Passage of ESA-listed Fall Chinook Salmon during the Winter when the Juvenile Fish Bypass System is Not Operated

BACKGROUND

Juvenile fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha listed for protection under the Endangered Species Act mostly have an ocean-type life history. Fry emerge in the spring, grow rapidly, and migrate from the Snake River during summer. However, some of the later emerging and slower growing juvenile fall Chinook salmon fail to leave the Snake River as subyearlings, overwinter in the reservoir, and then resume seaward migration the following spring as yearlings (hereafter, reservoir-type smolts). This is especially prevalent in the lower Clearwater River, which produces the latest emerging fry of present-day production areas. In recent years as part of other studies, researchers have compiled moderate amounts of unpublished data that suggests that reservoir-type wild juvenile Snake River fall Chinook salmon contribute up to 51% to adult production. Existing data cannot be used to determine the specific time reservoir-type fall Chinook salmon smolts pass dams in the Snake and Columbia River, but there is a good chance that passage occurs during late winter when fish bypass facilities are shut down. This means reservoir-type smolts pass through the turbines and are susceptible to blade strike. Our new project will refine existing methods for determining the age and genetic lineage of reservoir-type fall Chinook salmon, compile and publish the existing data on reservoir-type fall Chinook salmon, and then document passage timing of these smolts at Lower Granite Dam.

COORDINATION

This is a collaborative project conducted by staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  Each of these agencies brings expertise in fish tagging and data analyses specific and complimentary to the project's objective.  Staff of the USFWS is primarily responsible for collecting and PIT tagging juvenile fall Chinook salmon.  Staff of the USGS is primarily responsible for tagging the fish with radio transmitters and downloading detection data from telemetry stations.  Staff of WDFW is responsible for scale pattern analyses for determining origin (i.e., hatchery vs. wild).  Staff of the USFWS,  USGS, and WDFW work together to provide managers with in-season and post-season analyses.  Staff of all three agencies coauthor refereed articles in international journals.  Radio tags are purchased by BPA through a contract with Lotek.  

GOAL

Our research goal is to provide fishery managers with a complete description of reservoir-type Snake River fall Chinook salmon, so that the management implications of this atypical migrational behavior can be understood.

OBJECTIVES AND RATIONALE

Objective 1: Determine if reservoir-type wild fall Chinook salmon pass Lower Granite Dam during the winter when the fish bypass systems are shut down.

Rationale: If reservoir-type wild fall Chinook salmon pass Lower Granite Dam in the winter, it is likely that a high percentage of the fish are killed by turbine blade strike. Starting fish bypass operations in March, rather than in April, might lead to large increases in fall Chinook salmon adult returns to the Snake River. Objective 1 of our study will provide mangers with the data to decide if earlier operation of the fish bypass system at Lower Granite Dam should be considered.