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
Lake Roosevelt Monitoring / Data Collection Program

BPA project number   9404300

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Spokane Tribe

Sponsor type   WA-Tribe

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

BPA technical contact   Charlie Craig, EWP 503/231-6964

Biological opinion ID   Task No. 2.1.d

NWPPC Program number   10.8B.5

Short description
Monitor and evaluate the effects of mitigation activities and Columbia River Operations on the biota in Lake Roosevelt. Based on the information collected by this and other projects, develop biological / integrated rule curves.

Project start year   1994    End year   2005

Start of operation and/or maintenance   

Project development phase   Implementation

Section 2. Narrative

Related projects
The Lake Roosevelt Monitoring Program (BPA No. 8806300) was incorporated into this program as of 1996. This program monitors and evaluates the effects of kokanee salmon and rainbow trout outplanting into Lake Roosevelt by the Spokane Tribal Hatchery (BPA No. 9104600), Sherman Creek Hatchery (BPA No. 9104700) and the Lake Roosevelt Net Pen Project (BPA No. 9500900). The Habitat Improvement Project (BPA No. 9001800 ), the Chief Joseph Kokanee Enhancement Project (BPA No. 9501100), Lake Roosevelt Sturgeon Project (BPA No.9502700), and the Native Fish Stock Status (NPPC No. 10.8B.26) will provide information essential to the development of biological / integrated rule curves.

Project history
The Lake Roosevelt Monitoring / Data Collection Program is the result of a merger between two projects, the Lake Roosevelt Monitoring Program (BPA No. 8806300) and the Lake Roosevelt Data Collection Project (BPA No. 9404300). These projects were merged because each required support staff and data from the other project to complete its deliverables.

The Lake Roosevelt Monitoring Program began July 1988. The intent of the project was to: (1) determine the status of fish stocks in Lake Roosevelt before construction of habitat improvement projects and hatcheries; (2) Evaluate contribution of habitat improvement projects and hatcheries to the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries, (3) provide recommendations to hatcheries for outplanting strategies which maximizes harvest of kokanee and rainbow trout and kokanee egg collection.

In 1991, the Lake Roosevelt Data Collection Project began operating under the Lake Roosevelt Monitoring Project Contract Number. The purpose of the Data Collection Project was to assist the resident fish workgroup of the System Operation Review with the development of the EIS. The Project collected data on biotic indices of Lake Roosevelt believed to be effected by the operations of Lake Roosevelt. Those indices included zooplankton density and biomass, water quality, fish growth and fish entrainment through Grand Coulee Dam. In 1994, the Data Collection Project was given its own contract and project number.

The merged projects, Lake Roosevelt Monitoring / Data Collection Program, combined its efforts in 1996 to continue the work historically completed and identify data needs to develop a biological rule curve for Lake Roosevelt.

Biological results achieved
This project is a research project and does not have a direct effect on the number or quality of fish, habitat or wildlife in Lake Roosevelt. However, recommendations from this project to mitigation projects and federal operators of Lake Roosevelt has had a positive effect on the fishery. The number of kokanee harvested and returning to egg collection facilities has increased over 4 fold over the past three years. The rainbow trout and walleye harvest has grown from 5 to 20% a year over the past five years.

Annual reports and technical papers
Lake Roosevelt Monitoring Project Annual Reports received by BPA are 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. The 1993, 1994 and 1995 annual reports are currently being assimilated. Monthly progress reports are available from May 1993 - December 1995.
Lake Roosevelt Data Collection Project annual reports received by BPA are 1991, 1992 and 1993. The 1994 and 1995 annual reports are currently being assimilated. Monthly progress reports are available from June 1991 through December 1995.

Management implications
This project has recommended changing the outplanting strategies of hatchery reared kokanee from age 0+ to age 1+. Kokanee outplanted as 0+ age fish were not readily observed in the creel. We believe the 0+ fish were being entrained out of Lake Roosevelt and predators were consuming the small fry sized fish. Those kokanee released as 1+ fish are more plentiful in the creel and at egg collection facilities.

The rainbow trout raised in net pens are released later in the spring than in the past. Entrainment was believed to have a large effect on the number of rainbow trout available for harvest. Through Floy tag studies we were able to show that fish released later in the spring were more abundant in the harvest than early spring releases. As a result, a greater number of rainbow trout are now harvested due to the change in release times.

The release strategies recommendations are examples of changes in the management strategies of the fishery in Lake Roosevelt. Without these changes the fishery would not be doing as well as it is now.

Specific measureable objectives
Table 1. Biological Objectives for Lake Roosevelt.

