The Chief Joseph Kokanee project began in 1995 following its inclusion into the fish and wildlife program. It was intended to protect and enhance natural origin kokanee in the blocked area and provide information on their abundance, distribution, productivity and genetic make-up . The project also addressed entrainment issues at Grand Coulee Dam using hydroacoustic technology and strobe lights as a deterrent mechanism.  At the conclusion of the 2005 strobe light study it was determined that illumination of specific areas of the 3rd powerhouse forebay had little effect deterring salmonids from entering the forebay and/or penstock openings.  As a result the study was concluded and the project shifted direction.  

Natural origin kokanee have been documented and evaluated in the Nespelem and San Poil Rivers since 1995.  The adult spawning population once numbered in the hundreds during the last decade but since 2001 have decreased from about 20 kokanee to 1 or 2 kokanee per tributary.  The decline in kokanee production is thought to be limited by numerous limiting factors including annual reservoir fluctuations, limited shoreline spawning habitat, entrainment, temperature and predation.  The most recent data however, showed an increase in returns in Nespelem River from 1 in 2005 to 24 captures in 2006 (not including foot survey counts).  Enumeration data in  Big Sheep Cr. showed a similar increase but may be a result of the supplementation effort in 2004.  The San Poil River documented a total of three kokanee which was similar to past results.  Although these numbers are low, there may be some indication that the kokanee population is actually larger than presented in the data.  During foot surveys, large schools of kokanee were identified many km above the picket weirs that had not been captured in  weirs established by mid August.  This suggests a migration that may occur much sooner than is normally expected.  Individual sightings have been documented on the San Poil River as soon as the beginning of July (Sheri Sears, CCT, personal communication).  Another explanation for the escaped kokanee is the use of picket weirs.  Pickets weirs have been an effective sampling technique for many years, especially for migrating salmon, but the narrow gaps between pickets limits the capture effectiveness because kokanee have the potential to swim between the pickets.  Capture efficiencies using trapping gears have been documented as low as 23% and have tendencies to be highly variable (Great Lakes Fishery Commission 2001).  Other key factors such as placement of the fish trap, quality and quantity of attraction flow and time of operation effect the efficiency of picket weirs.  This  years effort will evaluate kokanee migrations starting July 1st (possibly sooner) with additional foot surveys throughout the sub basin that will support two fundamental questions:

1.  Do kokanee migrate in July and early August (possibly earlier)?  And if so, is the migration related to temperature and/or flow?
2.  Is the us of picket style weirs a good technique in evaluating kokanee returns (may provide evidence that past data are inaccurate)?    

With the approval of the FY07-09 proposal, three habitat improvement projects will be engineered and constructed.  The first, Barnaby Creek, has been unaccessible to kokanee for many years due to fluctuating lake levels that leave a culvert high and dry.  During years of high flow or when lake levels are over the minimum culvert height, kokanee make normal migrations into Barnaby Creek.  In 1997 and 1998 a total of 2 and approximately 300 kokanee respectively were observed in Barnaby Creek.   One kokanee was observed in Barnaby Cr in 2006 and more than a dozen more at the culvert entrance.  Work proposed in 2007 would design and engineer a fish passage facility that would allow migratory access to approximately one mile of suitable spawning habitat.  A spawning channel feasibility study for both the San Poil and Nespelem rivers is proposed for 07-09.  Spawning channels have been successful in a number of anadromous salmon locations and have provided a prosthetic habitat for fish, that requires less human intervention than hatchery.  

The last objective, is to develop a study plan that accurately assesses the entire population of natural origin kokanee and determines the genetic makeup in the blocked area as this has been a continued effort of the project since its inclusion into the program.  The genetic information will be used to determine the actual contribution of natural origin kokanee to the Lake Roosevelt fishery.  Although the final report was finished in 2006, a number of data gaps still exist and need to be addressed.  Other project leaders associated with Lake Roosevelt are in agreement and support this multi agency effort.  The project will also assist other efforts in the region including hatchery supplementation, screw trap data collection and telemetry studies.