FY07-09 proposal 200001700
Jump to Reviews and Recommendations
Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Recondition Wild Steelhead Kelt |
| Proposal ID | 200001700 |
| Organization | Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) |
| Short description | This is an evaluation of kelt steelhead reconditioning and the feasiblity of reestablishing this life history strategy that has been suppressed by the hydrosystem. The program utilizes wild fish that would otherwise become mortalities. |
| Information transfer | Results from our study will be presented orally and in written form to management forums and entities including tribal commissions and councils when appropriate. Annual reports detailing study results will be submitted to Bonneville. Presentations at national conferences will be made and at least one manuscript will be developed and submitted for publication in a journal or book. |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator | |
Contacts
| Contact | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Form submitter | ||
| Doug Hatch | Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission | hatd@critfc.org |
| All assigned contacts | ||
| Doug Hatch | Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission | hatd@critfc.org |
Section 2. Locations
Province / subbasin: Mainstem/Systemwide / Systemwide
| Latitude | Longitude | Waterbody | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 46 39'24 | 117 25'49 | Columbia River | Lower Granite Dam: Snake River at mile marker 107.5 |
| 46 12'55 | 119 45'30 | Yakima River | The Chandler Juvenile Migrational Fish Facility is located in Prosser, WA on the Yakima River at river kilometer 75.6 |
Section 3. Focal species
primary: Steelhead Middle Columbia River ESUprimary: Steelhead Snake River ESU
Section 4. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishments |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Continued short- and long-term experiments. Observed 2 distinct migration patterns in the lower river. Began to link migration pattern and plasma ion concentrations. Begin gamete and progeny viability study. |
| 2004 | Continued short- and long-term scenarios, added direct release group (0% returns to date). Begin evaluating lower river migration. Travel times averaged 5 days from Bonneville Dam to Ocean and survival averaged 40%. |
| 2003 | Detected returning short-term reconditioned kelts back to Bonneville Dam (12 % of 2002 release and 3.7% of 2003 release) and recaptured a small percentage of long-term reconditioned fish back as a multiple year spawning kelt (more than 2 spawnings). |
| 2002 | Explored short (3-5 weeks) and long-term (8-10 months) reconditioning and with these treatments had achieved exceptional levels of survival (>80% short-term) (> 50% long-term). |
| 2001 | Developed fish health treatments (to control pathogens and boost immune system response), feeding regimes and rates (to stop the senescence process and encourage feeding), suitable tank conditions, holding duration, release timing, and spawner tracking. |
| 2000 | Pilot study was initiated in the Yakima River to investigate the feasibility of reconditioning kelt steelhead. Efforts focused on containers, feeding protocals, fish collection, and identification. |
Section 5. Relationships to other projects
| Funding source | Related ID | Related title | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPA | 199701325 | Yakima/Klickitat Fisheries Pro | Share field equipment, staff and expertise with this project |
| BPA | 199701335 | Klickitat Fishery YKFP O & M | Share field equipment, staff and expertise with this project. |
| Other: ACOE | [no entry] | ACOE Operation and Management | This is a kelt enumeration project that would assist in the collection of kelts for reconditioning |
| BPA | 200104600 | Applied Fish Science Center | This project supplies a laboratory and equipment for processing genetic samples |
| Other: NOAA BiOp | [no entry] | Steelhead Genetic Baseline | This project collects baseline genetic samples for steelhead that will be useful for determining the origin of unknown steelhead in the Snake River. |
Section 6. Biological objectives
| Biological objectives | Full description | Associated subbasin plan | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluate gamete and progeny viability | Evaluate effects of long-term kelt reconditioning on the gamete and progeny viability. | None | [Strategy left blank] |
| Evaluate homing fidelity | Perform experiments to evaluate homing fidelity in virgin spawners, reconditioned spawners, and (if feasible) natural repeat spawners from the same spawning populations. | None | [Strategy left blank] |
| Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios | Evaluation of potential kelt steelhead management scenarios including direct release, transport and release, short-term reconditioning and transport; and, long-term reconditioning and release | Yakima | The Yakima Subbasin sees the kelt reconditioning program as a method to increase survival, source of broostock and genetic material, and it demonstrates of the feasibility for application to other rivers |
| Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios | Evaluation of potential kelt steelhead management scenarios including direct release, transport and release, short-term reconditioning and transport; and, long-term reconditioning and release. | Klickitat | implement a kelt reconditioning program and to determine the breeding success of kelts |
| Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios | Evaluation of potential kelt steelhead management scenarios including direct release, transport and release, short-term reconditioning and transport; and, long-term reconditioning and release. | Okanogan | The Okanogan Subbasin Plan calls for the expansion of the kelt reconditioning program throughout the basin |
| Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios | Evaluation of potential kelt steelhead management scenarios including direct release, transport and release, short-term reconditioning and transport; and, long-term reconditioning and release. | Lower Middle Columbia | Continued research on kelt reconditioning |
| genetic stock composition kelt steelhead | Determine the genetic stock composition kelt steelhead captured at Lower Granite Dam. | None | [Strategy left blank] |
Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)
| Work element name | Work element title | Description | Start date | End date | Est budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Produce Environmental Compliance Documentation | Secure permits | Secure the necessary permits for environmental and ESA compliance | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $15,000 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Rear Fish | Recondition kelt steelhead for short-term and long-term experiments at the Yakima and Snake rivers | Short-term reconditioning is defined as the period of time needed (typically for 4-8 weeks) for kelts to initiate post-spawn feeding, and long-term reconditioned fish will be fed krill for the initial 8 weeks (to replicate experimental design for short-term reconditioned kelts) but will then be weaned to a more nutritionally balanced custom pelleted diet to maximize survival and growth (Hatch et al. 2004) | 2/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $760,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics # of adults into program: 9000 kelts # of adults released from program: 4500 reconditioned steelhead |
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| Trap/Collect/Hold/Transport Fish - Hatchery | Collect kelt steelhead at CJMFF & Lower Granite Dam for Experiments | After natural spawning in tributaries of the Yakima and Snake rivers a portion of the kelt steelhead that encounter the Prosser and Lower Granite dam facilities are diverted into juvenile evaluation facilites where they'll be collected for the various experiments. | 2/1/2007 | 6/1/2009 | $150,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics * # of non-clip (natural origin) adults: 9000 steelhead |
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| Trap/Collect/Hold/Transport Fish - Hatchery | Collect virgin steelhead at the Bonneville Adult Fish Facility (BON AFF) | First time spawners will be collected at the Bonneville Dam Adult Fish Facility. Known Snake River origin steelhead will be selected using the PIT tag system at the trap. | 6/1/2007 | 11/1/2009 | $35,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate homing fidelity |
Metrics * # of non-clip (natural origin) adults: 60 adults |
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| Trap/Collect/Hold/Transport Fish - Hatchery | Truck and release short-term reconditioned and transport and release treatments. | All short-term reconditioned and transport and release treatment groups will be trucked and released below Bonneville Dam | 3/1/2007 | 6/15/2009 | $60,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics * # of non-clip (natural origin) adults: 1800 kelt steelhead |
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| Manage and Administer Projects | Manage subcontracts for kelt steelhead reconditioning | Administer and manage subcontracts with collaborators | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $120,000 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report | Present findings with presentations and manuscripts | Present findings with presentations and manuscripts | 10/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $20,000 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report | Quarterly PISCES milestone reports | produce quarterly PISCES milestone reports | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $15,000 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report | Report kelt steelhead reconditioning project’s annual progress | Report kelt steelhead reconditioning project’s annual progress | 10/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $75,000 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Analyze and Interpret genotypic data to determine stock composition of kelt steelhead collected at Lower Granite Dam | All kelt genetic samples collected at Lower Granite Dam will be genotyped and assigned to their genetic populations. All of the Snake River sub-basins upstream of Lower Granite Dam will be represented a baseline created by NOAA and collaborators. | 2/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $270,000 |
|
