FY07-09 proposal 200303900

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Section 1. Administrative

Proposal titleMonitor Repro In Wenat/Tuc/Kal
Proposal ID200303900
OrganizationWDFW and NOAA
Short descriptionWe propose to continue our quantitative evaluation of the relative reproductive success and survival of naturally spawning hatchery and natural origin spring Chinook salmon in the Wenatchee River watershed above Tumwater Dam.
Information transferWe are explicitly planning for a high degree of coordination and collaboration between this project and three other hatchery fish reproductive success projects that we are also directly involved with: the Yakama Nation/WDFW Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP), WDFW Lower Snake River Compensation Program (LSRCP) in the Tucannon River, and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center's BPA-funded genetic monitoring project in the Snake River Basin. The YKFP involves a large-scale spring Chinook supplementation program in the Yakima River Basin, and its monitoring and research program has many of the same goals and methods we propose in the current project. The LSRCP in the Tucannon is a long-term supplementation evaluation project. The Snake River Genetic monitoring program involves a variety of genetic monitoring experiments of spring/summer Chinook and steelhead in the Snake River Basin, including a DNA-pedigree-based reproductive success experiment for steelhead on Little Sheep Creek. Key personnel are shared among this proposed project and the YKFP and LSRCP (Pearsons, WDFW) and the genetic monitoring project (Ford, Moran, NMFS), allowing for a high level of collaboration in experimental design and data analysis.
Proposal contact person or principal investigator
Contacts
ContactOrganizationEmail
Form submitter
Andrew Murdoch WDFW murdoarm@dfw.wa.gov
All assigned contacts
Michael Ford NMFS/NWFSC mike.ford@noaa.gov
Andrew Murdoch WDFW murdoarm@dfw.wa.gov
Ted Nelson WDFW nelsotfn@dfw.wa.gov
Todd Pearsons Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife pearstnp@dfw.wa.gov

Section 2. Locations

Province / subbasin: Columbia Cascade / Wenatchee

LatitudeLongitudeWaterbodyDescription
Wenatchee River Location of Tumwater Dam and the site at which all DNA samples from returning adults are collected.
Wenatchee River Location of smolt traps from which all juvenile DNA samples will be collected.
Wenatchee River Mouth of the Wenatchee River

Section 3. Focal species

primary: Chinook Upper Columbia River Spring ESU

Section 4. Past accomplishments

YearAccomplishments
2005 A total of 4,210 spring Chinook were counted at Tumwater Dam. DNA was extracted for all spring Chinook trapped at Tumwater Dam (N = 4,204) and genotypes at 11 microsatellite loci will be scored by January 2006. Submitted 2004 annual report.
2004 A total of 2,896 spring Chinook were counted at Tumwater Dam. DNA was extracted for all spring Chinook trapped at Tumwater Dam (N = 2,887) and genotypes at 11 microsatellite loci have been scored for all 2004 adults.

Section 5. Relationships to other projects

Funding sourceRelated IDRelated titleRelationship
BPA 200301700 Integrated Status/Effect Progr Provides partial funding for the construction ($25,500) and operation ($64,728) of the lower Wenatchee River smolt trap (the location where juvenile DNA samples are to be collected).
Other: Chelan County PUD NA Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for Chelan PUD funded Hatchery Programs Provides partial funding for the operation of the lower Wenatchee smolt traps ($94,703) and spring Chinook spawning ground surveys ($37,831).
Other: Grant County PUD NA Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for Grant PUD Funded Hatchery Programs Provides partial funding for spawning ground surveys ($31,176).
BPA 199506325 YKFP - Monitoring And Evaluation We will coordinate and compare findings from this project
Other: LSRCP [no entry] Evaluation of supplementation in the Tucannon River We will coordinate and compare findings with this project
BPA 198909600 Genetic M&E Prog For Sal/Steel We will coordinate and compare findings with this project
Other: Douglas County PUD NA Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for Hatchery Programs funded by Douglas County PUD This project is designed to evaluate the use of supplementation as a strategy to increase naturally produced spring Chinook. We will coordinate and compare findings with this project

