EVALUATE SPAWNING OF FALL CHINOOK AND CHUM SALMON JUST BELOW THE FOUR LOWERMOST MAINSTEM DAMS  
Statement of Work and Budget FY2007

BPA Project Number:  1999-003-01
BPA Project Title:  EVALUATE SPAWNING OF FALL CHINOOK AND CHUM SALMON JUST BELOW THE FOUR LOWERMOST MAINSTEM DAMS
Contract Number:  ?
Contract Title:  1999-003-01 Eval. Spawning of F. Chinook & Chum Below 4 Low Dams
Performance/Budget Period: ?               

Evan Arntzen
Staff scientist and project manager
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
P.O. Box 999, MS K6-85
Richland, Washington 99352
(509) 373-0478/(509) 372-3515
evan.artnzen@pnl.gov

Julie L. Hughes
Contracting Officer
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
P.O. Box 999, MS K6-79
Richland, Washington 99354
(509) 372-3943/(509) 376-9317
julie.hughes@pnl.gov

Kathy Lavender
Financial Administrator
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
P.O. Box 999, MS K6-84
Richland, Washington 99354
(509) 376-1724/(509) 373-1153
kathy.lavender@pnl.gov

CONTRACT DESCRIPTION SECTION

EVALUATE SPAWNING OF SALMON BELOW THE FOUR LOWERMOST COLUMBIA RIVER DAMS

Project Goal

The goal of this project is to assess the extent of spawning by ESA listed chum salmon and fall chinook salmon in the mainstem Columbia River so that the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) can be managed in a manner to protect and enhance these important populations.

Background

Fall chinook salmon, thought to originate from Bonneville Hatchery, were first noted to be spawning downstream of Bonneville Dam by Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists in 1993.  Known spawning areas include gravel beds on the Washington side of the river near Hamilton Creek and Ives Island.  Limited spawning ground surveys have been conducted in the area around Ives and Pierce Islands during 1994-1997.  Based on these surveys it is believed that fall chinook salmon are successfully spawning in this area.  The size of this population from 1994 to 1996 was estimated at 1,800 to 5,200 fish (Hymer 1997).  In addition, chum salmon have also been documented spawning downstream of Bonneville Dam.  Chum salmon were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in March, 1999.

There are on-going discussions regarding the minimum and maximum flows that will result in optimal spawning habitat utilization and survival of development embryos of both fall chinook and chum salmon.  An existing project funded by BPA (99-003-00) is attempting to define the characteristics of fall chinook and chum salmon spawning areas.  However, at present there is a need to determine how many fall chinook and chum salmon spawn downstream of Bonneville Dam, what the characteristics are of their spawning areas, and what flows are necessary to ensure their long-term survival.  Collection of additional data as part of this project will ensure that established flow guidelines are appropriate and provide adequate protection for the species of concern.  This is consistent with the high priority that the Northwest Power Planning Council's Independent Advisory Board and the salmon managers have placed on determining the importance of mainstem habitats to the production of salmon in the Columbia River Basin.  Thus, there is a need to better understand the physical habitat variables used by mainstem fall chinook and chum salmon populations and the effects of project operations on spawning and incubation.  

In FY99, Project 99-003 was initiated by the WDFW, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department (ODFW), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).  The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was asked to participate in the study during FY00.  During 2000-06, PNNL has focused their efforts on 1) investigating the interactions between ground water and surface water near fall chinook and chum salmon spawning areas, 2) providing in season hyporheic temperature data and assisting state agencies with emergence timing estimates, 3) locating and mapping deep-water fall chinook salmon spawning areas (Mueller and Dauble 2000; Mueller 2001-2005), and 4) providing support to WDFW for analysis of stranding data.  Work proposed for continuation in FY 2007 continues hyporheic temperature and flow monitoring in the Ives Island area and expands this work to recently discovered chum salmon redds near Multnomah Falls and the I-205 bridge and  deepwater chum salmon redds below Bonneville Dam.  We will also participate in the evaluation of incubation success through placement of egg baskets in the substrate and evaluation of enhancement of non-spawning areas through artificial development of hyporheic flow.

