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Hatchery Reform and Implications to Steelhead Management

Hatchery Reform and Implications to Steelhead Management. Heather Bartlett Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Hatcheries in Washington State. WDFW Tribe USFWS. Hatchery Reform Project.

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Hatchery Reform and Implications to Steelhead Management

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  1. Hatchery Reform and Implications to Steelhead Management Heather Bartlett Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

  2. Hatcheries in Washington State • WDFW • Tribe • USFWS

  3. Hatchery Reform Project • Hatcheries have generally been unable to offset habitat degradation and meet harvest objectives. • Systematic, science-driven redesign of hatcheries to achieve two new goals: • Conserve naturally spawning populations • Support sustainable fisheries

  4. Progress • Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG) for Puget Sound and Coast • Formed in 2000 from federal legislation • Composed of blue-ribbon scientists • Artificial Production Review and Evaluation (APRE) for Columbia River • Forum for open co-manager discussion • Identify actions to improve programs

  5. Principles and Recommendations Hatchery Reform Project HATCHERY SCIENTIFIC REVIEW GROUP Hatchery Reform: Principles and Recommendations of the Hatchery Scientific Review Group April 2004

  6. Hatcheries as a Tool • Productive, natural habitat is key. • Hatcheries are part of the ecosystem in which they operate. • A successful hatchery program has more benefits than risks. • A hatchery either enhances natural spawning or operates independent of it. • Balanced portfolio represents the highest likelihood for success in a watershed. • Adaptive management improves hatchery management.

  7. Assessment of Washington Populations and Programs • WDFW took the lead on the development of a steelhead science paper • Provide a foundation for the development of a Management Plan • Compilation of the history of steelhead management • Summary of biological data through several decades • Includes Findings and Recommendations • Set parameters for steelhead management and artificial production into the future.

  8. Components of the Steelhead Science Paper • Steelhead biology • Artificial production • Management • Population identification • Diversity and spatial structure • Abundance and productivity

  9. Biology of the Steelhead • Vast diversity in life history of the Pacific salmonids • Varying degrees of anadromy • Varying combinations of freshwater-ocean residency • Iteroparity • Plasticity between generations

  10. Findings and Recommendations • Diverse biological characteristics magnify management complexity • Complexity of anadromous-residence relationship necessitates a broader view of land and fishery management actions • Determine zones of shared and isolated use throughout Washington

  11. Artificial Production • Strategies for hatchery programs • Integrated - Represents 15 hatchery programs • Isolated - Represents 32 hatchery program • Primary management objective • Recovery • Harvest • Survival rates variable • Highest for Olympic Peninsula and SW Washington • Lowest for Upper Columbia, Snake River and Puget Sound

  12. Artificial Production and Economic Benefits • Hatchery steelhead provide substantial recreational and economic benefits to Washington residents • Represent as much as 94% of the sport harvest • Estimated economic value of $89 million dollars • Cost:benefit ratio of 10:1

  13. Impacts of Artificial Production • Occurs through four main categories • Extinction • Loss of within-population diversity • Outbreeding depression • Domestication

  14. Isolated Hatchery Programs • Typically of non-local origin • Risk • Domestication • Outbreeding depression/loss of among population diversity • Expected gene flow rate < “stray” rate

  15. Integrated Hatchery Program • One population, two spawning environments • Risk • Domestication • Ameliorated through management of ‘proportionate natural influence’, and • Managing selective intensity of hatchery environment • Analysis comparing two strategies preliminary

  16. Findings and Recommendations • Significant economic and conservation benefits of artificial production programs • Most programs built from Chambers winter or Skamania summer origin steelhead • Low reproductive success in natural spawning • High potential genetic risk posed by Chambers and Skamania • Performance of integrated programs superior for rates of gene flow >2% of isolated programs

  17. Management • Cultural, ceremonial and religious value • Economic value • >$89 million in economic impact • Legal framework • Overlapping regulatory authority • “Boldt Decision” • The Tribes and non-Indians entitled to a fair share • Determined usual and accustomed grounds

  18. Evolutionary Significant Unit

  19. Population Identification • Puget Sound - 51 populations • Olympic Peninsula - 31 populations • Southwest Washington - 19 populations within three sub-regions. • Lower Columbia River - 19 populations • The Middle Columbia – 9 populations • The Upper Columbia – 11 populations • Snake River – 40 populations

  20. Findings and Recommendations • Washington ESU populations remaining ranged from 45 – 100%. • Pursue opportunities to preserve and restore population structure through linkage of the H’s • Uncertainty in population structure • Systematic review of the population structure in Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula and Southwest Washington. • Genetic data from juveniles inconclusive • Locations with greatest uncertainty need the most effort to increase understanding of structure.

  21. Diversity and Spatial Structure Range of Estimated Loss

  22. Findings and Recommendations • Substantial loss of spatial structure and diversity for some regions of state • Preserve and restore spatial structure and diversity through careful review of H-actions • No metric, protocol or structure exists for assessing changes in diversity • Expand current Salmon Stock Inventory (SaSI) reporting of abundance to include diversity and spatial structure. • Mapping of habitat with redds will be invaluable for assessing recovery • Enhance current Geographic Information System (GIS)

  23. Abundance and Productivity • Directly related to sustainable harvest and population viability • Fishing opportunities for naturally produced steelhead are limited • Potential risk of extinction exists for some populations within different ESUs

  24. Findings and Recommendations • Lack of escapement data for some populations • Need funds and alternative estimation methods to increase percentage of populations assessed • Habitat degradation substantially reduced production potential • 83% potential reduction of 42 populations assessed in Washington • Large variability in population status • 90% of Olympic Peninsula populations were healthy • Five of the ESUs had less than 20% of their populations has healthy • 13 populations most at risk of extinction

  25. Hatchery Reform for Steelhead • Evaluate programs for risk/benefit of the two strategies – isolated or integrated. • Competition • Gene flow potential • Harvest benefit • When risks inconsistent with policy objective • Release steelhead only where they can be recaptured • Replace program with integrated strategy developed from naturally spawning population • Size program consistent with policy objectives

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