Section 6. Biological objectives

Biological objectivesFull descriptionAssociated subbasin planStrategy
Differences in biological traits Hatchery fish may not produce as many progeny as natural fish in natural environments for a variety of reasons. For example, hatchery fish may select inappropriate areas to spawn (e.g., poor water flows or depths), spawn at inappropriate times (Chandler and Bjornn 1988; Leider et al. 1984; Nickelson et al. 1986), construct redds inappropriately (e.g., dig redds that are too shallow to withstand flooding), and die before gametes can be released. Non-representative broodstock selection can skew run timing. Collecting, holding, and spawning salmon broodstock can remove selection pressures for spawning in the natural environment such as competing for mates, digging deep redds, maintaining energy stores and other factors. Any deviation from wild fish will be assumed to be maladaptive in natural environments. Wenatchee Supplement to Subbasin Plan 1. Continue to evaluate ecological interactions between hatchery and naturally produced fish. 2. Continue evaluating spawning interactions between hatchery and naturally produced fish.
Estimate the relative reproductive success We propose to use a powerful genetic method for obtaining estimates of the number of progeny produced by individual breeding adults. Briefly, we will obtain DNA samples from potential spawners and their putative offspring and use highly polymorphic genetic markers to reconstruct pedigrees for individual fish in natural and hatchery environments. Experiments of this sort involve: a) non-lethally collecting a tissue sample and other biological information (hatchery versus natural origin, morphological characteristics, run timing, etc.) of potential spawners in a natural spawning area and a nearby hatchery, b) collecting samples of progeny resulting from these spawners at varying life-stages up to and including returning adults, c) estimating the fitness of different classes of fish by using genetic markers to assign progeny to their parents. This technique has been successfully used to estimate the relative reproductive success in a variety of species (DeWoody and Avise 2001; Morgan and Conner 2001; Neff et al. 2000a; Smouse and Meagher 1994; Smouse et al. 1999), including salmonids (Bentzen et al. 2001; Berejikian et al. 2001; Ford et al. 2002). Wenatchee Supplement to Subbasin Plan 1. Continue to evaluate the use of supplementation to enhance or sustain the productivity of wild and naturally spawning populations of focal species through the use of innovative artificial propagation methods.
Long term fitness of hatchery fish Objective 3 is to estimate the relative fitness of the natural-origin descendants of hatchery-origin fish after they have experienced one full generation in the natural environment. This phase of our study will begin in 2008 with the four-year-old returns of the natural-origin descendants of the hatchery-origin adults genotyped in 2004. This phase of the study will use essentially the same methods described for Objective 1, except the natural fish category will be subdivided into natural fish with 0, 1 or 2 hatchery origin parents, as established by reconstruction of the pedigrees of individual adult offspring. This part of the study will rely primarily on the "two-step" analysis methods, because it will be necessary to know the origins of the parents of the natural spawners, although we will explore modification of the one-step models to this situation. Wenatchee Supplement to Subbasin Plan 1. Continue to evaluate the use of supplementation to enhance or sustain the productivity of wild and naturally spawning populations of focal species through the use of innovative artificial propagation methods.

Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)

Work element nameWork element titleDescriptionStart dateEnd dateEst budget
Produce Environmental Compliance Documentation Environmental Compliance (WDFW) Ensure field activities are in compliance with ESA Permits 2/1/2007 1/31/2010 $6,215
Biological objectives
Metrics
Manage and Administer Projects Manage and Administer Projects (NMFS and WDFW) Project oversight, coordination, and planning. 2/1/2007 1/31/2010 $6,215
Biological objectives
Metrics
Produce Status Report Produce Monthly Progress Reports (NMFS and WDFW) Produce monthly PISCES reports 2/1/2007 1/31/2010 $6,215
Biological objectives
Metrics
Manage and Administer Projects Project oversight of juvenile and adult sampling and spawning ecology (WDFW) Supervision and managment of personnel conducting field activities associated with the project. 2/15/2007 9/30/2009 $46,614
Biological objectives
Metrics
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data Juvenile sample collection (WDFW) Operate smolt traps in the lower Wenatchee River from Feb 15 through June 15. Collect DNA samples from 2000 wild juvenile yearling spring Chinook and 2000 hatchery yearling spring Chinook. 2/15/2007 6/15/2009 $141,649
Biological objectives
Metrics
Primary R, M, and E Type: 2000 wild and 2000 hatchery juvenile samples
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data Adult sample collection (WDFW) Collect DNA samples from spring Chinook trapped at Tumwater Dam 5/1/2007 8/31/2009 $435,060
Biological objectives
Metrics
Primary R, M, and E Type: Collect DNA samples from adult spring Chinook
Mark/Tag Animals PIT tag spring Chinook (WDFW) PIT tag all spring Chinook trapped at Tumwater Dam 5/1/2007 8/31/2009 $26,473
Biological objectives
Metrics
Secondary R, M, and E Type: PIT tag spring Chinook trapped at Tumwater Dam
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data Spawning ground surveys (WDFW) Conduct spawning ground surveys; collect carcasses; measure redd microhabitat characteristics in the upper Wenatchee Basin 8/1/2007 10/1/2009 $372,909
Biological objectives
Metrics
Secondary R, M, and E Type: GPS redds and carcasses; collect redd microhabitat
Analyze/Interpret Data Analyze spawning ecology data (WDFW) Analyze run timing, spawn timing and distribution, redd microhabitat, age composition, length, egg weight, fecundity 10/1/2007 1/31/2010 $62,151
Biological objectives
Metrics
Primary R, M, and E Type: Conduct data analysis
Manage and Administer Projects Project oversight of DNA collection and analysis (NMFS) Supervise collection of DNA and analysis of data 2/1/2007 1/31/2010 $46,614
Biological objectives
Metrics
Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data DNA data collection (NMFS) Extract DNA from tissue samples 6/1/2007 12/31/2009 $384,000
Biological objectives
Metrics
Primary R, M, and E Type: Extract DNA from tissue samples
Analyze/Interpret Data Analyze and interpret genetic data (NMFS) Analyze and interpret DNA samples 6/1/2007 1/31/2010 $155,379
Biological objectives
Metrics
Produce Annual Report Produce Annual Report (WDFW and NMFS) Produce an annual report of project results 10/31/2007 1/31/2010 $58,112
Biological objectives
Metrics

