The Walla Walla Salmonid Monitoring and Evaluation Project is funded per the 2008 Columbia Basin Fish Accords Memorandum of Agreement between the Treaty Tribes and FCRPS Action Agencies.  This collaborative project is conducted by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  This project provides technical information and support to fish and land managers, planners and stakeholders charged with maintaining viable salmon and steelhead populations in Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon.  

The purpose of this study is to strengthen salmonid status and trend monitoring in the basin, improve effectiveness monitoring, and facilitate the implementation of a regionally standardized monitoring and evaluation program.  Focal species are spring Chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) salmon, and ESA-listed summer steelhead (O. mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus).  Study objectives are to monitor and evaluate salmonid viability, survival and productivity (VSP) in areas of the Walla Walla, Touchet, and Mill Creek drainages.  This project estimates adult returns, spawning abundance, and smolt production to describe stock status and trends in relation to hatchery and habitat treatments.

Project work includes Adult Enumeration, Spawning Surveys, Out-migrant monitoring, PIT-tagging, and Fish Salvage. We believe these monitoring and evaluation actions meet the highest priorities for fish population monitoring as identified by the Walla Walla Subbasin Plan and Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan.  Project metrics include estimates of adult returns, run timing and distribution; spawning escapement, redd counts and distribution; out-migrant condition at emigration, abundance, survival and timing; smolt survival and timing to Columbia River interrogation sites, and smolt to adult returns; adult recruitment; and number of fish salvaged.

CTUIR and WDFW project partners collaborate on the project proposal, budget, statements of work and annual report; but retain their individual contracts with BPA.  CTUIR project offices are located at the William A. Grant Water and Science Center at Walla Walla Community College; while the WDFW South East Washington District Offices are located in Dayton, Washington. Previously, CTUIR and WDFW conducted separate studies and reported to BPA in separate annual reports, under project numbers 199802000 and 20003900.  Previous project reports may be found at either www.data.umatilla.nsn.us/fisheries/index.aspx, www.wdfw.wa.gov, or efw.bpa.gov/searchpublications/.