Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Pesticides and the environmental health of salmonids in the Yakima subbasin. |
| Proposal ID | 25095 |
| Organization | National Marine Fisheries Service/Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NMFS) |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
| Name | Nathaniel Scholz |
| Mailing address | 2725 Montlake Blvd. E Seattle, WA 98112 |
| Phone / email | 2068603454 / nathaniel.scholz@noaa.gov |
| Manager authorizing this project | Dr. John Stein, Director, ECD |
| Review cycle | Columbia Plateau |
| Province / Subbasin | Columbia Plateau / Yakima |
| Short description | Evaluate the effects of current use pesticides on the physiology and fitness of Chinook salmon. Incorporate empirical data into a spatially explicit model of population viability in the Yakima subbasin. |
| Target species | Middle Columbia Spring-Run Chinook ESU, also relevant to Middle Columbia River Steelhead ESU (Threatened) and Bull Trout |
Project location
| Latitude | Longitude | Description |
|---|
|
|
NWFSC, Seattle, WA |
|
|
NWFSC, Manchester Research Station, Manchester, WA |
| 46.73 |
-120.67 |
Yakima subbasin |
Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)
Sponsor-reported:
| RPA |
|---|
| Action 150 |
| Action 107 |
Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:
| Reviewing agency | Action # | BiOp Agency | Description |
|---|
Section 2. Past accomplishments
| Year | Accomplishment |
|---|
|
new applicant |
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
| Project ID | Title | Description |
|---|
|
RPA Actions - 2000 FCRPS Biological Opinion |
|
|
9.6.1.6.2 Action 107 |
evaluates factors contributing to loss of returning salmon |
|
9.6.2.1 Action 150 |
evaluates role of pesticides in habitat degradation |
Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2002 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Planning and Design phase
Section 5. Budget for Construction and Implementation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2002 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Construction and Implementation phase
Section 6. Budget for Operations and Maintenance phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2002 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
| 1. Effects of pesticides on Chinook |
a. Effects on physiological function |
3 |
$257,800 |
Yes |
|
b. Effects on salmon fitness |
2 |
$0 |
Yes |
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
| 1. Effects of pesticides on Chinook |
2003 |
2004 |
$512,200 |
Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase
| FY 2003 | FY 2004 |
|---|
| $308,600 | $203,600 |
Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2002 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
| 1. Effects of pesticides on Chinook |
c. Effects on population viability |
1 |
$0 |
|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
| 1. Effects of pesticides on Chinook |
2004 |
2004 |
$55,800 |
Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Section 8. Estimated budget summary
Itemized budget
| Item | Note | FY 2002 cost |
|---|
| Personnel |
FTE: PI @ 0.5 |
$39,800 |
| Fringe |
included in Personnel @ 41% |
$0 |
| Supplies |
Physiological & laboratory equipment |
$45,700 |
| Travel |
|
$0 |
| Indirect |
SLUC and NOAA TDL |
$19,400 |
| Subcontractor |
NRC Post-Doctoral Fellow |
$55,000 |
| Subcontractor |
Technician, Cellular and Molecular Biology |
$58,700 |
| Subcontractor |
Laboratory Technician |
$39,200 |
| $257,800 |
Total estimated budget
| Total FY 2002 cost | $257,800 |
| Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds | $0 |
| Total FY 2002 budget request | $257,800 |
| FY 2002 forecast from 2001 | $0 |
| % change from forecast | 0.0% |
Cost sharing
| Organization | Item or service provided | Amount | Cash or in-kind |
|---|
Reviews and recommendations
This information was not provided on the original proposals, but was generated during the review process.
Recommendation:
Fundable only if response is adequate
Date:
Jun 15, 2001
Comment:
This project proposes to provide guidance to understanding the consequences of pesticide exposure for salmon health and fitness with the eventual goal of relating the distributions of pesticides to stage-specific distribution of Fall and Spring Chinook. The proposed laboratory experiments using electrophysiological methods to test hypotheses about neurotoxic injury appear well designed.
Fundable if a response is provided to adequately address the following ISRP concerns:
- Justification is needed for the importance of this work in light of the arguments presented in the Yakima subbasin summary, "However, anadromous salmonids have substantially lower concentrations of pesticides in their tissues than resident fish species, and for all species the observed concentrations have been below threshold levels that could affect reproductive success (e.g. hatching success, fry mortality).
- Justification of the field work to assess the effect of pesticides on predation mortality in a natural stream is needed. Specifically, how can one demonstration at one time in one stream provide information that could be generalized to other situations?
Recommendation:
Recommended Action
Date:
Aug 3, 2001
Comment:
Recommendation:
Fund
Date:
Aug 10, 2001
Comment:
Fundable in part for the laboratory component to evaluate the effects of current use pesticides. Justification of use of predation mortality as the key indicator of impact is well defended and seems well justified. A portion of the field experiment to determine the effects of short-term pesticide exposure on post-release survival in a natural creek is inadequate. Providing a measure of mortality for one stream at one time could be very misleading because results in another time and place could be quite different. Using results from one demonstration as input into a life stage-based matrix population model could then compound the problem. Do not fund this portion of the fieldwork as now proposed. The modeling component, while fundable, should include objective evaluation of modeling results.
This project is designed to evaluate the toxicological effects of selected pesticides on the normal function of the chinook nervous system. Specific tasks would relate sublethal thresholds for neurotoxic injury to pesticide pulse conditions from salmon habitat and examine physiological thresholds for neurotoxicity in different life history stages. Experiments are designed to explore the effects of pesticide exposure on survival and reproductive success of chinook. Models will be used to link the pesticide impacts observed from experiments to population level impacts on rate of straying and productivity of wild populations.
Recommendation:
Date:
Oct 1, 2001
Comment:
Statement of Potential Biological Benefit to ESU
The proposal would evaluate the impacts of current use pesticides on the environmental health of salmon and the viability of native populations in the Yakima River and its tributaries. The specific aim of this research proposal is to answer the following questions regarding pesticides and salmon in the Yakima subbasin: 1) are pesticide pulses in salmon habitat sufficient to disrupt the normal function of the salmon nervous system 2) if so, do these impacts have measurable and negative consequences for the performance or fitness of exposed animals 3) what limits do pesticides impose on the genetic integrity and productivity of wild salmonid populations?Comments
This project addresses basic water quality that could be an issue common in heavily agricultural watersheds. The ISRP believes that the proposal should be funded in part. Proposal could have application to similar ventures in other watersheds. But the proposal is not specifically mentioned in any RPA actions.
Already ESA Req? no
Biop? no
Recommendation:
Rank C
Date:
Oct 16, 2001
Comment:
No cost-share. This proposal would evaluate the effects of pesticides on the physiology and fitness of chinook salmon and incorporate empirical data into a spatially explicit model of population viability in the Yakima subbasin. This is not a critical uncertainty.
Recommendation:
Do Not Fund
Date:
Jan 3, 2002
Comment: