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, 2007, 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).  Efforts in 2015 will continue to focus on examine limiting factors for sturgeon in the Transboundary Reach and maintaining the interim conservation sturgeon hatchery releases.

FY2015 Work:
Project sampling anticipated to continue in 2015 includes sub-yearling (juvenile) assessment monitoring, adult stock assessment monitoring, and telemetry monitoring.  Sub-yearling (juvenile) assessments will be conducted to detect natural recruitment, evaluate the conservation aquaculture program, estimate survival, and assess distribution, condition, growth, age, and behavior of wild and hatchery origin juvenile sturgeon in the U.S. portion of the upper Columbia River.  Adult white sturgeon stock assessment monitoring will be conducted cooperatively with UCWSRI and Lake Roosevelt research and project partners to determine abundance of white sturgeon in the Transboundary Reach.  Telemetry monitoring will provide information on U.S. spawning areas and identify important seasonal habitats and patterns of sturgeon movement in the Roosevelt and Transboundary reaches as part of a cooperative UCWSRI Transboundary Telemetry and Data Management Project.  Additional tasks include benthic invertebrate sample processing, and completion of the study assessing the efficacy of using calcein as a long-term marking tool for sturgeon monitoring.  Benthic invertebrate sample assessments will provide insight into food resources available in larval sampling areas, and examining long-term (one year) mark efficacy will provide clearer understanding of which marking techniques are most effective and demonstrate mark appearance long-term.  Interim hatchery operations will continue in 2014 using wild caught sturgeon larvae, following protocols devised in 2011, to protect the genetic diversity of the upper Columbia River sturgeon population.  The larvae will be reared at Sherman Creek Hatchery and released at Kettle Falls, WA between March 2016 and May 2016.  Genetics samples from hatchery and wild fish through all sampling events will be collected for future analyses.  

Additional tasks for 2015 include supporting the White Sturgeon Enhancement Project (BPA 2008-116-00) in the development of an upper Columbia River white sturgeon database (the Colville Confederated Tribe is the lead agency; the Spokane Tribe will provide support and data as requested),  The 2014 progress report will be completed.  An article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal is in progress with project partners (not currently working for this project, but working with white sturgeon in the upper Columbia River).  Public outreach activities will continue in 2015, including outreach at public forums such as the Lake Roosevelt Forum Conference, Kettle Falls Water Festival, and other opportunities that may arise throughout the year.  The intent is to educate the public about the decline of white sturgeon in Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River.  Project coordination will be conducted at several levels including coordination amongst project participants, the Lake Roosevelt/upper Columbia River White Sturgeon Technical Group, and the Upper Columbia River White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative Technical Work Group that will facilitate integrated white sturgeon research activities in Lake Roosevelt and the broader Columbia River basin white sturgeon research community.