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 wild juvenile white sturgeon representing multiple year classes.

The onset of the recruitment decline in the Transboundary Reach white sturgeon population appears to coincide with the construction of Columbia River mainstem dams in Canada starting with Hugh L. Keenleyside (HLK; 1968), and followed by Mica (1976) and Revelstoke (1984).  This early assessment suggests that reproductive failure of this population may be directly related to the effects of river regulation (R.L. & L. 1994), however, the exact mechanisms limiting recruitment are unknown.  Examination of the mechanisms causing recruitment failure of the upper Columbia River white sturgeon populations is the focus of numerous 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 progress through the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Step Process for development of new artificial production facilities in the U.S.  

Genetics assessments:  The UCWSRI and Lake Roosevelt co-managers implemented a interim conservation aquaculture program that collected broodstock and reared eggs from crosses comprised of various numbers of male and female white sturgeon in an effort to ensure that we protect the widest genetic component of the wild population.  Early in this project, we completed a overview of sturgeon genetics that provided recommendations on how to complete male:female sturgeon crosses that would best protect the wild population genetic diversity.  Subsequently, genetics studies were implemented to examine the Transboundary Reach population structure (funded under a UCWSRI project by BC Hydro), and to determine the level to which the production program represented the wild-type genetic diversity in its broodstock program (completed under BPA Project 1995-027-00).  Studies found that the white sturgeon population in the upper Columbia River was comprised of a single population, and that broodstock collected represented the genetic diversity of the wild population, but that rare alleles may not be well represented or preserved using the broodstock methodology.  To address potential limitations of the broodstock production program, managers examined the potential of using wild-caught larvae collected from the Roosevelt Reach in 2010.  Based on the success of the pilot study, managers began full implementation of the aquaculture program using wild-caught larvae in 2011 and implemented a genetics assessment of the protocol which is scheduled for completion in August 2012.

Feasibility assessment: 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.  This must take into consideration the outcome from the genetics assessment completed on the new wild-larvae collection protocol implemented in 2010.  Assuming a positive outcome from the genetics assessment, the feasibility study must also 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.

Development of the draft Master Plan (also referred to as a Rough Conceptual Model) will consist of 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 for development of a facility that will allow the production of up to 4,000 juvenile white sturgeon reared for release into the upper Columbia River/Lake Roosevelt.

During the 2012 fiscal year contract, we plan to complete the feasibility assessment and develop a draft Master Plan.