Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation

The Umatilla Fish Hatchery was constructed to reintroduce spring and fall Chinook salmon and supplement summer steelhead in the Umatilla River.  The Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation project began in 1991 to evaluate hatchery rearing techniques and juvenile and adult production goals.  The water supply to the Umatilla Hatchery has never met design criteria, therefore initial monitoring and evaluation focused on comparison of the effectiveness of producing fish in oxygen-supplemented Michigan raceways to improve water use efficiency and evaluating subyearling and yearling rearing strategies for spring and fall Chinook salmon from several hatchery sources.  Fish health monitoring was added in 1992.  The focus of the Umatilla Hatchery RM&E Project has shifted away from hatchery rearing practices to evaluation of release sizes and acclimation and release locations, timing and strategies on juvenile survival, and adult production.

The Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Project now includes monitoring of Umatilla recreational fisheries, out-of-subbasin contributions to commercial, tribal and recreational fisheries, productivity of hatchery fish, outmigration and survival of hatchery juveniles, fish marking and tagging, straying of hatchery adults, pre-season run predictions, and adult production to meet Northwest Power and Conservation Council goals for Columbia River salmonid restoration.  The Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Project coordinates closely with other Umatilla Monitoring and Evaluation projects to plan, design and implement fisheries research for the Umatilla River Fisheries Restoration Program.  The Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Project is an integral part of the Umatilla Subbasin Plan and critical to monitoring the performance and success of the hatchery program and will continue to guide management activities through the adaptive management process.  Data and results from the Umatilla Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation project are also used for regional planning and coordination for recovery of listed ESUs, such as Mid-Columbia steelhead.