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
Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project Management

BPA project number   8812001

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Yakama Indian Nation

Sponsor type   WA-Tribe

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

 NameMel Sampson
 Mailing addressYakima Indian Nation
Fisheries Resource Management
P.O. Box 151
Toppenish, WA 98948
 Phone509/865-6262

BPA technical contact   Kelly Kittel, EWN 503/230-5199

Biological opinion ID   

NWPPC Program number   7.4K.1

Short description
Provide the YIN, the Lead Agency, with the appropriate resources to effectively participate at an acceptable level in the ongoing activities associated with the planning, development, management, and implementation of the YKFP.

Project start year   1982    End year   Unable to determine at this stage of project

Start of operation and/or maintenance   1998

Project development phase   Plan, Implement., and Maint.(One phase of proj) .

Section 2. Narrative

Related projects
-Training & Education: Proj# 8812004 Training Assistance for Personnel for YKFP Needs -Video Monitoring: Proj# 8812005 Estimating adult passage at Roza & Chandler for YKFP objectives, etc. -Fish Technicians: Proj# 8812008 Technical personnel support for field data collection, task activities/assignments and special fishery projects consistent with YKFP objectives. -Quantative Production Objectives, Sh/FC: Proj #8812009 Refining objectives for Steelhead/Fall Chinook and assist in selection of appropriate treatment strategies, risk analysis and monitoring plans. -Yakima Hatchery Construction: Proj# 88-115 Construction of Spring Chinook Supplementation Facilities for YKFP
-Yakima Hatchery Final Design: Proj# 90-69 Design of Spring Chinook Facilities for YKFP -Yakima/Klickitat Monitoring/Evaluation Program: Proj# 95-63 Develop and Test M&E Plans for YKFP -Preliminary Design for Passage and Habitat Improvement in the Klickitat River: Proj# 95-68 Initiates the objectives needed to provide basic information from fisheries surveys, population monitoring, habitat inventory and engineering surveys for passage barriers in the Klickitat River watershed. -YKFP Scientific & Mgt Services (Master To): Proj# 95-64 Projects Contracted to Co-Managers, Washington State

1. YSIS (Yakima Species Interaction Studies)

2. Marking Studies

All of these Tasks represent as aspect of the Goals and Objectives of the YKFP

3. Genetic Management Framework

4. Policy/Management

5. NIT Design; (New Innovative Treatment) one of two methods to be tested in YKFP.

Project history
The YKFP has been in the Fish and Wildlife plan since 1982. The Yakima phase of the Project initially included an all stock initiative. There still remains an all stock initiative but it will be implemented through a phase in process. The Policy Group's preferred alternative that's included within the FEIS is to implement the supplementation aspects for Spring Chinook and develop and implement a monitoring plan for the now released coho in the basin. The other stocks will be implemented through a teiring process. The Klickitat aspect of the Project currently is doing fishery surveys, population monitoring, habitat inventory, and engineering surveys of passage barriers in the Klickitat River watershed. This is consistent with the Preliminary Design Report.

Biological results achieved
N/A

Annual reports and technical papers
Through this Task Order, the YIN as the Lead Agency, has participated in developing the following essential documents; 1. Project Status Report, 2. Uncertainty Resolution Plan, 3. Revised/Final Environmental Impact Statement, 4. Final Cle Elum Hatchery Design, 5. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) w/ Washington State, 6. Memorandum of Understanding w/BPA in process. We also participated in the following YKFP functions; 1. Policy Group Meetings, 2. Science/Technical Advisory Committee, 3. FISHNET Coordination, 4. Project Annual Review, 5. Management/Organizational format for YKFP, 6. Coordinated other Task Order functions, consistent with Goals and Objectives of YKFP and Lead Agency. 7. Water resource and fish passage activities.

Management implications
Although the formal utilization of Adaptive Management has not been realized yet, the Project is designed around this concept. Adaptive management is the conscious decision in favor of action designed to increase understanding as opposed to inaction in the face of uncertainty. With this concept, the introduction and familiarization is in place and ongoing.

