FY07-09 proposal 200100300

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Section 1. Administrative

Proposal titleAdult Pit Detector Installation
Proposal ID200100300
OrganizationPacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC)
Short descriptionThis project installs and evaluates extended-range interrogation systems for adult and juvenile salmonids. It also assesses the potential impact of adopting alternative technologies such as a new tag model before the technology is adopted or installed.
Information transferThis project will be installing four new extended-range interrogation systems. This will greatly enhance the amount of PIT-tag data that are available to fisheries researchers and managers. All of the data will be available publicly through the PTAGIS website.
Proposal contact person or principal investigator
Contacts
ContactOrganizationEmail
Form submitter
Sandy Downing NMFS - NWFSC - FE Division sandy.downing@noaa.gov
All assigned contacts
Sandy Downing NMFS - NWFSC - FE Division sandy.downing@noaa.gov

Section 2. Locations

Province / subbasin: Mainstem/Systemwide / Systemwide

LatitudeLongitudeWaterbodyDescription

Section 3. Focal species

primary: All Anadromous Salmonids

Section 4. Past accomplishments

YearAccomplishments
2005 Installed 'vertical slot' PIT tag detectors at the Washington Shore fish ladder at Bonneville Dam. Installed full flow PIT detection system at Ice Harbor Dam. Evaluated all systems.
2004 Evaluated the performance of the installed systems by using inriver detections to estimate of reading efficiencies for different salmonid populations ascending the ladders at Bonneville, McNary, Ice Harbor, and Lower Granite Dams
2003 Installed 'orifice' and 'vertical slot' PIT tag detection systems at Lower Granite Dam fish ladder and the North and South Fish ladders at Ice Harbor Dam during the winter of 2002/03. Evaluated performance of installed systems.
2002 Installed 'vertical slot' PIT tag detectors into Cascades Island and Bradford Island ladders at Bonneville dam and the Oregon and Washington shore fish ladders at McNary Dam during the winter of 2001/02. Evaluated peformance of all installed systems.

Section 5. Relationships to other projects

Funding sourceRelated IDRelated titleRelationship
BPA 199008000 Columbia Basin Pit-Tag Informa The PIT tag detection systems are installed with an automatic data feed to PTAGIS. PTAGIS performs operations and maintenance of installed systems.
BPA 198331900 New Marking & Monitoring Tech The New Marking and Monitoring Techniques project provides research and develoment technical support and biological testing of installed systems.
[Funding Source left blank] [no entry] Many Various U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, BPA, USGS, and others fund various research that depends upon detection data from the systems installed by this project.
BPA 199105100 M&E Statistical Support For Li Key consumer of detection data provided through these installations.
BPA 198910700 Statistical Support For Salmon Key consumer of detection data provided through these installations.
BPA 199403300 Fish Passage Center Key consumer of detection data provided through these installations.

Section 6. Biological objectives

Biological objectivesFull descriptionAssociated subbasin planStrategy
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish Evaluate the performances of newly installed or adapted PIT-tag technologies to help with the assessment of the effectiveness of management actions and strategies for recovery of ESA-listed fish populations. None [Strategy left blank]

Section 7. Work elements (coming back to this)