The project has been divided into a series of tasks with each agency taking the lead on a task; the WDFW is leading the adult task, ODFW is leading the juvenile task, and USFWS is leading the habitat task.  All three tasks of the project are designed to work together to achieve the goals of this project.  Study results from PNNL's work will contribute to all three tasks.

PNNL will complete four objectives in FY 2007:

1.  Locate and map chum and fall chinook salmon deepwater spawning areas in the vicinity of Pierce and Ives islands,
2.  Monitor hyporheic upwelling and temperature and water surface elevation in fall chinook and chum spawning areas at Ives and Pierce islands and chum spawning areas at Multnomah Falls and I-205, and provide real-time temperature and water surface elevation data from the Ives Island chum salmon spawning areas to the fish passage center,

3.  Assist in the deployment of egg baskets to estimate egg to fry survival of chum salmon, and

4.   Evaluate the potential for hyporheic modification of non-spawning areas below Bonneville Dam

Location of Project

This project is being conducted at three locations below Bonneville Dam: 1) the Pierce-Ives Island area, 2) near Multnomah Falls, and 3) near the I-205 bridge.

Collaborative Arrangements and Coordination

This work is being conducted under an existing BPA project 99-003-00 which is a shared effort by the WDFW, USFWS, ODFW, PSMFC, and PNNL.  All of our activities will be coordinated with the other personnel involved in this project, as well as with BPA personnel.  We expect to obtain technical assistance by funding student internships through our existing office of fellowship programs (OFP).

Depending on flows during the month of October, we may request special operations of Bonneville Dam in order to reduce flows in the study area while we are installing piezometers.  Timely completion of some tasks is dependent on completion of other portions of this project.  

Because our proposed sampling methods are unobtrusive, we expect no impact on any ESA-listed species that might be migrating through the study area.  For example, artificial lighting during underwater video surveys will be limited to an infra-red source to reduce the potential for disturbance to adult salmon.  The National Marine Fisheries Service has previously approved our methodology for conducting surveys of Endangered fall chinook salmon in the lower Snake River.  We will ensure that the installation of piezometers is done in a manner that minimizes disturbance to spawning salmon.  We will acquire the necessary approvals from state and federal agencies before conducting that portion of the work.

References

Dauble, D.D., R.L. Johnson, R.P. Mueller, C.S. Abernethy, B.J. Evans, and D.R. Geist. 1994.  Identification of fall chinook salmon spawning sites near lower Snake River Hydroelectric Projects.  Prepared for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Walla Walla, Washington by Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington.

Hymer, J. 1997.  Results of studies on chinook spawning in the mainstem Columbia River below Bonneville Dam.   Columbia River Progress Report 97-9.  Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Battle Ground, Washington.

Mueller, R.P., and D.D. Dauble  2000.  Evidence of deepwater spawning of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning near Ives and Pierce Islands of the Columbia River.  Annual 1999, Report to Bonneville Power Administration, Contract No. 00000652-2, Project No. 1999-00304, 19 electronic pages (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-2).

Mueller, R.P.  2001.  Deepwater spawning of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Ives and Pierce Island of the Columbia River, Annual 2000, Report to Bonneville Power Administration, Contract No. 00000652,  Project No. 1999-00304, 27 electronic pages (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-6).  

Mueller, R.P.  2002.  Deepwater spawning of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Ives and Pierce Island of the Columbia River.  Project No. 1999-00304, 27 electronic pages (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-10).

Mueller, R.P.  2003.  Deepwater spawning of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Ives and Pierce Island of the Columbia River.  Project No. 1999-00301, 29 electronic pages (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-13).

Mueller, R.P.  2004.  Deepwater spawning of fall chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Ives and Pierce Island of the Columbia River.  Project No. 1999-00301, 24 electronic pages (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-19).

Mueller, R. P. 2005. Deepwater spawning of fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) near Ives and Pierce Island of the Columbia River.  2004-2005 Annual Report, Project No. 199900301, 26 electronic pages, (BPA Report DOE/BP-00000652-28).

Thompson, Steven K. 1992. Sampling. Wiley, NY, NY

Wagner, P., J. Nugent, W. Price, R. Tudor, P. Hoffarth. 1999. 1997-99 Evaluation of Juvenile Fall Chinook Stranding on The Hanford Reach. U.S. Dept. of Energy, Bonneville Power Adminstration, Report I30417, February 1999.