Project Scope

The purpose of this project is to quickly rebuild the number of spring chinook salmon that return to the Tucannon River.  If successful, this project will delay or prevent extinction of the Tucannon River spring chinook salmon (listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)).  The 2006 FY will be the seventh year of this project and will include some basic operation and monitoring costs for the captive broodstock program.

Project Location
  
The captive broodstock program will occur at three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) locations (Lyons Ferry Hatchery (LFH), Tucannon Fish Hatchery (TFH), and Curl Lake Acclimation Pond (AP)).  LFH is located at rkm 95 on the Snake River between Lower Monumental and Little Goose Dams and is used for spawning and rearing of the captive broodstock.  Tucannon Fish Hatchery (rkm 58) and Curl Lake AP (rkm 66) are both located on the Tucannon River and are used for rearing and volitional release of captive broodstock progeny.  


Relationship to the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Program

This proposed captive broodstock project is supported by various measures in the Northwest Power Planning Council's (Council) Fish and Wildlife Program.  Further, the project has been supported by the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA) and the Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) for funding, and has been agreed to by the co-managers and NOAA Fisheries.  The project will support the native run of Tucannon River spring chinook salmon in its native habitat (2.2A), and will contribute to the rebuilding of the Snake River spring chinook salmon run (4.1A). As stated under the Council's salmon and steelhead rebuilding principles (4.1A); 1) priority should be given to activities that aim to rebuild weak upriver populations, including populations listed under the ESA, 2) this project will be linked to habitat restoration activities (Tucannon River Model Watershed Program, State of Washington's Governer's Salmon Recovery), and 3) that while additional production facilities are not recommended by the Council, the current facilities (with slight additions/modifications) used for the hatchery supplementation program will be able to satisfy the needs of the fish and achieve the goals.  

Further, WDFW and the co-managers believe this to be an emergency case (7.4C, 7.4C.1), where unless intervention takes place quickly, the population may be beyond recovery.  While captive broodstock programs can be risky (genetic integrity, catastrophic facility failures, etc.), they also have the potential to rapidly increase adult fish numbers back to a particular location.  Implementation of a captive broodstock program may be the most effective means of accelerating recovery of this depleted stock, and if held in captivity for no more than a single generation, as clearly stated in the Tucannon River Master Plan, genetic integrity and adaptability should be preserved (7.4D).  


Coordination

This project will be performed in coordination with the Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and NOAA Fisheries.  The USFWS provided early support by funding the operation costs, planning, and some capital construction between 1998 and summer of 2000.  NOAA Fisheries has given their approval of the project under the ESA Section 10 permitting process (Permit #1129, issued 25 July, 2000).  

WDFW, NPT, and CTUIR will participate in coordination meetings (as referenced in the Tucannon Master Plan) to make the best possible decision to maximize the program benefits.  The co-managers have agreed to meet once a year to discuss program progress, and will meet more frequently should issues arise in the program that need all manager agreement.  This may be especially true as the program continues to expand (i.e., more fish on hand at the hatchery).  Both NPT and CTUIR are kept up to date of the progress of the program though Section 10 Monthly reports provided to NOAA Fisheries, and during Lyons Ferry Hatchery Complex AOP meetings.

NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will be informed of the program's progress through annual reports and presentations during the year at various scientific forums/discussions.  NOAA Fisheries will also continue to receive a monthly update on the program though Section 10 Permit reporting.  

WDFW will act as the lead agency in compiling and widely distributing the results and reports throughout the Columbia and Snake River basins to all interested parties.

Project Goals

The goal of this captive broodstock program is for the short-term; preservation and rebuilding of this critically depressed run of ESA listed spring chinook salmon in the Tucannon River.  In a broader context, this program will (in the short term) assist in increasing the total number of spring chinook that return to the Snake River basin, and help preserve a genetically and geographically distinct population of spring chinook within the river.  

The specific goal of this captive broodstock program is to rear spring chinook salmon juveniles to adults.  The project will then spawn these captive adults, rear their progeny, and release up to 150,000 progeny smolts into the Tucannon River with an estimated adult return of 300 fish per brood year.  Excess fish produced from the program, should their survival be greater than expected, may be released as parr as allowed under Section 10 Permit #1129.  The 150,000 smolt release, in combination with the current hatchery supplementation program, is expected to produce 500-600 returning adult spring chinook to the Tucannon River from return years 2005-2010.  In order to accomplish this production goal, WDFW will need to complete the following during FY 2006:

1) Continue to successfully rear the 2001 and 2002 brood year fish on hand at LFH.  Progeny from the 2004 spawning (136,000 fish) will be released in the Tucannon River in the spring of 2006.  Progeny from the 2005 spawning (an estimated 150,000 smolts and 10,000 parr) will be released in 2007.  Spawn mature spring chinook adult salmon (for FY 2006 this will consist of 2001-2002 brood year fish); rear resultant progeny at LFH, and release the progeny at the smolt stage from Curl Lake AP during March/April 2008.

