The Catherine Creek RM43 Fish Passage project is located at River mile 43 along Catherine Creek on private land at an existing CTUIR-BPA adult fish collection facility. The facility is operated by the CTUIR to collect adult spring Chinook salmon for the Catherine Creek supplementation program. Adult summer steelhead are also enumerated at the site.

The existing weir and collection facility is effective for adult fish capture, enumeration, and function for Catherine Creek Chinook supplementation program. However, the weir and fish ladder do not meet current NMFS passage criteria. The Denali ladder exceeds velocity criteria and mortality (rates not available) which occurs frequently at high flows when fish enter the main weir and are impinged on the upstream side of the pickets. Upstream juvenile passage is adversely affected by the velocities through the weir and uncertain through the ladder. Juvenile fish rearing in valley reaches may be negatively affected if upstream migration to cold water refuge is not available.

This project will construct a fish passage ladder compliant with current fish passage criteria and standards. This new fish ladder will replace the existing structure on Catherine Creek in the Grande Ronde Basin.

Project partners include CTUIR, GRMW, BPA, ODFW, private landowners, NOAA Fisheries. and City of Union.

Specific objectives for the facility include:

•    Meet State and NMFS fish passage criteria.
•    Minimize passage delay and injury.
•    Ability to operate in icy conditions.
•    Non-obtrusive passage during non-trapping (August – February).
•    From March 1 – May 1, passively enumerate adult summer steelhead with efficiency >95%.
•    From May 1 – July 31, trap, handle, and enumerate adult Chinook and steelhead with efficiency >98%.
•    Ability to handle adult Chinook from May 1 – July 31 to:
•    Collect data: length, sex, record marks, and natural or hatchery origin determination.
•    Collect hatchery brood stock.
•    Mark adult Chinook.
•   Collect genetic samples.
•    Remove surplus hatchery origin adult Chinook.
•    Ability to handle adult Chinook under electro-anesthesia with minimal stress on fish and personnel.
•    Ability to hold fish for 24 hours.
•    Incorporate antenna equipment in fishway to detect and interrogate PIT tags on adult and juvenile Chinook and steelhead.
•    Incorporate equipment for safe and efficient loading of adult Chinook into transportation vehicles in-water as much as possible.