1. Technical Justification, Program Significance and Consistency, and Project Relationships (sections B-D) This proposal is to modify the adult holding ponds at Lyons Ferry Hatchery by further dividing the existing four ponds into eight. The additional pond units will allow fish transported from Lower Granite Dam and adults that voluntarily swim into the facility to be segregated by run-timing, sex, origin and sexual maturation. The additional ponds are intended to reduce the need to crowd fish, handle and sort fish by maturity status and as such decrease fish stress. The extra ponds are also intended to improve the ability to (1) process adult fall Chinook during spawning operations to meet broodstock goals and (2) complete an adequate run reconstruction for the Snake River fall Chinook population. Lyons Ferry Hatchery is a Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) facility and the work would be done under the auspices of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) who administer the LSRCP. The justification for the modification is that additional sorting and segregation capability for adult fall Snake River Chinook restoration will then be possible. While the level of detail provided is insufficient to understand the specific nature of the current limitations, this retrofit is a relatively straight forward engineering and construction project. It is not presented as a new or increased level production for Lower Snake River Compensation Program, but rather a modification to permit achieving currently approved releases. We aren’t asking for a response on this proposal, but the proposal would be improved with extra details on how the four pond scenario is limiting fall Chinook restoration and how the new eight pond scenario will vastly improve it. In addition, expanding the number of holding units for returning Snake River fall Chinook to facilitate improved run-reconstruction is reasonable, especially given the small number of original units. It was not clear, however, to what extent the current run-reconstructions are deficient, and that this remedy would actually provide the required facilities. It was also not clear who performs the run-reconstructions and what they are then used for. Improving the precision of vital estimates of hatchery and natural salmon populations is consistent with adaptive management in the Fish and Wildlife Program and calls from the ISAB and ISRP for more effective monitoring of the artificial production programs. On that basis, the action is consistent with the Fish and Wildlife Program. 2. Objectives, Work Elements, and Methods (section F) Adequate presentation. 3. M&E (section G, and F) Ostensibly, this action will lead to improved M&E. The overall benefit to fish and wildlife is through improved and more efficient management owing to better information. It would have helped to explain in more detail what run-reconstruction is, how it is conducted by managers, and how the data will be used for hydrosystem, BiOp, and harvest management. In future LSRCP proposals/reviews, the sponsors should highlight how this new capability has been used.