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; USGS; 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, in prep.) show a continuation of poor recruitment through 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) is an international organization that includes members from state, provincial, and federal fisheries agencies and First Nations tribes in British Columbia and Washington State.  The UCWSRI produced the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Plan (UCWSRP) in 2002, which 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).  Included in the UCWSRP are measures that call for the development of conservation hatchery facilities whose purpose is to supplement the extremely low natural production of white sturgeon in the Transboundary Reach.  This objective of this project is initiate the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 3-Step Process for development of new artificial production facilities in the U.S.  During the 2008 fiscal year, we plan to initiate Step 1 of the process and complete the following three components of the conceptual phase.

1.  Feasibility Study – we plan to complete a feasibility study that examines existing artificial production facilities in the area and determine whether any of them are suitable for conversion to sturgeon production, or for inclusion of additional production of sturgeon.  If none of the available facilities are suitable, we plan to identify potential locations to build a new facility.
2.  Genetics Plan Review and Development – we plan to complete a review of the current sturgeon production activities and the UCWSRP, and develop recommendations to assist with development of future white sturgeon supplementation activities.  These assessments will assist managers in developing a facility that will meet the unique production and genetic needs of such a long-lived species.  The genetics review and plan development will also help address concerns conveyed by the Independent Scientific Review Panel in their assessment of the project and our goals.
3.  Rough Conceptual Model - we plan to complete an initial site development plan that includes a rough outline of structure size and layout, elevations, electrical and piping schemes, and other facility development parameters, as well as a general (rough) cost assessment.