Specific measureable objectives
1) To test the assumption that new supplementation techniques can be used in the Yakima River Basin to increase natural production and to improve harvest opportunities, while maintaining the long-term genetic fitness of the native salmonid populations and keeping adverse ecological interactions within acceptable limits;
2) To provided knowledge about the use of supplementation, so that it may be used to enhance anadromous fisheries throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Testable hypothesis
1) New supplementation techniques can be used in the Yakima River Basin to increase natural production and to improve harvest opportunities, while maintaining the long-term genetic fitness of the native salmonid populations and keeping adverse ecological interactions within acceptable limits.
2) That salmonids reared and released under the New Innovative Treatment (NIT) will survive and returns as adults to the Yakima Basin at a higher rate than fish reared under the Optimum Conventual Treatment (OCT) method.

Underlying assumptions or critical constraints
The assumptions for the Upper Yakima Spring Chinook program are contained in Volume 3, Planning Status Report, 1994, Appendix B, Tables 5.1 - 4. This is on file with BPA or can be provided upon request.

Methods
Nine replicates of each treatment (OCT and NIT) for Upper Yakima Spring Chinook will be reared in the Cle Elum Hatchery, transferred and released from established acclimation sites. Survival to smolt and adult will be monitored. The M&E team is refining the experimental design under this Project Task Order. A total of 8 1 0,000 Spring Chinook smolts will be produced to provide 18 treatment groups of 45,000 fish.

Brief schedule of activities
The Cle Elum Hatchery for Spring Chinook is scheduled to be constructed in 1996 and 1997. Brood stock collection will be in Spring of 1997 at the Roza adult trap. Adults will be spawned in Fall of 1997. Juvenile fish will be reared in the hatchery in 1998. The three acclimation sites will be finalized and construction completed. In 1999, smolts are scheduled to be released from the acclimation sites. The monitoring on the out migrating smolts will begin in 1999 and continue through the duration of the project. The returning adults will be monitored in 2000, 2001, etc.

Biological need
Purpose and Need: The YKFP responds directly to the need for knowledge of viable means to rebuild and support naturally spawning anadromous fish stocks in the Yakima River Basin. Many anadromous fish stocks are in serious decline in the Pacific Northwest. One response--conventional fish hatcheries--has traditionally produced large numbers of artificially propagated fish to increase harvest opportunities and, in some cases, to bolster natural production. However, important questions regarding hatchery production have risen.
The YKFP is being designed 1) to provide resource managers with knowledge regarding these issues and 2) to identify and apply improved methods to rebuild and support naturally spawning anadromous fish stocks through supplementation. Supplementation aims to rebuild naturally produced spawning runs by raising and releasing
artificially propagated fish into natural streams and by increasing natural production of both naturally and artificially produced fish.

Critical uncertainties
There is no adequately detailed understanding of optimal techniques for all situations where supplementation may be applied. None of the existing supplementation projects in the Columbia River Basin have adequate facilities for testing the various rearing strategies being proposed for the YFP. Given these uncertainties, and the potential importance of supplementation, it is imperative that this approach be thoroughly evaluated using a systematic, experimental program.

Summary of expected outcome
The monitoring aspect of this project will provide information that will contribute to the evaluation of supplementation as a whole technique in rebuilding natural production in salmonid populations.

Dependencies/opportunities for cooperation

Risks
The Spring Chinook risk assessment document addresses the risks of not meeting the objectives in four categories: Experimentation risk-the risk of not being able to meet the experimentation objectives for the project; Harvest risk - the risk of not being able to meet the harvest objectives for the project; Genetic risk - the risk of not being able to meet the genetic objectives for the project; Natural production/ecological interaction risk - the risk of not being able to meet the natural production/ecological interaction objectives for the project.

Monitoring activity
This Task Order of the project supports the Monitoring Committee in developing and refining the monitoring plans for the YKFP.

Section 3. Budget

Data shown are the total of expense and capital obligations by fiscal year. Obligations for any given year may not equal actual expenditures or accruals within the year, due to carryover, pre-funding, capitalization and difference between operating year and BPA fiscal year.

Historic costsFY 1996 budget data*Current and future funding needs
1993: 250,054
1994: 350,502
1995: 735,841
1996: 644,406
Obligation: 644,406
Authorized: 0
Planned: 644,406
1997: 763,000
1998: 799,000
1999: 799,000
2000: 799,000
2001: 799,000

* 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   Bonneville Dam - Priest Rapids Dam

Recommendation    Tier 1 - fund

Recommended funding level   $763,000

BPA 1997 authorized budget (approved start-of-year budget)   $763,000