Section 8. Budgets

Itemized estimated budget
ItemNoteFY07FY08FY09
Personnel [blank] $244,712 $247,900 $251,248
Fringe Benefits [blank] $88,265 $91,195 $94,252
Supplies [blank] $110,375 $111,507 $112,688
Travel [blank] $312 $325 $338
Capital Equipment [blank] $0 $0 $0
Overhead [blank] $118,706 $121,172 $123,711
Other PIT tags (5000 @ $2.06) $10,300 $10,300 $10,300
Totals $572,670 $582,399 $592,537
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
Total itemized budget: $1,747,606
Total work element budget: $1,747,606
Cost sharing
Funding source/orgItem or service providedFY 07 est value ($)FY 08 est value ($)FY 09 est value ($)Cash or in-kind?Status
Chelan County PUD Funding for smolt trap operation and spawning ground surveys $132,534 $132,534 $132,534 In-Kind Under Development
Grant County PUD Funding for spawning ground surveys $31,176 $31,176 $31,176 In-Kind Under Development
Totals $163,710 $163,710 $163,710

Section 9. Project future

FY 2010 estimated budget: $603,100
FY 2011 estimated budget: $603,100
Comments: Projected increases in inflation

Future O&M costs:

Termination date: 2018
Comments: Time is needed to track two generations of adult spawners for a full life-cycle

Final deliverables: Final technical report and peer reviewed publications about the reproductive success and survival of hatchery- and natural- origin spring chinook salmon.

Section 10. Narrative and other documents


Reviews and recommendations

FY07 budget FY08 budget FY09 budget Total budget Type Category Recommendation
NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs]
$0 $0 $0 $0 Expense ProvinceExpense Fund Pending Available Funds
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs]
$0 $0 $0 $0 ProvinceExpense

ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)

Recommendation: Fundable

NPCC comments: This is a well-written proposal that was a pleasure to review. This kind of project is high priority and critical to conduct prior to larger scale implementation of supplementation projects. This project continues quantitative evaluation of the relative reproductive success of naturally spawning hatchery- and natural- origin spring Chinook salmon in the Wenatchee River watershed. The statement on the need for this project, "All major reviews of hatchery programs have hatchery risks, including the relative reproductive success of hatchery fish, as a critical uncertainty for salmon recovery" says it all. The need for this work was also identified clearly in the subbasin plan. The project objectives fit, except objective 2 on causes for differences, which could be considered more of an academic question, but still of great interest. Methods are appropriate and described in considerable detail. The proposal shows evidence of collaboration with related experiments in the basin and with other researchers. The proposal includes a good summary of progress to date (2 years) and interesting unveiling of problems in sampling (hatchery progeny assignment) and proposed solutions (modeling and sampling) and study refinements (adaptive management of the experiment and the management actions already evident).


ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)

Recommendation: Fundable

NPCC comments: This is a well-written proposal that was a pleasure to review. This kind of project is high priority and critical to conduct prior to larger scale implementation of supplementation projects. This project continues quantitative evaluation of the relative reproductive success of naturally spawning hatchery- and natural- origin spring Chinook salmon in the Wenatchee River watershed. The statement on the need for this project, "All major reviews of hatchery programs have hatchery risks, including the relative reproductive success of hatchery fish, as a critical uncertainty for salmon recovery" says it all. The need for this work was also identified clearly in the subbasin plan. The project objectives fit, except objective 2 on causes for differences, which could be considered more of an academic question, but still of great interest. Methods are appropriate and described in considerable detail. The proposal shows evidence of collaboration with related experiments in the basin and with other researchers. The proposal includes a good summary of progress to date (2 years) and interesting unveiling of problems in sampling (hatchery progeny assignment) and proposed solutions (modeling and sampling) and study refinements (adaptive management of the experiment and the management actions already evident).