Columbia River Salmon Opportunities for Success

1. Columbia River Salmon Opportunities for Success Presentation to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association by the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission June 28, 2011 1

2. CRITFC Mission Statement: To ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes.

3. To ensure a unified voice in the overall management of the fishery resources, and as managers, to protect reserved treaty rights through the exercise of the inherent sovereign powers of the tribes.

4. Tribal success stories • Clearwater Coho Restoration • Umatilla Chinook and Coho Restoration • Yakima River Spring Chinook and Coho • Snake River Fall Chinook Nez Perce coho Salmon outplanting

5. The Future of Our Salmon - • Fish passage • Toxic Pollutants • Hatchery Policy • Phasing out mass-marking and Mark-selective fisheries • Managing Predation • Climate Change • Columbia River Treaty • De-Listing • Recovery Goal timeline • Who Cares?

6. Improving Water Quality through Toxin Reduction • The Columbia Basin lacks clear policies and resources to reduce toxins • Tribes appreciate PNWA’s support of Columbia River Restoration Act in the last Congress • Oregon adopts highest standards in the nation • Perception is reality 6

7. 15 Tribes Forge a Columbia River Treaty Coalition • 15 Columbia River Basin Tribes with management authority come together to identify “Common Views” with Treaty • 15 Tribes continue to meet and coordinate, sharing information and collaborating to the extent practicable on common issues • 15 Tribes could initiate joint consultation with agencies on common issues while reserving right to one on one consultations

9. Columbia River Treaty – Key elements • U.S. and Canada signed the Treaty in 1961, it came into force in 1964; it continues until a party withdraws • Earliest that the Treaty can be terminated is 2024 with a ten-year notice in 2014 • Canada agrees to build 3 storage dams, U.S. gets to build Libby Dam • The U.S. and Canada coordinate Hydroelectric Power Production, Canada gets share of power produced because of its new storage • U.S. paid for 60 years of guaranteed flood control. Some flood control obligation survives the Treaty, but comes at uncertain terms and an additional unknown cost after 2024

10. Columbia River Treaty Goals • Provide tribal technical expertise to treaty analysis • Expand U.S. treaty benefits • Ecosystem-based management co-equal to power and flood risk management objectives • Restore fisheries throughout basin over time • Seek share in benefits of coordinated system operations

11. Managing Pinnipeds • Lethal Removal program has been successful • Tribes strongly support HR 946 – the Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act • Need Senate support for a companion bill, particularly Washington and Oregon members • Support a comprehensive review and re-authorization of the Marine Mammal Protection Act • De-listing of Eastern Stellar Sea Lion Population • Humane Society & litigants concerns can be addressed

12. What will Redden do? • Judge James A. Redden’sBiOp ruling is imminent. • Tribes speculate that the judge will keep Accords and other programs intact • Region should collaboratively support Accords, CRFM, PCSRF and Mitchell Act programs

13. Hatchery Reform -The Tribal View • Rhetoric is obscuring fact – and opportunity • Tribes want to fully utilize the hatchery as a recovery tool. • Secure an adequate Preferred Alternative in NOAA’s Mitchell Act DEIS • Galbreath critique of scientific literature on hatchery affects

14. Salmon Recovery and Hatchery Programs:Two Different Approaches • Harvest Hatchery (Mass Marking and Mark Selective Fisheries): • Designed to keep hatchery and wild fish separated • Promotes harvest of hatchery fish and avoids wild fish • Wild fish mortalities occur too, often multiple catch and release • Provides access to fish for non-Indian fishers under ESA restrictions • Is not a recovery program, does not lead to recovery • Supplementation (Conservation) Programs: • Designed to keep hatchery and wild fish as similar as possible; combined with habitat restoration/protection. • Tribes prefer these fish not be mass marked for selective fishing • Under careful design, leads to rebuilding and possible ESA de-listing Competing science to support each approach. What’s wrong with both approaches at the same time?

15. Salmon Recovery and Hatchery Programs:What does success look like? • Should success be defined by the number of wild fish returns? …hatchery? • Who defines “wild” fish? • Is an ESA de-listing goal enough fish? • Full rebuilding to a significant harvest for treaty Indian and non-Indian fisheries? • Is there a shared vision in the Columbia River Basin on what success looks like? • What is an appropriate response for hatchery programs? • Resource struggle between non-Indian and tribal fishery interests. • Competing uses of existing hatchery facilities and funding. • If we cannot agree on what success looks like or how to get there, we will continue to struggle for increased federal funding.

16. Fall chinook estimated escapementto Lower Granite Dam draft management escapement goal (39,100 adults) First adult returns from supplementation NOAA’s viability abundance threshold (3,000 adults) 38

17. Let’s start the de-listing conversation • Snake River Fall Chinook may be the first stock to be de-listed • Region should lead the discussion on metrics and conditions for de-listing • Avoid de-listing through legislation e.g. wolves

18. THANK YOUQuestions? For more information visit www.critfc.org