Section 1. Administrative
| Proposal title | Benefit/Risk Analysis to Promote Long-Term Persistence of Chinook Salmon in the Middle Fork Salmon River |
| Proposal ID | 23049 |
| Organization | Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) |
| Proposal contact person or principal investigator |
| Name | Jay A. Hesse |
| Mailing address | PO Box 365 Lapwai, Idaho 83540 |
| Phone / email | 2088437320 / jayh@nezperce.org |
| Manager authorizing this project | Jaime Pinkham |
| Review cycle | FY 2001 High Priority |
| Province / Subbasin | Mountain Snake / Salmon |
| Short description | Assess relative benefits and risks associated with current population status, genetics and potential for management actions aimed at increasing survival/stock status of chinook salmon in the Middle Fork Salmon River subbasin. |
| Target species | Spring and Summer Chinook Salmon |
Project location
| Latitude | Longitude | Description |
|---|
| 45.2972 |
-114.5914 |
Middle Fork Salmon River |
Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives (RPAs)
Relevant RPAs based on NMFS/BPA review:
| Reviewing agency | Action # | BiOp Agency | Description |
|---|
Section 2. Past accomplishments
Section 3. Relationships to other projects
| Project ID | Title | Description |
|---|
Section 4. Budget for Planning and Design phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 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 2001 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 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Operations and Maintenance phase
Section 7. Budget for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Task-based budget
| Objective | Task | Duration in FYs | Estimated 2001 cost | Subcontractor |
|---|
Outyear objectives-based budget
| Objective | Starting FY | Ending FY | Estimated cost |
|---|
Outyear budgets for Monitoring and Evaluation phase
Section 8. Estimated budget summary
Itemized budget
| Item | Note | FY 2001 cost |
|---|
| Personnel |
FTE: 0.2 |
$10,500 |
| Fringe |
@38% |
$3,990 |
| Supplies |
office supplies, xerox, reports, phone, computer |
$4,000 |
| Travel |
air travel, perdiem, car rental, helicopter |
$9,000 |
| Indirect |
@20.9% |
$5,746 |
| Subcontractor |
Genetic assessment/analysis, risk assessment (CRITFC) |
$75,000 |
| $108,236 |
Total estimated budget
| Total FY 2001 cost | $108,236 |
| Amount anticipated from previously committed BPA funds | $0 |
| Total FY 2001 budget request | $108,236 |
| FY 2001 forecast from 2000 | $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:
N/A
Date:
Feb 1, 2001
Comment:
This proposal to conduct a Benefit/Risk Analysis in the Middle Fork Salmon River does not address imminent risks to ESA stocks by offering direct on-the-ground benefits with one-time funding. The work would benefit fish.
Recommendation:
HP "B" S
Date:
Feb 1, 2001
Comment:
Recommendation:
Date:
Feb 15, 2001
Comment:
ISRP Comment: This proposal to conduct a Benefit/Risk Analysis in the Middle Fork Salmon River does not address imminent risks to ESA stocks by offering direct on-the-ground benefits with one-time funding. The work would benefit fish.
Response: The Nez Perce Tribe believes that this project is directly related to Section 9.6.4.3 Actions to Create an Artificial Propagation Safety-Net Program in the NMFS (2000) Biological Opinion on operation of the federal Columbia River power system. This section of the Biological Opinion outlines a four step process to apply to populations considered for potential safety net actions. It further states that planning for a safety-net program must be conducted on an accelerated basis so that, if warranted, the project can be implemented expeditiously. The purpose of the safety-net program will not be achieved, and additional populations may go extinct, if the process suffers from excessive delay, or awaits additional information that may not exist or be available for some time (NMFS 2000).
The National Marine Fisheries Service Draft Cumulative Risk Initiative (NMFS-NOAA 2000) states: "The seven Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon index stocks are experiencing a decreasing trend in population change. This trend appears to have worsened in the most recent years for which we have complete data (1990-1994). Without additional intervention, the long-term prognosis for these stocks is clearly extremely poor". Three of the seven index stocks of spring/summer chinook salmon exist within the Middle Fork Salmon River, which this proposed Benefit Risk Assessment would examine. Kucera and Blenden (1999) report that Middle Fork Salmon River salmon subpopulations are in statistically significant decline, are at low levels of abundance and subsequent high demographic risk. NMFS-NOAA (2000) states in the Summary of Key Findings that: "The most recent data for Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon reveal that this ESU may be doing worse than was previously thought. It is now even less likely that dam breaching BY ITSELF will mitigate imminent risks faced by Snake River spring/summer chinook salmon. Importantly there are no data to indicate that improvements in any of the other H's (i.e., habitat, harvest, or hatcheries) could BY THEMSELVES, mitigate the extinction risks faced by the Snake River spring/summer chinook ESU".
The NMFS (2000) Biological Opinion also states in Action 178 that BPA shall commit to a process whereby funds can be made quickly available for funding the planning and implementation of additional safety-net projects for high risk salmon and steelhead populations NMFS identified during the term of this biological opinion. Middle Fork Salmon River chinook salmon populations clearly meet this criteria for planning purposes, regardless of whether they are recognized for implementation of a safety-net action.
Literature Cited
Kucera, P.A. and M.L. Blenden. 1999. Chinook salmon spawning ground survey in Big
Creek and tributary streams in the South Fork Salmon River, Idaho 1992-1995. Assessment of the status of salmon spawning aggregates in the Middle Fork Salmon River and South Fork Salmon River. Tech. Rep. 99-7. Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resources Management. Lapwai, ID.
National Marine Fisheries Service. 2000. Biological Opinion. Reinitiation of consultation on operation of the Federal Columbia River power system, including the juvenile fish transportation program, and 19 Bureau of Reclamation projects in the Columbia Basin. National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, Washington.
December.
NMFS-NOAA July 17, 2000. Draft Cumulative Risk Initiative