Work element nameWork element titleDescriptionStart dateEnd dateEst budget
Install Fish Monitoring Equipment This work entails final installation work required for the transceiver installation, antenna installation, antenna testing and function testing of entire system. • Lab test the modified extended range transceivers • Install the extended range transceivers • Organize enclosures and install cable ends • Test and troubleshoot entire system • Pre-Water up antenna characterization and antenna QA performance tests • Final System Tuning • Document and label final installation 2/1/2007 12/31/2009 $150,000
Biological objectives
Metrics
Analyze/Interpret Data Analyze performances of interrogation systems at FCRPS dams for different adult salmonid populations During FY07, we propose to continue analyzing the performance of the existing and the newly installed extended-range interrogation systems by determining PIT-tag reading efficiencies for the different salmonid populations (e.g., steelhead and chinook salmon, ocean type and stream type) and age classes ascending the fish ladders at Bonneville, McNary, Ice Harbor, and Lower Granite Dams. The analyses use detections of inriver fish. This will provide estimates of the performance during 2008. These analyses will be expanded in FY08 and FY09 to include John Day and The Dalles Dams when their systems are installed. 10/1/2006 12/30/2009 $83,959
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report Evaluation of Extended-range system for juvenile salmonids installed at John Day Dam A new interrogation system for juvenile salmonids using established technologies will be installed into John Day Dam in FY07. NMFS proposes to determine tag-reading efficiencies using inriver tagged salmonids from the major salmonid populations. 2/1/2007 12/30/2007 $45,160
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report Evaluation of Extended-range system for juvenile salmonids installed at Lower Monumental Dam The fisheries community is planning on installing a PIT tag interrogation system onto main transportation flume at Lower Monumental Dam in FY07. NMFS proposes to determine tag-reading efficiencies using inriver tagged salmonids from the major salmonid populations. 2/1/2007 12/30/2007 $45,160
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Develop RM&E Methods and Designs Support for designing a PIT-tag interrogation system for adult salmonids at John Day Dam The fish managers have scheduled installing a PIT-tag interrogation system for adult salmonids at John Day Dam in FY08. In order to design this system, PSMFC, Digital Angel, NMFS and the Corps need to conduct site visits in FY07 to determine possible locations for the system and to discuss potential designs. We then will hold meetings to determine the best location and design. After it is installed, NMFS proposes to evaluate the performance of the installed system using inriver salmonids in FY08. 10/1/2006 9/30/2008 $45,136
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Develop RM&E Methods and Designs Support for designing a PIT-tag interrogation system for adult salmonids at The Dalles Dam The fish managers have scheduled installing a PIT-tag interrogation system for adult salmonids at The Dalles Dam in FY09. Although this system is not scheduled to be installed until FY09, since we will be conducting site visits to neighboring John Day Dam, it makes sense to visit The Dalles Dam on the same trips. As stated above, these site visits are to determine possible locations for the system and to discuss potential designs. Meetings would then be held to discuss the best location and design. After it is installed, NMFS proposes to evaluate the performance of the installed system using inriver salmonids in FY09. 10/1/2006 9/30/2009 $56,650
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Produce/Submit Scientific Findings Report Evaluation of PIT tags from several manufacturers The contract between BPA and Digital Angel that guarantees a low price per tag in exchange for exclusively buying tags from Digital Angel is set to expire in 2007. We anticipate that other tag manufacturers will want to have a chance to sell their products to BPA. However, before a tag can be used within the Columbia River Basin, it must pass a series of performance test designed to determine that it could operate successfully in the network of installed PIT–tag interrogation systems. We would also recommend that before any tag model gets approved for use by most, if not all, BPA projects that a fish test be conducted. Therefore, we are including the costs for running a fish test in the FY08 budget. 10/1/2006 12/30/2008 $87,803
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics
Manage and Administer Projects Project administration costs for NMFS Proper project administration is necessary to ensure that this project stays on track with its work schedules. Project administration involves planning and then monitoring the work and budget to make certain that the milestones are reached and the project stays within budget. It also involves writing project plans and PISCES status reports. In FY09, it will include writing the next 3-year proposal for the Fish and Wildlife Program solicitation. 10/1/2006 12/30/2009 $50,600
Biological objectives
Help recovery of ESA-listed fish
Metrics

Section 8. Budgets

Itemized estimated budget
ItemNoteFY07FY08FY09
Personnel [blank] $74,816 $55,714 $41,583
Fringe Benefits [blank] $19,826 $14,764 $11,019
Supplies [blank] $15,935 $8,727 $1,436
Travel [blank] $8,880 $4,362 $1,943
Capital Equipment [blank] $50,000 $50,000 $50,000
Overhead [blank] $49,753 $37,050 $27,653
Other includes contracts for local fish technicians and cranes to help with fish tests $26,281 $13,618 $1,108
Totals $245,491 $184,235 $134,742
Total estimated FY 2007-2009 budgets
Total itemized budget: $564,468
Total work element budget: $564,468
Cost sharing
Funding source/orgItem or service providedFY 07 est value ($)FY 08 est value ($)FY 09 est value ($)Cash or in-kind?Status
Totals $0 $0 $0

Section 9. Project future

FY 2010 estimated budget: $80,000
FY 2011 estimated budget: $80,000
Comments: If all gets installed as scheduled, then these future budgets would cover evaluations of the performance of the entire network of adult systems and other technologies like new tag models

Future O&M costs: The PTAGIS project (199008000) performs routine operations and maintenance of the regions PIT tag detection infrastructure.

Termination date: FY2011
Comments: The installation of interrogation systems for adult salmonids at John Day and The Dalles Dam should be the last for this project. The sequence in which these occur will be decided through the regional decision making process and framework. Although the installations will be completed by 2009, we will want to evaluate these new installations for a couple of years to be certain they satisfy the data-collection needs an to assure performance is maintainable over time. Once the fisheries community and the Action Agencies are satisfied, then this project can be terminated.

Final deliverables: Report on how well the systems have performed over the years, and a network of installed and operating PIT tag detection systems.

Section 10. Narrative and other documents

200100300 narrative-nmfs&psmfc-July-final.doc Jul 2006
Response-to-ISRP-comments-200100300.doc 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]
$245,491 $184,235 $134,742 $564,468 Expense Basinwide Fund
NPCC DRAFT FUNDING RECOMMENDATIONS (Sep 15, 2006) [full Council recs]
$245,491 $184,235 $134,742 $0 Basinwide

ISRP PRELIMINARY REVIEW (Jun 2, 2006)

Recommendation: Response requested

NPCC comments: This is a high priority project and should be funded, but the proposal lacks sufficient detail. A response is requested to provide a better accounting of past results and accomplishments of the project. The project history is only briefly summarized by year, with short bullets listing the most significant events and accomplishments. The results are not described in biologically measurable terms, and the proposal just presents a list of tasks performed plus a couple of reports. The response should also provide more detailed information on their improved detection efficiencies and include available efficiency test results. Other comments: The problem in getting adequate adult salmonid passage data is fairly well defined, and the need for installing state-of-the-art, extended-range interrogation systems capable of detecting migrating adult salmonids to aid in restoration strategies is justified. However, the proposal only briefly mentions the need to restore ESA-listed stocks and provides almost no details about how this project will specifically aid in this effort. Extended-range interrogation systems for adult salmonids are still needed for John Day and The Dalles Dams because there are fish losses in these reaches that cannot be accounted for. The current schedule calls for systems to be installed at John Day Dam in FY08 and at The Dalles Dam in FY09. What is the rationale for this schedule? Could better information and biological benefits be obtained by a different order of installation? The Fish and Wildlife Program and the BiOp are only generally referred to, and the proposal needs to describe how it addresses priority issues in these plans.


ISRP FINAL REVIEW (Aug 31, 2006)

Recommendation: Fundable

NPCC comments: The sponsors of the proposal provided adequate responses to all ISRP questions and comments. The proposal narrative was revised by adding more detailed descriptions of the project history and by providing test results that indicated that the detection efficiencies of PIT tagged adult salmonids by the new vertical slot interrogation systems were much improved over the older orifice-based systems. Figures indicating the locations and orientation of the new detectors were also added to the revised narrative. In the response document and narrative the sponsors also included a good explanation of how the improvements in the PIT tag interrogation systems will impact meeting objectives for the Fish and Wildlife Program (and for all other regional plans) as well as the recovery of ESA-listed anadromous and resident fish affected by development and operation of the hydrosystem. The sponsors indicate that since the RM&E program relies on PIT-tag data for their analyses, the installation and evaluation of newly installed PIT-tag interrogation systems helps to improve the accuracy of these analyses. By expanding the collection of PIT-tag data and improving detection efficiencies, estimates of reach survival estimates for ESA-listed populations are stronger statistically.