Species Stock HarvestGoal (#) Escapement Goal (#) Total Adult Fish # lbs YearAchieved
kokanee hatchery 290,000 10,000 300,000 2.0 2000
kokanee (adfluvial) wild 120,000 60,000 180,000 1.5 *
rainbow trout net pen 190,000 NA 190,000 2.0 1997
rainbow trout (interim-adfluvial) wild 12,000 6,000 18,000 2.0 2000
rainbow trout (adfluvial) wild 150,000 74,000 224,000 2.0 Finalt
walleye wild 131,000 U 131,000 1.5 1996
NA = not applicable, U = unknown at the present time,. * = target date will be determined upon completion of baseline investigations, t = target date will be determined after interim goal is achieved.

Testable hypothesis
The overlying hypothesis for this project is based on the measurable objectives written above. The hypothesis is: objectives will be achievable if biological / integrated rule curves are created; recommendations are developed; and sent forth to mitigation activities that will minimize sport fish entrainment, predation and maximizes harvest, wild spawning, and return to egg collection facilities.

Underlying assumptions or critical constraints
Lake Roosevelt contains or will contain conditions in which substantial numbers of resident fish of high quality will be available for harvest and at the same time Lake Roosevelt water will be available for salmon flows.

Methods
Conduct a year-round reservoir wide creel survey to determine angler use, catch rates, and composition, harvest by species, harvest of wild versus hatchery (or net-pen), fish growth and condition of fish harvested, number of anglers using Lake Roosevelt and the angler’s contribution to the local economy.

Conduct monthly relative abundance surveys by electrofishing, hook and line, gill netting, and/or trawling at nine index sites to collect fisheries population information. Tagged and marked fish will be collected to determine the most effective hatchery release strategies and kokanee ability to home back to the release sites during spawning migration.

Collect zooplankton via Wisconsin vertical tows, weekly at nine sites within Lake Roosevelt and two sites in Rufus Woods. Model zooplankton population dynamics and reproduction rates to identify the effect of water retention time, water temperature, and fish predation of zooplankton population dynamics.

Monitor reservoir hydrology weekly at eleven sites using a Hydrolab Surveyor II. Conduct a mark/recapture study of hatchery-reared kokanee and rainbow by tagging 50% of hatchery kokanee with coded-wire tags and tag 20% of the hatchery rainbow trout reared in net pens with Floy tags.

Monitor the number of tagged kokanee and rainbow entrained through Grand Coulee Dam by creel surveys at Rufus Woods Reservoir and monitor the number of tagged fish collected at Rock Island Dam fish passage facility.

Drip synthetic chemicals at hatcheries to imprint hatchery-reared kokanee, and drip synthetic chemicals at egg collection facilities to encourage the return of spawning adults.

Conduct daily creel surveys and weekly electrofishing surveys at egg collection sites from September 1 through October 31 to collect tagged kokanee.

Map the availability of fish habitat in Lake Roosevelt at different lake elevations.

In collaboration with appropriate states and tribes, compile and analyze data from studies completed by other investigators in Lake Roosevelt and develop a computer simulation model that will predict the best reservoir operations for the resident fish populations in Lake Roosevelt. This model will be used to create the biological rule curve.

Develop an integrated rule curve that will incorporate the biological rule curve with flood control, power, irrigation, anadromous fish, and wildlife rule curves.

Brief schedule of activities
Continue this program at least through the year 2005. A biological rule curve will be presented to the Council in 1998. An integrated rule curve will be presented in 1999. The rule curve will be evaluated through the year 2005.

Biological need
The natural production of kokanee and rainbow trout in Lake Roosevelt is limited due to a lack of habitat and prohibitive lake operations. The artificial production projects were developed to fill the niches not being used in the lake due to a lack of natural production. Current operations of Lake Roosevelt impair or prohibit shore line spawning for most of the sport fish in the lake. Also, Lake Roosevelt is a large body of water with relatively few tributaries. Even if the tributaries were fully seeded they could not produce the number of fish necessary to sustain a fishery in this size of lake. Thus, the artificial production component is a key aspect of managing the fishery in the Lake.

Critical uncertainties
To what extent does lake operations effect the various trophic levels of the ecosystem.

Summary of expected outcome
Each year meet or exceed the measurable objectives identified herein.

Dependencies/opportunities for cooperation
The Spokane Tribe has provided $200,000 dollars for building an adult kokanee salmon collection facility on the southeastern boundary of the reservoir (Little Falls Dam). The facility will be constructed by the fall of 1996 and will enable the tribe to collect kokanee salmon eggs from migrating adults. This in conjunction with the Sherman Creek Hatchery should provide enough kokanee salmon eggs to meet the biological objectives of the cooperative programs on Lake Roosevelt.

Risks
If this project is not implemented the fisheries of Lake Roosevelt are at risk.

Monitoring activity
This is a monitoring program for the hatcheries and net pen projects on Lake Roosevelt. The Hatchery Coordination Committee (one seat each for the Spokane Tribe, Washington Department of Wildlife and Colville Tribe) review the methods and recommendations of this project.

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 1 - fund

Recommended funding level   $1,242,800

BPA 1997 authorized budget (approved start-of-year budget)   $1,642,800