Mark Schuck and Joe Bumgarner Snake River Lab, Dayton, WA

1. Washington’s Lower Snake River Compensation Plan Steelhead Program – A retrospective and program adaptive management overview Mark Schuck and Joe Bumgarner Snake River Lab, Dayton, WA

2. Funding provided by:

3. Program Origin The Lyons Ferry Hatchery program was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1976 (PL 94-587) to offset losses caused by the construction and operation of the four Lower Snake River dam and navigation lock projects. Facilities were constructed by the USACOE Also constructed hatcheries in Oregon and Idaho

4. Ice Harbor Dam Steelhead(Dam Completed in 1961)

5. Lower Snake River Fish and Wildlife Compensation Plan - 1976 • Fall Chinook • 18,300 adults/year • Tucannon Spring Chinook • 1,132 adults/year to the river • Summer Steelhead • 4,656 adults/year to project rivers • In-place and in-kind • Resident fish – fishing opportunity • 67,500 angler days

6. Lyons Ferry Hatchery 1980-1984

7. Original Steelhead Production ** LFH stock derived from Wells Stock. Wallowa Stock is Snake River composite developed by ODFW from fish trapped at Little Goose Dam. Both stocks under review by NMFS.

8. LGR Lyons Ferry Hatchery LGO LMN Tucannon Hatchery Lewiston Dayton AP ICH Curl AP Walla Walla Cottonwood AP

9. Production + Evaluation • Monitor the success of LFH in meeting LSRCP compensation goals and identify production adjustments to accomplish that objective. • Fisheries,SAR, and Abundance were primary performance metrics • Size & time of release, stock differences, acclimation, genetics, morphometrics, transportation, effects on natural populations, etc. • It was envisioned as applied management (adaptive) of the program to ensure success. Work completed was therefore often reactive as conditions, study results or Management emphasis changed

10. Harvest Pre-Program(Snake, Tucannon, Grande Ronde, Walla Walla, Touchet)

11. Smolt Releases 1982-1998 LGR LGO Snake River LMN Clearwater River Tucannon River Snake River Asotin Creek ICH Touchet River Walla Walla River Columbia River Grand Ronde River

12. Ice Harbor Dam Steelhead

13. Smolt-to-Adult Survivalto Project Area

14. Harvest Post-Program(Snake, Tucannon, Grande Ronde, Walla Walla, Touchet)

15. Adult Returns to Project Area LSRCP Goal = 4,656

16. Management Paradigm Changes • ESA listing for Snake River steelhead by 1999 – all Snake anadromous ESA listed. • Concern about excessive hatchery returns • Washington Wild Salmonid Policy • Hatcheries come under scrutiny • Hatchery/Wild Interactions • Can supplementation work? • Goals appropriate?

17. Program Changes • Release Locations altered or discontinued • Adoption of wild management rivers (Asotin)

18. Smolt Releases 1982-1998 LGR LGO Snake River LMN Clearwater River Tucannon River Snake River Asotin Creek ICH Touchet River Walla Walla River Columbia River Grand Ronde River

19. Smolt Releases 1999-Present LGR LGO Snake River LMN Clearwater River Snake River Tucannon River Asotin Creek ICH Touchet River Walla Walla River Columbia River Grand Ronde River

20. Program Changes • Release Locations altered or discontinued • Adoption of wild management rivers (Asotin) • Production numbers reduced.

21. Mitigation Stock Releases(Lyons Ferry and Wallowa)

22. Program Changes • Release Locations altered or discontinued • Adoption of wild management rivers (Asotin) • Production numbers reduced. • Began testing feasibility of new broodstocks.

23. New Broodstocks – Test Programs • Tucannon River Long-Term Intent: Supplementation/Mitigation • 50,000 smolts annually, assess program success on adult returns to project area (PIT Tags). • Touchet River Long-Term Intent: Mitigation • 50,000 smolts annually, assess program success on adult returns to project area (PIT Tags).

24. Program Changes • Release Locations altered or discontinued • Adoption of wild management rivers (Asotin) • Production numbers reduced. • Began testing feasibility of new broodstocks • Expanded Tagging – CWT and PIT • Since 2000 BY all groups w/ representative CWT • Since 2007 BY all groups PIT tagged

25. Run Timing at Ice Harbor

26. Tucannon Strays

27. Program Changes • Release Locations altered or discontinued • Adoption of wild management rivers (Asotin) • Production numbers reduced. • Began testing feasibility of new broodstocks. • Expanded Tagging – CWT and PIT • Since 2000 BY all groups CWT • Since 2007 BY all group PIT tagged • Removal of Excess Hatchery Fish

28. Traps/Barriers

29. Ice Harbor Dam Steelhead

30. Harvest Post-Program(Snake, Tucannon, Grande Ronde, Walla Walla, Touchet)

31. Adult Returns to Project Area LSRCP Goal = 4,656

32. Current & Potential Future Changes • Tucannon Endemic Implementation - 2010 • Monitor adult returns and straying for future production level changes • Lower Snake River small stream tributary monitoring - TRT assignment to populations (Tucannon or Asotin?) • Consolidation of Mitigation Stocks

33. Potential Future Changes • Touchet Endemic – Policy Decision Required • Establishing reference populations to determine hatchery effects • Can a large hatchery steelhead mitigation program be operated in this ESA environment? • Biological or social decision? • Where to fisheries fit in?

34. Questions

35. Artificial Production Policy: Promote the achievement of the natural production policy and provide fishery-related benefits by implementing artificial production programs as a component of a comprehensive habitat, hydro, harvest, and hatchery strategy, and by assuring artificial production programs meet the following characteristics: • Conservation Programs. Provide a net aggregate benefit to the diversity, spatial structure, productivity, and abundance of the target wild stock. • Harvest Programs. Enhance harvest opportunities in a manner consistent with watershed specific goals for wild stock management.

36. All Smolt Releases(All Stocks)

37. Run Timing at McNary

38. Tucannon PIT SAR’s to Ice Harbor

39. Touchet PIT SAR’s to McNary

40. Walla Walla & Touchet R. Strays

41. Smolt-to-Adult Survivalto Project Area