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 to initiate the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s 3-Step Process for development of new artificial production facilities in the U.S.  

Step 1 is comprised of several components or tasks:
Step 1, Task 1:  Completion of a genetics analyses.  We need to ensure that we protect the widest genetic component of the wild population.  To ensure that we handle the fish properly in the hatchery, we completed a genetics assessment that examined the population and provided recommendations on how to complete crosses of individuals that would best protect the wild population genetic diversity.  Understanding this will assist managers in development of appropriate space requirements for the conservation sturgeon hatchery.  This work was completed under a previous fiscal year.
Step 1, Task 2:  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.  In 2010 we altered our protocol for sturgeon production to address the need to protect the genetic integrity of the upper Columbia River population of white sturgeon.  The feasibility assessment must take into consideration the shift from using adult sturgeon and egg collections to direct wild larvae collections from the study site.  The wild larvae will be raised in the hatchery in discrete groups based on collection timing from the river, so the facility assessment must take into consideration the rearing space needs of this change.  If none of the available facilities are suitable, we plan to identify potential locations to build a new facility.  This is a necessary first step to development of a rough conceptual design for the new facility.  It will allow us to answer the question of whether there existing facilities that could be retrofitted for our purposes at less cost than building a facility from the ground up, or if no existing facilities are appropriate, we have an opportunity to examine potential sites to build a facility.
Step 1, Task 3:  Draft Master Plan (also referred to as a 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.

During the 2011 fiscal year, we plan to continue implementation of Step 1 of the 3-Step process by completing Task 2 (Feasibility) and Task 3 (Draft Master Plan).