Biological objectives genetic stock composition kelt steelhead |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 6000 unknown samples Primary R, M, and E Type: 20 baseline populations |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Interpret gamete and progeny viability data from steelhead | Gametes and progeny from the initial spawning will be compared with gametes and progeny from the second reconditioned spawning. Females will be mated with the same male for both spawnings. | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $25,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate gamete and progeny viability |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 60 spawning pairs Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Interpret migration data on transport and release and short-term recondition transport and release treatments. | Detections at these arrays will allow us to calculate survival, migration velocity, and observe migration patterns. These patterns could be critical to determine if fish in these treatment groups readily move out to sea or reside in the lower river or estuary where they could increase the predator load on the system. | 3/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $45,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 4 management scenarios Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years Primary R, M, and E Type: 2 sites |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Interpret program generated data | Analyze and interpret data generated from all the biological objectives | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $43,172 |
|
Biological objectives |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 4 objectives Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Interpret radio telemetry data | First time spawner homing fidelity will be determined based on the original PIT tag location (as a juvenile) relative to spawning location found with radio tracking. Reconditioned kelt homing fidelity will be determined by the spawning location relateve to the population they were genotyped to. | 6/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $45,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate homing fidelity |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 120 adults Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years Primary R, M, and E Type: 2 treatments |
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| Analyze/Interpret Data | Interpret survival, condition, and rematuration data on long-term reconditioned kelt steelhead | Survival statistics will be calculated for all short-term treatments and rematuration rates will be calculated for long-term treatments. Rematuration rates will be determined by ultrasound assessments of gonad development in individuals prior to release. Additional biological data (weight, fork length, mid-eye to hypural length, mark and tag data) will be collected prior to release. | 11/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $40,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 2 sites Primary R, M, and E Type: 4 treatments Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect biological data on direct release kelt steelhead. | This “control” group distribution will be proportional to the kelt migration and will provide us with a baseline iteroparity rate to compare other management scenarios to. Data on return rates will be generated by querying PTAGIS and tallying detections at ladders as the fish re-migrate back upstream. | 2/1/2007 | 6/1/2009 | $45,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 1500 kelts |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect biological data on kelt steelhead | Following collections, specimens will be placed in 190-L sampling tank, where they will be anesthetized in a buffered solution of tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) at 60 ppm. Specimens will be visually identified as kelts or prespawners. All prespawners will be returned to the Yakima or Snake rivers. Following kelt identification, we will collect data on fish length (cm fork length), weight (kg), condition (good, fair, poor), coloration (bright, intermediate, dark), and presence or absence of physical anomalies (e.g., head burn, eye damage). Additionally, tissue samples for plasma ion concentration and indices of osmoregulation change will be collected. | 2/1/2007 | 6/1/2009 | $150,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 9000 kelts |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect gamete viability data from steelhead | Eggs and milt from Dworshack NFH steelhead will be collected and sent to University of Idaho for gamete viability study. Females will be reconditioned and spawned with cryopreserved milt from the males and gametes will be sent to UI for analysis of the reconditioning effects. | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $45,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate gamete and progeny viability |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 60 spawning pairs |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect genotypic data from kelt steelhead collected at Lower Granite Dam | Genetic samples will be collected from kelt steelhead at Lower Granite Dam | 2/1/2007 | 6/15/2009 | $112,500 |
|
Biological objectives genetic stock composition kelt steelhead |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 6000 samples Primary R, M, and E Type: 14 microsat loci |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect migration data on transport and release and short-term recondition transport and release treatments | Data on kelt steelhead travel time, distribution, movement, velocity, and residence time in the estuary will be collected from treatment groups released below Bonneville Dam. These data will be obtained from acoustic, and PIT tags. | 3/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $250,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 720 acoustic tagged adults |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect progeny viability data from steehead | Eggs and milt from Dworshack NFH steelhead will be collected and sent to University of Idaho for progeny viability study. Females will be reconditioned and spawned with cryopreserved milt from the males and gametes will be sent to UI for analysis of the reconditioning effects. | 1/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $45,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate gamete and progeny viability |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 60 spawning pairs |
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| Collect/Generate/Validate Field and Lab Data | Collect radio tracking data on tagged fish during their spawning migration | Radio tagged steelhead will be tracked during their in-river spawning migration | 6/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $120,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate homing fidelity |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 60 reconditioned kelts Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years |
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| Mark/Tag Animals | Implant acoustic tags in kelt steelhead from short-term reconditioned and transport and release treatments | A total of 60 Yakima River and 120 Snake River short-term reconditioned kelts will have acoustic tags surgically implanted into their abdomen. An additional 60 Yakima River steelhead from the transport and release treatment will receive tags | 3/1/2007 | 6/15/2009 | $270,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 720 tags |
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| Mark/Tag Animals | Implant radio tags in virgin steelhead at BON AFF and kelt steelhead from long-term reconditioning treatments in the Snake River | Radio tags will be implanted in known Snake River steelhead captured at the Bonneville Dam Adult Fish Facility and in long term reconditioned kelts near Lower Granite Dam | 6/1/2007 | 12/31/2009 | $100,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluate homing fidelity |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 60 reconditioned kelts Primary R, M, and E Type: 3 years |
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| Mark/Tag Animals | PIT tag kelt steelhead captured steelhead | Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags will then be implanted in the fish's pelvic girdle for identification. Only kelts determined to be in good or fair morphological condition will be used in the reconditioning program because research at Prosser Hatchery in 2000 indicated that those kelts collected in poor morphological condition did not survive captivity (Evans et al. 2001). This will allow us to individually identify fish allocated to different treatments. | 2/1/2007 | 6/1/2009 | $30,000 |
|
Biological objectives Evaluation kelt steelhead management scenarios |
Metrics Primary R, M, and E Type: 9000 kelts |
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Section 8. Budgets
Itemized estimated budget
| Item | Note | FY07 | FY08 | FY09 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | 2.16 FTE | $108,843 | $115,374 | $122,296 |
| Fringe Benefits | 32.5% | $32,217 | $34,150 | $36,199 |
| Supplies | includes 240 acoustic tags | $94,295 | $96,181 | $98,105 |
| Travel | [blank] | $15,131 | $15,887 | $16,682 |
| Capital Equipment | tanks / rearing facilities for Sn. R. | $165,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Overhead | 36.95% | $86,557 | $90,341 | $94,321 |
| Other | Sub. Hagerman Lab./genetics | $79,359 | $81,000 | $83,000 |
| Other | Sub. COE fish field unit | $100,000 | $102,000 | $104,040 |
| Other | Sub. Real Time Research | $49,686 | $50,680 | $51,694 |
| Other | Sub. U of I / gamete viability | $30,975 | $32,524 | $34,150 |
| Other | Sub. Yakama Nation | $111,843 | $115,198 | $118,654 |
| Other | Sub. Nez Perce Tribe | $60,000 | $193,000 | $198,790 |
| Other | Sub. Biotech/ plasma ion concentration | $12,000 | $12,500 | $13,000 |
| Totals | $945,906 | $953,835 | $985,931 | |
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
| Total itemized budget: | $2,885,672 |
| Total work element budget: | $2,885,672 |
Cost sharing
| Funding source/org | Item or service provided | FY 07 est value ($) | FY 08 est value ($) | FY 09 est value ($) | Cash or in-kind? | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Corps | facility / staff / supplies | $250,000 | $150,000 | $150,000 | Cash | Under Development |
| CRITFC | equipment | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
| Nez Perce Tribe | facility / staff | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | In-Kind | Under Development |
| U of I | staff / facility | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
| US Fish & Wildlife | facility / Dworshak Hatchery / staff | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
| Yakama Nation | Facility / staff | $50,000 | $50,000 | $55,000 | In-Kind | Confirmed |
| Totals | $440,000 | $340,000 | $345,000 | |||
Section 9. Project future
|
FY 2010 estimated budget: $700,000 FY 2011 estimated budget: $700,000 |
Comments: Yakima River site drops out of research in 2010 |
Future O&M costs: Beginning in 2010 we anticipate that the Yakima River site will become a production facility with annual O&M costs of approximately $150,000.
