The Northwest Power Planning Council (Council) adopted the Master Plan in 1990 (document uploaded into Pisces Attachment tab under "other') as part of its Fish and Wildlife Program.

A cooperative use agreement between Umatilla Hatchery (BPA) and Irrigon hatchery (LSRCP) has existed since its execution in 1991(Project Document Attachment "Hatchery Cooperative Use Agreement 1991") between separate Irrigon/Umatilla facilities funding entities.  This agreement has been an integral part of hatchery operations since the initiation of the Umatilla Hatchery O&M project in 1991. In April 21, 2015, the Irrigon Fish Hatchery/Umatilla Fish Hatchery Complex Coordination Letter of Agreement (Project Document Attachment Irrigon_Umatilla Hatchery Coordination Letter" )  renewed this spirit of the 1991 agreement and extend the cost saving benefits to both facilities, for separate pooling resources for non-routine/emergency needs. These cost saving and /or fish saving  practices have been in use for the last 25 years.  They include:

1. The sharing of equipment inventories between the hatcheries. This generates a cost savings as opposed to contracting outside services and equipment rentals. Routine maintenance is the responsibility of the lender.  Any other cost to repair  or replace the item borrowed will be the responsibility of the user.
2. The use of hatchery rearing space, water and oxygen in an emergency situation.  This benefits the fish and has a potential to save hatchery programs.
3. The reciprocal use of hatchery personnel benefits both hatcheries by increasing efficiencies in the use of time and money. Personnel can be made available to accomplish spawning, egg working, fish rearing, grading, fish marking, maintenance, and fish liberation tasks at both hatcheries instead of having to increase the number of  permanent and/or temporary positions at each facility.  Personnel will remain on their respective payrolls and will be lent to the requesting hatchery only when there are no impacts to their originating programs..
    

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), and other federal partners designed the Umatilla Hatchery as an experimental tool to achieve adult returns goals (hatchery-origin and natural-origin).  The adult goals include:
·Steelhead (5,500)
·Spring Chinook (8,000)
·Fall Chinook-upriver bright (12,000)
·Coho (6,000)

Maintaining artificial propagation, at its current level, was a recommended action from the Umatilla/Willow Subbasin Planning Team to the Northwest Power and Conversation Council to achieve anadromous adult return goals (memo September 27, 2005).  

Fish production has changed in the program due to Umatilla water flow limitations and adaptive management.  Generally, these changes have resulted in reduced production at Umatilla Hatchery and additional fish production in other Columbia Basin hatcheries. Current fish production for the Umatilla Hatchery includes:
·Summer Steelhead (150,000 smolts)
·Spring Chinook (810,000 smolts)
·Fall Chinook (600,000 sub-yearling smolts)

Production numbers are adaptively managed and reviewed annually under the Annual Operating Plan (AOP).

Other fish produced elsewhere and transferred to the Umatilla Subbasin include:
·Fall Chinook (900,000 yearling smolts) from Bonneville Hatchery (John Day Mitigation)
·Coho (500,000 smolts) from Cascade Hatchery (Mitchell Act)

This proposal would fund all Umatilla Hatchery fish production, hatchery maintenance, and fish transfers into the Umatilla River Subbasin.