BPA Fish and Wildlife FY 1998 Proposal

Section 1. Summary
Section 2. Goals
Section 3. Background
Section 4. Purpose and methods
Section 5. Planned activities
Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation
Section 7. Relationships
Section 8. Costs and FTE

see CBFWA and BPA funding recommendations

Section 1. Summary

Title of project
Yakima Hatchery - Construction

BPA project number   8811500

Short description
Capital expenses for construction of the upper Yakima River spring chinook hatchery at Cle Elum, Washington, and three satellite acclimation facilities in the upper Yakima River Basin. The O & M for the hatchery will be included in project number 97-013 This project responds directly to a need for knowledge of viable means to rebuild and maintain naturally spawing anadromous fish stock. In proposing and implementing the Yakima Fisheries Project (YFP), BPA and the project managers seek knowledge about how resource managers can use the strategy of supplementation in their efforts to protect and mitigate for impacts on stocks of anadromous fish in the Yakima River Basin. The YFP is designed (1) to provide resource managers with knowledge regarding these issues and (2) to identify and apply improved methods for carrying out hatchery production and supplementtion of natural production.

Business name of agency, institution or organization requesting funding
Yakama Indian Nation PO Box 151 Toppenish, WA 98948

Proposal contact person or principal investigator

Section 2. Goals

General
Supports a healthy Columbia basin; maintains biological diversity; maintains genetic integrity; increases run sizes or populations; provides needed habitat protection; adaptive management (research or M&E)

Section 3. Background

Stream area affected

Stream name   Yakima River
Stream miles affected   To Be Provdied
Hydro project   Off site mitigation for all Federal dams
Project is an office site only   N/A
Subbasin   Yakima River
Land ownership   Public (BPA)
Acres affected   15 out of 500 acres purchased will be developed plus about 6 acres for the three acclimation sites

History
Project facilities are being constructed in response to Program measure 7.4K.1. A Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Yakima Fisheries Project has been completed, and a Record of Decision (ROD) to proceed with hatchery construction was signed by BPA on March 13, 1996. BPA began construction contractor solicitation upon completion of the ROD. Construction of the Cle Elum central production facility began in May 1996. The central facility will be completed in May 1997 with initial broodstock due on station in earily May. Hatchery staff are being selected and will be on station starting in April.
Certain aspects of the central facility will be constructed beginning in FY 1998 as a result of deferral decisions regarding available funding in FY 1997. The major categories of work deferred until FY 1998 are the monitoring and evaluation building, interpretive center signs, land acquisition for well field sites CE5 and CE6a, well pumps and piping installation for wells CE5 and CE6a.
Land acquisition and final design for the three acclimation sites is scheduled to begin in 1997. Final design should be completed by the end of the first quarter of FY 1998 (December 1997). Construction of the acclimation sites will begin in earily 1998 and all sites are expected to be complete by late calander year 1998, in time for initial outplanting of smolts in the January/February period of 1999.

Biological results achieved
The construction project has not yet produced biological results. First adult broodstock are due on station in May of the 1997.

Adaptive management implications
The project will use an adaptive management policy in order to achieve project goals and protect the basin’s fishery resorces from unforseen, adverse project impacts. The effects of management actions are monitored and evaluated, and programs, procedures, and facilities may all be modified in response to these findings.
Quantitative production objectives for upper Yakima spring chinook have been refined and are based oncomputer simulations using the Ecosystem Diagnostic and Treatment Planning Model developed under the Regional Assessment of Supplementation Project.
The project responds directly to a need for knowledge of viable means to rebuild and maintain naturally spawning anadromous fish stocks. BPA and the project managers (Yakama Indian Nation and WDFW) seek knowledge about how resource managers can use the strategy of supplementation in their efforts to protect and mitigate for the impacts on stocks of anadromous fish in the Yakima River Basin.

