STATEMENT OF WORK and BUDGET

FY 2006

BPA Project Number:   1996-040-00
Mid-Columbia Coho Restoration Feasibility Project

Fish Culture Work at the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Complex
DOI, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

BPA Contract Number: CR-72479

Performance Period: March 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007

Authority
This agreement is entered into under the authority of the Economy Act, 31 U.S.C. 1535, which permits a federal agency to order supplies and services when conditions described at section 1535 of the Act apply.

Background
The Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Complex includes three U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services (USFWS) hatcheries in north central Washington located near the towns of Leavenworth, Entiat, and Winthrop, Washington.  The Service operates the hatcheries pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation, approved on March 4, 1949.

In support of the Yakama Nation's Mid-Columbia coho reintroduction program, Leavenworth Complex hatcheries and Olympia Fish Health center agree through a reimbursable agreement to provide facilities, labor, equipment and services to the Yakama Nation to reestablish coho salmon in the Upper Columbia River system.  The long-term goal of this program is to reestablish coho salmon in sufficient numbers to be near carrying capacity and provide harvesting opportunities for tribal and non-tribal fisheries.  

USFWS personnel, with funding from BPA, will participate in adult holding and spawning, egg incubation, rearing and fish production, including fish disease inspection/sampling of adults and juvenile coho at Leavenworth NFH Complex facilities.

Statement of Work
The activities in this contract are outlined in the Master Yakama Nation contract under Operation and Maintenance objectives and tasks, and identified as BPA direct fund work.  

This contract will allow USFWS to take adult coho salmon collected in the Wenatchee and Methow River systems and incubate and rear coho for the Yakama Nation coho program.

Entiat NFH
The Service will provide labor, and facilities in order to hold and spawn up to 1400 coho salmon adults, and incubate a portion of the eggs at the Entiat NFH. Adults will be held in existing Entiat holding ponds (2) from as early as mid-September until the end of November. Eggs will be removed, fertilized and placed into an isolation unit at the Entiat NFH. The isolation unit provides well water fed deep trough rearing tanks and chilling units for water temperature reductions. Eggs are incubated in this unit for approximately 3 months at which time they are sorted and once the resultant eyed eggs have passed disease inspection are transferred to Winthrop NFH and/or lower Columbia River state and federal hatcheries for final rearing to the pre-smolt stage.

Winthrop NFH
The Winthrop NFH participation in the coho program includes annual rearing of up to 250,000 coho smolts per brood year, with two brood years on station at a time. Additionally, beginning in September, Winthrop NFH staff collects coho broodstock via the Winthrop fish ladder and holding ponds. This operation includes hauling of adult coho salmon trapped at the Wells Dam facility to the Winthrop facility by Winthrop staff. Coho are held at the Winthrop NFH holding ponds until they are spawned.  The Service will hold and spawn up to 700 adult coho. Holding capacity beyond this number is limited by water supply. Resultant eggs are incubated at the Winthrop NFH and are typically utilized in the annual rearing program. This program is often supplemented by eggs removed from the coho held at the Entiat NFH and/or eggs from lower Columbia River hatcheries (Eagle Creek NFH, Willard NFH, and Cascade SFH).  Coho smolts from Winthrop are released directly into the Methow River system or transported by the YN to the Wenatchee River system.

Leavenworth NFH
The Leavenworth NFH will provide rearing/acclimation facilities for acclimation for up to 700,000 coho pre-smolts. A portion of the 700k will be acclimated for an extended period in the Leavenworth NFH rehabilitated Foster-Lucas ponds. Approximately 140k pre-smolt coho will be acclimated from January, 2006 through release in April, 2006. Acclimation during this time of year is risky due to freezing conditions in the subject ponds. Re-use water from the tail race of the Leavenworth adult holding ponds will be pumped into the Foster-Lucas ponds for coho rearing. The 140k coho will be transported once they have cleared fish health inspections from lower Columbia River facilities to the Leavenworth NFH in January, and will be acclimated for approximately four months. The remainder of the (approximately 660k) pre-smolts will be transferred to available small and large Foster-Lucas ponds in March, 2006.

Additional costs in this contract cover maintenance, operational, personnel travel, administrative and overhead.  Biologists and Management staff from Complex facilities may incur travel costs to attend coho program specific meetings.

Olympia Fish Health Center

Fish health services include monthly routine juvenile fish health examinations, emergency diagnostics, and pre-release attribute sampling for reportable viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens that will comply with Fish and Wildlife Service policy and meet the IHOT and co-manager requirements and other State policies as required.  Analysis of existing conditions and remedial recommendations and treatments where warranted will be provided.  Pre-release sampling will be documented and provided to all appropriate entities.    Samples from adult coho females will be processed and tested for Renibacterium salmoninarum (BKD) and reportable viruses.  Samples from males will be tested for reportable viruses and additional reportable bacteria.

Fish Health Monitoring (i.e. Diagnostics of juveniles at Winthrop and at Leavenworth in FY 2006):  2 site visits per month (inclusive), microscopic examination of selected juvenile tissues for parasites, tissue condition, and overall appearance.  Provide consultation with fish culture staff on rearing parameters, diet, and behavior with appropriate corrective recommendations when needed.   All salary, benefits, travel, vehicle costs, equipment, supplies, etc are included.  

Pathology sampling and laboratory processing of samples (i.e. broodstock sampling and juvenile pre-transfer certifications) at Entiat, Winthrop, and Leavenworth NFH during the entire year will require 26 staff days for collection and 50 staff days for processing.

Consultation with fish health professionals and review of proposals, transports, and planning with the Yakama Nation biologists and Leavenworth Complex will require 10 staff days.

Environmental Compliance documents are not produced by this office as part of the SOW. Environmental compliance documents are written and obtained through Nancy Weintraub of BPA. Pre-existing environmental comnpliance documents cover work related to this contract.