2) Continue to monitor survival of captive fish at the LFH to make sure the program is achieving it's goals, and monitor the smolt out-migration (through PIT tagging and smolt trapping), adult returns (through redd surveys and adult trapping), and natural progeny produced (DNA analysis) to evaluate the overall success of the program.

Current Project Status

WDFW currently has two brood years (2000-2001 adults and juveniles) on hand at LFH along with fish originally intended for use as "extra males" from the 2002 brood year.  The 2000-2001 brood years have been marked by family unit and all fish (including the 2002 BY) currently reside in 20' circular rearing ponds at LFH.  

Eggs collected to date from Captive Brood spawners are as follows:
2000 BY - ~15,000 eggs.  Poor survival with 3,000 smolts released in 2002.
2001 BY - ~250,000 eggs. 20,592 parr released in 2002 and 146,922 smolts released in 2003.
2002 BY - ~176,000 eggs.  Mortality to eye-up was 68% leaving 55,711 live eggs.  44,784                            
                 smolts released in 2004.  Conducted adult outplants (97 adults outplanted - 21 BY98;  
                 76 BY99).                                                      
2003 BY - ~ 309,416 eggs.  Mortality to eye-up was 40%.  130,064 smolts released in 2005.
2004 BY - ~310,819 eggs.  Mortality to eye-up was 49%.  As of May 1, 2005 we had 136,749      
                  fish on hand.                                                                  

TUCANNON RIVER SPRING CHINOOK CAPTIVE BROODSTOCK PROGRAM
BPA FY2006 PROJECT Number 2000-019-00 - Objectives and Tasks

Objective 1: Rear and spawn captive broodstock fish at LFH.

Task 1a.  Conduct daily rearing of the 2001-2002 brood captive broodstock fish (daily
               feeding, pond cleaning, routine disease sampling and analysis, basic hatchery
               record keeping for feed fed, mortalities, water inflow, etc.).

Task 1b.  Sort mature fish from immature fish (2001-2002 broods) during June/July, and
               separate mature fish to spawning raceway.  Conduct weekly checks for ripeness
               from late August through October.  Spawn all ripe fish and incubate fertilized  
               eggs.

Task 1c.  Collect length and weight data and reduce fish density during sorting.

Objective 2: Mark any progeny produced from the 2005-spawning season.

Task 2a.  Mark all captive brood progeny by September 2006 prior to transfer of fish to
               Tucannon Fish Hatchery in October, 2006.  All captive brood progeny will be
               tagged with CWT in the snout, with no external marks.  This will allow for easy
               separation between supplementation fish (CWT and elastomer mark) when they
               return as adults.  A subsample of the captive broodstock progeny will be PIT
               tagged to monitor outmigration survival.

Objective 3: Establish baseline data of parents to track family and pedigree of returning adults through genetic sampling and analysis.

Task 3a.  Consolidate all DNA fin clip or opercle punch samples for the 2005 Tucannon
               River spring chinook adults, and any captive brood fish they were spawned and
               produced progeny in 2005.  Consolidate all other data records (i.e., length, age,
               sex, etc…) associated with DNA samples.

Task 3b.  Collect DNA opercle punches from all 2006 spawners (supplementation fish and      
               captive brood spawners from the 2001-2002 brood years), and consolidate
               sample data for each.

Task 3c.  Send all DNA samples (2005 brood year) to WDFW Olympia office genetics lab
               for DNA analysis.  DNA samples will provide the baseline stock profile, and will
               allow tracking of "families" in coming generations.  Effects to the overall
               population (wild origin, hatchery supplementation origin, and captive brood
               origin) will also be monitored.  



Objective 4.  Monitor and evaluate captive brood parents and progeny.

Task 4a.  Monitor and document survival, mortality, and maturity rates of captive
               broodstock through monthly record keeping.

Task 4b.  Monitor and document fecundity, egg size and mortality to the eyed-egg stage of
               spawn collected from captive broodstock.                                                                                                                                              
    
  Ho:  Fecundity, egg size and mortality to the eyed-egg stage of
  supplementation females is the same as that of captive brood females of the same      
  age.

  Task:  Statistical comparisons will be made using analysis of variance to
  determine differences at the 95% significance level.

Task 4c.  Monitor outmigration survival of captive brood progeny and supplementation fish
               through PIT tagging.                                                                                                                                                

  Task:  Randomly PIT tag 1,000 captive brood fish each year.  PIT tagging for        
  supplementation fish is funded through LSRCP.  Survival comparisons between
  captive and supplementation fish will be described on a yearly basis.

Objective 5.  Compile and disseminate captive broodstock program results.

Task 5a.  Monthly and annually compile and distribute written data summaries or reports
               and complete a final written report for distribution.

Task 5b.  Participate in planning activities under the Lyons Ferry Hatchery Complex
               Annual Operations Plan (AOP).