1998-010-06

Captive Broodstock Artificial Propagation

Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC) program measure 7.4D addresses captive brood stock studies within the Fish and Wildlife program. It acknowledges that captive brood stock programs have the potential to rapidly increase adult fish numbers, while retaining genetic diversity of severely depleted wild or naturally spawning stocks of salmon. The NPPC program measure also states that implementation of captive brood stock programs may be the most effective means of accelerating recovery of severely depleted stocks. NPPC program measure 7.4D.2 directs that the program fund captive brood stock demonstration projects identified under the coordinated habitat and production process. It also advises that adequate evaluation be conducted to understand the fitness of captive brood progeny for supplementation, evaluation of fish husbandry and fish health techniques and development of culture systems that minimize loss of fish. A similar NPPC Measure (7.3.B2) directs the implementation of high priority supplementation projects which should include monitoring and evaluation. The current Captive Broodstock Artificial Propagation project addresses the monitoring and evaluation of the Grande Ronde River Chinook captive brood stock program in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Project Coordination:

The Captive Broodstock Artificial Propagation Chinook project in the Grande Ronde River is a high priority project recognized by state, federal and Tribal representatives through the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority (CBFWA). This project has been coordinated with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). Project coordination with NMFS has resulted in sharing of NMFS facilities at the Manchester Research Station and in ODFW procuring a Section 10 permit to conduct Chinook salmon captive broodstock enhancement activities in the Grande Ronde River. In addition, the Nez Perce Tribe received its own ESA Section 10 Permit (#1149) to operate the weir on the Lostine River. The draft NMFS recovery plan, under the Endangered Species Act, acknowledges the use of captive broodstock programs to prevent population extinction and to supplement and enhance natural Chinook populations.

Attend all relevant Inter- and Intra-agency meetings as required to coordinate activities and share project information. Abide by the Nez Perce Tribe policies and procedures as required (Human Resources, Finance, Resolutions, Administrative Actions, etc.) and with all other policy personnel directions.

Project History:

The Nez Perce Tribe recommended implementation of a captive broodstock and/or conventional hatchery Chinook smolt production program in the Lostine River in 1994 in an attempt to preserve a salmon spawning aggregate that was at low levels of abundance and high risk of extirpation. Subsequently, in 1995, the Tribe cooperated with the ODFW in the planning and development of a Chinook salmon captive broodstock management plan for the Grande Ronde River.

Chinook captive broodstock program activities were initiated in 1995 with the collection of juvenile Chinook salmon from the Lostine River, Catherine Creek and upper Grande Ronde River. Fish were reared at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery until the smolt stage and then were transferred to temporary facilities at Bonneville Hatchery and to the Manchester Research Station. This allowed the ability to evaluate freshwater and saltwater captive broodstock rearing strategies. Chinook salmon parr were also collected in 1996 from the Lostine River and Catherine Creek and in 1997 through 2006 juvenile Chinook were collected from all three streams. Therefore funding is required for continued monitoring and evaluation of the spring Chinook captive broodstock program in 2007 and beyond.

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1998

2009

Kenneth Kirkman (Inactive)

Closed - Project Status Report

Province	Subbasin	%
Blue Mountain	Grande Ronde	100.00%

None

None

All Anadromous Salmonids
Chinook - Snake River Spring/Summer ESU

Anadromous: 100.0%   Resident: 0.0%   Wildlife: 0.0%

Estuary (Public Tags)

None

None