The Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) Resident Fish RM&E project is a Columbia River Fish Accord project that began in 2008. The primary goal for the Resident Fish RM&E Project is to conserve, enhance and restore native fish populations in the blocked area above Grand Coulee Dam in Lake Roosevelt and its tributaries, and where appropriate provide opportunities for subsistence harvest by the Colville Tribal members and recreational anglers. The current work of the RM&E project will focus on the protection and conservation of redband trout populations on the Colville Confederated Tribes Reservation, with a focus on the Sanpoil River.

Rainbow trout are a focal species in the Sanpoil Subbasin under the Intermountain Province Subbasin Plan (IMP) due to their recreational value as a sport fish and their cultural significance to the CCT (Gillin and Pizzimenti 2004). The Columbia River redband trout are a subspecies of rainbow trout native to the Columbia River drainage east of the Cascade Mountains as far as barrier falls on the Snake, Spokane, Pend Oreille, and Kootenai rivers (Allendorf et al. 1980; Behnke 1992; McLellan and Lee 2010). Effective fisheries management of redband trout requires an understanding of population structure, complex historical management activities, geography, and life history strategies (Small et al. 1998; McCusker et al. 2000; Spidle et al. 2003; Spruell et al. 2003; Small et al. 2007).
Two genetically distinct subspecies of rainbow trout have been identified within the Sanpoil Subbasin(Small and Dean 2006, 2007). Redband trout are native to the drainage, while coastal rainbow trout have been introduced to the area (Gillin and Pizzimenti 2004). Native redband may be genetically similar to the native, steelhead populations that were once abundant within the upper Columbia River system (Leary 1997; Gillan and Pizzimenti 2004). Although genetic testing has revealed introgression among subspecies, genetically pure redband trout still exist above barriers (Leary 1997, Small and Dean 2006, 2007). Young et. al. (2007) indicated that greater than 75% of the adfluvial rainbow trout in the Sanpoil system are non-hybridized redband stocks. In order to properly manage the redband population for protection and enhancement, an understanding of population dynamics is necessary along with an understanding of survival in trends during key life stages. During the next five year cycle (2013-2017) the Resident Fish RM&E project has the primary objective of monitor trends in abundance of fluvial and adfluvial redband rainbow trout in the Sanpoil River.

Data currently being gathered on redband adult life histories within the Sanpoil basin have identified three primary life history strategies (fluvial, fluvial-adfluvial and lacustrine-adfluvial) (Northcote 1997). Fluvial populations (or resident populations) are documented above barriers and do not migrate extensively within their home range, however a fluvial populations for the mainstem Sanpoil River is still unknown. The fluvial-adfluvial population (migratory cycle between streams or rivers and their tributaries) has been documented within the Sanpoil River drainage, however specific migratory cycles are still not fully understood. The lacustrine-adfluvial population (migrates from Lake Roosevelt into the Sanpoil River) has been found to contain three "components" which include a spring, summer, and fall run. This complex life-history has made this population difficult to understand and study. Preliminary data also indicated redband trout begin to out-migrate in February, with the peak occurring in April and May. However, it is important to note the screw trapping was not conducted past May, and a fall out-migration is likely. The majority of redband out-migrating ranged between 100 and 200 mm total length, and likely encompass two year classes. Aging using scale analysis is ongoing.
In 2010 the Colville Tribe began working with regional co-managers to develop a comprehensive plan to monitor the redband trout populations in the blocked area. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (McLellan and Lee 2010) developed a proposal to be used by the co-managers to develop redband stock assessment projects. It was envisioned this document would assist the co-managers with developing similar protocols so that data collected by multiple projects and entities would be compatible and comparable.

This is the outline the CCT has used to develop the Resident Fish RM&E program to conduct stock assessments on redband trout in the Sanpoil River. The project plans to implement four primary tasks which include monitoring abundance, monitoring recruitment, monitoring harvest, and monitoring escapement to assist with management decisions. The development of a multi-year data set will enable managers to monitor trends over time and address potential limiting factors.

Monitoring Recruitment: The project will use PIT tag arrays and screw traps to estimate recruitment of redband trout to Lake Roosevelt from the Sanpoil River basin. If funds are available the CCT’s Lake Roosevelt Habitat Improvement Project (LRHIP) (1990-018-00) will implant juvenile redband trout with PIT tags during their baseline tributary surveys in the summer of 2013. Out-migration timing will be monitored with the PIT tag array.  The project will place 3 PIT tag arrays at key tributaries to monitor fluvial and adfluvial population movement trends.

Monitor Harvest: The project will coordinate with the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Project (1994-043-00) to obtain creel information on wild rainbow trout. Creel clerks scan all wild rainbow trout for PIT tags. The project will estimate harvest impacts from these data.

Monitor Escapement: The project will monitor lacustrine adfluvial escapement into the Sanpoil River from a weir trap installed near the mouth of the river.  The project is currently coordinating with other projects to cost-share the development and construction of a permanent weir, as temporary weir cannot withstand the intense spring runoffs.  The mainstem PIT tag array will also be used to track movements of spawning fish.

The development of a standardized stock assessment project will enable biologists to estimate the current status of the redband stock relative to management targets. These estimates will then be used to suggest management activities to improve abundance of redband trout.