Section 4. Purpose and methods

Specific measureable objectives
Construct, operate, and maintain upper Yakima River spring chinook salmon production facilities in order to conduct research activities designed to increase knowledge of supplementation techniques. These techniques would be applied to rebuild naturally spawning anadromous fish stocks in the Yakima River Basin and ultimately, to rebuild those throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Critical uncertainties
Critical uncertainties are contained in the Final EIS for the Yakima Fisheries Project. The project’s M & E plan is due to be issued in April 1997. The M & E Plan will contain a summary of the projects critical uncertainities and risks.
The project will provide an aproach to resolve specific uncertainties related to the effectiveness of supplementation and to the selection of treatments for fish in the artificial environment. The project will incorporate two repeated tests or treatments: a New Innovative Treatment using incubation, rearing, and release techniques that attempt to produce smolts with attributes and, consequently, survival, similar to those of wild or native fish. The second approach is the Optional Conventional Treatment. This approach is to incubate, rear, and acclimate salmonids using the currently accepted “Best Technology” used at state, Tribal, and Federal hatcheries.

Biological need
There is need for more knowledge of supplementation techniques and for mitgation for anadromous fish losses.

Alternative approaches
See the Final YFP EIS for more detail. This project will rely on adapative management as noted above. This project is to construct, operate and maintain anadromous fish production facilities in order to conduct research activities designed to increase knowledge of supplementation techniques. These techniques would be applied to rebuild naturally spawning Upper Yakima River spring chinook, a stock historically present in the Yakima River Basin and ultimately, to rebuild those throughout the Columbia River Basin.

Section 5. Planned activities

Constraints or factors that may cause schedule or budget changes
Risk analysis is contained in the Final EIS for the Yakima Fisheries Project.

Section 6. Outcomes, monitoring and evaluation

SUMMARY OF EXPECTED OUTCOMES

Expected performance of target population or quality change in land area affected
Annual production of 810,000 upper Yakima spring chinook smolts. Knowledge of supplementation techniques needed to rebuild anadromous fish runs.

Contribution toward long-term goal
Production of Upper Yakima Basin spring chinook salmon

Indirect biological or environmental changes
Please reference the F EIS for a detailed discussion of the biological and environmental impact of the project and mitigation proposed to respond/study the affects.

Physical products
The goal is to produce 810,000 upper Yakima River spring chinook in the central production facility for later acclimation in three sites. A total of 500 acres of land was acquired with development of about 15 for the central production faciity. Land acqisition for the three acclimation sites is not yet complete but should be by July 1997. It is anticipated that about 6 acrea will be needed in total for the three sites.

Environmental attributes affected by the project
Reference the F EIS.

Changes assumed or expected for affected environmental attributes
Reference the F EIS

Measure of attribute changes
Reference the F EIS

Assessment of effects on project outcomes of critical uncertainty
There is a complete M & E plan to guide the review of critical uncertainties and adaptive management.

Information products
There will be monthly and yearly report the activities accomplished under this project. See O & M and M & E projects associated with this project.

Provisions to monitor population status or habitat quality
There is an M & E plan that will guide the activities under this project. The F EIS also discusses monitoring status of the target stock.

Data analysis and evaluation
Per the M & E plan

Information feed back to management decisions
There is a structure in place for this project, as described in the F EIS for feeding information back into the policy management group.

Critical uncertainties affecting project's outcomes
The M & E plan calls for feedback to the policy group. Regular Planning Studies Reports will be prepared every year.

Incorporating new information regarding uncertainties
There is a comprehensive planning cycle that will provide this information for the policy group.

Increasing public awareness of F&W activities
The project will rely on the policy of adaptive management to guide fisheries management decisions regarding this project. The project will increase public awarness of the fisheries enhancement work through various public information programs, annual project reviews, and scientific reports. Both the State of Washington (WDFW) and the Yakama Indian Nation will share in the getting the work out to the public.

Section 7. Relationships

Opportunities for cooperation
NEPA completed 3/96 with the issuance of the ROD.

Section 8. Costs and FTE

1997 Planned  $8,300,000