Recruitment failure in the white sturgeon population occupying the Transboundary Reach of the upper Columbia River (Grand Coulee Dam, WA, U.S.A to Hugh Keenleyside Dam, British Columbia, Canada) was first documented during studies conducted in the early 1990’s in the Canadian portion of the Reach (referred to as the Keenleyside Reach) (Hildebrand and English 1991; R.L.&L. 1994; Hildebrand et al. 1999).  These studies determined that juvenile age-classes (under ten years of age) were lacking within the population.  Similar results were obtained in the U.S. section of the Reach (referred to as the Roosevelt Reach) in 1998 (Devore et al. 2000; Kappenman et al. 2000).  Recent sturgeon studies in the Keenleyside Reach (Golder Associates Ltd. 2003, 2005a; Arndt 2003) and Roosevelt Reach (Lee and Underwood 2002; Lee and Pavlik 2003; Howell and McLellan 2005, 2006, in prep.) show a continuation of poor recruitment through a failure to catch large numbers of juvenile sturgeon representing multiple year classes.

The onset of the recruitment decline in the Transboundary Reach white sturgeon population coincided with the construction of Columbia River mainstem dams in Canada commencing with Hugh L. Keenleyside (HLK; 1968), and followed by Mica (1976) and Revelstoke (1984).  Reproductive failure of this population therefore appears directly related to the effects of river regulation (R.L. & L. 1994).  The exact mechanisms limiting recruitment are unknown but are currently the focus of ongoing studies in the Transboundary Reach.

The Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (UCWSRI), an international organization with members from state, provincial, and federal fisheries agencies and First Nations tribes in British Columbia and Washington State produced the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Plan (UCWSRP) in 2002 (UCWSRI 2002).  The UCWSRP outlined various short, mid and long-term measures required to prevent the extinction of white sturgeon populations in the Columbia River above Grand Coulee Dam (UCWSRI 2002).  Study efforts in 2010 will focus on continuing to examine limiting factors for sturgeon in the Transboundary Reach.  

FY2010 Work:

In 2010, we plan to reduce the overall level of field work and sampling, limiting efforts to necessary trend monitoring activities only.  This will allow us to catch up on reporting requirements and to develop articles for publication.  We will be limiting field activities to sub-yearling (juvenile) assessment monitoring, telemetry monitoring, benthic invertebrate monitoring and sampling required for broodstock collection.  Additionally, we will be including genetics analyses as part of our SOW to allow us to begin development of a genetics marker data set that will allow managers to assess the efficacy of the broodstock collection protocols in maintaining the widest genetic component of the wild population.  We plan to have this work conducted by U.C. Davis as they are currently working with the project and the wider Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative Technical Working Group to begin assessing sturgeon stock structure in the upper Columbia River and it's tributaries.  We wish to retain U.C. Davis as the genetics lab in order to maintain continuity in the genetics analyses procedures and genetic markers.

Sub-yearling (juvenile) Assessments:  Previous juvenile sturgeon studies in the transboundary reach were conducted to estimate survival and to assess distribution, condition, growth, age, and behavior of wild and hatchery origin juvenile sturgeon.  In 2010, we plan to continue sub-yearling (juvenile) white sturgeon stock assessment sampling in the U.S. portion of the upper Columbia River to detect natural recruitment as well as evaluate the conservation aquaculture program releases.  

Telemetry Monitoring:  Telemetry investigations will be performed to identify spawning areas in the U.S., as well as to identify important seasonal habitats and patterns of sturgeon movement in the Transboundary Reach as part of the cooperative UCWSRI Transboundary Telemetry and Data Management Project.

Benthic Invertebrates:  In 2010, we plan to complete invertebrate assessment sampling to assess food resources in the larval sampling areas.

Broodstock:  Under the current operations of the UCWSRI conservation aquaculture program, sturgeon eggs will be collected from U.S. and British Columbia wild broodstock (ripe adults) which are transferred to the Sherman Creek Hatchery (SCH) in Kettle Falls, WA and the Kootenay Sturgeon Hatchery (KSH) in Wardner, British Columbia, respectively.  Ripe adults will be held until final maturation and then spawned.  The resulting fertilized eggs will be incubated at Columbia Basin Hatchery, Moses Lake, WA, and KSH in British Columbia until hatch and the larvae will be reared to juveniles for approximately nine months.  The yearlings are then scute marked, PIT tagged, and released into the Columbia River.

Public Outreach and Project Coordination:  We also plan to continue public outreach and coordination efforts through the project.  In May, 2010 we will invite school kids to Lake Roosevelt to learn about sturgeon during Student Discovery Week and we plan to reach out at events (such as the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference) to inform the public about the decline of the Lake Roosevelt/Upper Columbia River white sturgeon.  The project will also coordinate amongst project participants and the UCWSRI to integrate white sturgeon research efforts in the upper Columbia River, and the broader Columbia River Basin white sturgeon research community.