The origional idea for the wild rainbow broodstock program using Phalon Lake resulted from a two year study of the Kettle River completed by WDFW research biologists between 1987 and 1989.

Management implications
The current trapping and wild stock supplementation program at Phalon Lake has been limited by problems with trapping and spawning facilities. However, monitoring of the results from stocking these fish has been very encouraging. WDFW believes that with better facilities even better results can be achieved from this project. Increased production will allow for a more complete assessment of the effects of using wild broodstock to restore depleted wild trout populations and increase the survival and contribution to the creel of trout planted into mixed-species lakes in the upper Columbia Basin.

Specific measureable objectives
The specific measurable objectives for this project are: 1) to construct permanant facilities for trapping and spawning enough adult broodstock to obtain 1,000,000 wild natuve rainbow trout eggs annually from Phalon Lake; and 2) to utilize the production from this facility to rebuild wild rainbow trout populations in the Kettle and upper Spokane rivers. A secondary objective is to evaluate Phalon Lake rainbows as a means to increase the survival and contribution to the fishery from stocking selected mixed-species lakes.

Testable hypothesis
That wild captive broodstock maintained in a natural lake are superior to hatchery brookstock for supplementing depleted natural stream populations of rainbow trout, and that the increased vigor of of fry derived from wild broodstock will survive at a greater rate when stocked into mixed-species lakes.

Underlying assumptions or critical constraints
The primary underlying assumption of this project is that the proposed facilities will increase the efficiency, consistency and success of obtaining wild rainbow trout eggs from Phalon Lake.

Methods
The project involves the provision of electrical power to this remote site, construction of a concrete weir and holding facility, and instalation of a large pump to creat additional attraction flow to the trap site.

Brief schedule of activities
Facility design, equpment purchase and permitting will occur in the winter, and construction will begin in the summer of FY97. First spawning will occur in FY98, with operation and maintenance continuing on an ongoing basis as results of stream and lake stocking components of the project are evaluated.

Biological need
This project is required to obtain enough eggs to assess the use of wild captive broodstock to: 1) rebuild native rainbow trout populations in the Kettle and Spokane rivers, and 2) increase the survival of trout plants into mixed-species lakes. In the first case, the need is to rebuild native trout populations inpacted by development activities and over-fishing. In the second case, the biological need to increase the survival an contribution to the fishery of rainbow trout planted into mixed-species waters.

Critical uncertainties
The most critical uncertainities of this project relate to 1) the performance of the broodstock in meeting the the two previously described biological objectives, and 2) the effect that improved facilities will have on our ability to meet the production objecties of this project.

Summary of expected outcome
Form the results of work to date, it appears that the Phalon Lake captive broodstock program will succeed in providing a biologically and environmentaly sound supplementation method for use in wild stock recovery for native rainbow trout, and in increasing the survival of planted trout fry in mixed-species lakes by utilizing a stock which is more agressive and capable of surviuving in the wild.

Dependencies/opportunities for cooperation
This project is dependant on the use of other WDFW hatchery facilities and staff, as well as WWP and tribal, WWP and WDFW biological staffs to collect and spawn broodstock, to rear and transport fish, and to monitor the results of stocking efforts. This project is supported by UCUT and, depending on the results, may be expanded for use into other areas of the upper Columbia Basin.

Risks
There is a slight possibility that the proposed low-cost facilities for wild broodstock trapping at Phalon Lake may not be sufficient to meet the objective of obtaining 1,000,000 eggs annually. In that case additional funding may be needed. Their are some risks associated with supplementation for rebuilding wild stocks. We will use supplementation principles developed from other studies on salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin to assure the preservation of genetic integrity and siversity.

Monitoring activity
A study funded by WWP will be used to monitor all aspects of native trout recovery on the upper Spokane River. The WDFW will continue to monitor populations and fisheries on the Kettke River and in area lakes stocked with fish from this project. WDFW will construct and operate the broodstock collection facilities and coordinate spawning activities associated with the Phalon Lake project. The condition of the Phalon Lake catptive brooddtock will be evaluated annually and results used to determine the stocking rate of Phalon Lake.

Section 3. Budget

* For most projects, Authorized is the amount recommended by CBFWA and the Council. Planned is amount currently allocated. Contracted is the amount obligated to date of printout.

Funding recommendations

CBFWA funding review group   Resident Fish

Recommendation    Tier 2 - fund when funds available

Recommended funding level   $71,700