Termination date: end of 2012
Comments: We anticipate that research objectives will be accomplished by 2012.
Final deliverables: Final reports; data; journal publications; presentations
Section 10. Narrative and other documents
| [Attached Document] | Jul 2006 |
Reviews and recommendations
| FY07 budget | FY08 budget | FY09 budget | Total budget | Type | Category | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPCC FINAL FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Oct 23, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 | $1,200,000 | Expense | Multi-province | Fund |
| NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs] | ||||||
| $400,000 | $400,000 | $400,000 | $0 | Multi-province | ||
|
Comments: Proposed scope expansion not accepted; started w/ ’06 budget for on-going scope, then bumped up a bit (approx. 5%) to illustrate possible budget situation in ’07 on existing scope; if took this path, would need to get ’07 budget based on work elements. MSRT recommends $400,000. |
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ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)
Recommendation: Response requested
NPCC comments: The project has documented success at capturing and reconditioning kelts in previous years; however, it is still in a phase of experimental data collection. The objective is to determine whether the entire process of reconditioning kelts leads to increases in production through genetic contribution of reconditioned kelts back into the parent population. It is important that the project continue to finish the "experiment" as it is described following along the lines of Table 5, which disturbingly, show absolutely no genetic contribution from the reconditioned kelts. This work needs to be replicated several times, perhaps in several locations, in order to get reliable estimates of reconditioned kelt contributions to natural spawning populations. The budget on the related kelt project (200306200) looks like it might be moving into implementation phase, which is inappropriate at this time, particularly given the results to date of this project. It is important that this work (the testing and experimental phase of project 200001700) be brought to a conclusion, evaluated, and a regional decision made about how and whether to move further into kelt reconditioning. It may be appropriate to fund (200306200) as a companion study to this project in order to more quickly obtain the data and insights necessary to evaluate whether kelt reconditioning can be used to augment population rebuilding objectives. If this is done, however, that project (200306200) would have to be redesigned to be coordinated and complementary with this study. The problem of a decline (no before/after data provided, but assumed) in the frequency of repeat spawning of wild summer run steelhead relates to passage downstream through hydro facilities, which are largely constructed for smaller juvenile salmonids (smolts). The proposal does not adequately explain what is meant by kelt reconditioning in its early sections; kelts are recollected, fed in a hatchery, then released after ~ 1 yr to spawn again in the wild? This is explained in project history, however. It is noted that the role of kelts and their contribution to productivity has not received adequate attention, but is recognized as a priority (BiOp, numerous subbasin plans). Objectives and methods are outlined in reasonable detail for this continued study that has documented past success and adapted its program where required (e.g., release experiments). A response is requested regarding several points. Who is addressing the kelt passage issues? What justification is there for implementation? How will projects 200001700 and 200306200 be coordinated?
ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)
Recommendation: Fundable in part
NPCC comments: The ISRP recommends Fundable in Part to complete the experiment but not full implementation. The sponsors responded to the ISRP request for additional information on this and companion project 200306200 in a common response. They responded to our questions about implementation and how the projects relate to each other in a satisfactory manner. There does appear to be some promise in this approach in spite of some initial failures (in producing smolts and at these contributing to wild reproduction). The evidence of recruitment is very poor. It is important to continue the experiment (not full implementation) long enough to make certain an adequate attempt and evaluation have occurred. Nevertheless, this takes away from the real issue that migration success of kelts is constrained by the hydrosystem, both in terms of the hydro projects and river conditions are not conducive to re-conditioning.