Salmonid Natural Production Monitoring & Evaluation Project Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation BPA Project #

Presentation Outline Project history and focal area Project history and focal area Project goals and objectives Project goals and objectives Results to date Results to date RM&E planning RM&E planning Monitoring & evaluation improvements Monitoring & evaluation improvements Research agenda Research agenda

Project History Began as part of Umatilla NPMEP activities Began as part of Umatilla NPMEP activities Established as a unique project in 2000 as CTUIR began to focus more resources on the Walla Walla subbasin Established as a unique project in 2000 as CTUIR began to focus more resources on the Walla Walla subbasin Established Walla Walla field office in 2001 Established Walla Walla field office in 2001

Walla Walla Basin

Monitoring & Evaluation Goals 1. Monitor status of populations and ecosystems early detection program early detection program 2. Life-stage specific survival the what, when, and where the what, when, and where 3. Natural and anthropogenic forcing functions the why the why 4. Evaluate artificial production programs Hatchery releases and out-plants Hatchery releases and out-plants

1) Monitor Population & Ecosystem Status: Are we on track? Egg, fry, parr, & smolt abundance Egg, fry, parr, & smolt abundance Spawner abundance Spawner abundance Habitat availability Habitat availability Community structure Community structure Ecosystem function Ecosystem function

2) Life Stage-Specific Survival 1. Spawner to egg 2. Egg to fry 3. Fry to parr 4. Parr to smolt 5. Smolt to return 6. Return to spawners 1. Fecundity & redd counts 2. Derived 3. Juvenile densities 4. Out-migrant monitoring 5. Ladder counts & CWT 6. Ladder counts and spawner surveys Age and growth monitoring applicable throughout

3) Forcing Functions Direct mortality: fishing, passage, and predation Direct mortality: fishing, passage, and predation Artificial production and out-planting Artificial production and out-planting Environmental variability: water quantity and quality Environmental variability: water quantity and quality Habitat alterations: disturbance and restoration Habitat alterations: disturbance and restoration Ecological changes: structure and function Ecological changes: structure and function

Monitoring & Evaluation Approach 1. Integrate variables in a georeferenced database 2. Expand data using geostatistical tools 3. Evaluate relative impacts using explicit multivariate models including EDT EDT EcoPath with EcoSim EcoPath with EcoSim Fish Bioenergetics 3.0 Fish Bioenergetics 3.0 SalMod SalMod

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Chinook Spawner Surveys

Spawner Carcass Survey Methods Pre-spawn surveys in July Pre-spawn surveys in July Multiple pass visual surveys August & September Multiple pass visual surveys August & September Index reaches and exploration of new habitat when possible Index reaches and exploration of new habitat when possible

Chinook Out-plants vs. Redds

Chinook Out-plants vs. Redds/Fem

South Fork Walla Walla Summer Steelhead Redds

Future Spawner Work Increased steelhead monitoring effort Increased steelhead monitoring effort Randomized sampling scheme Randomized sampling scheme Geostatistical stock assessment of redds Geostatistical stock assessment of redds

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Juvenile Monitoring Methods Basin-wide responsibilities Basin-wide responsibilities Modified EMAP randomized design Modified EMAP randomized design 12X mean high water width reaches wherever possible (10m min 180m max) 12X mean high water width reaches wherever possible (10m min 180m max) Full block-net depletions wherever possible Full block-net depletions wherever possible Identify all species encountered Identify all species encountered Overlapping habitat survey of sampled reaches Overlapping habitat survey of sampled reaches

Chinook Distribution

Steelhead Distribution

Steelhead Distribution (cont.)

Chinook Survey Methods

Steelhead Survey Methods

Future Juvenile Monitoring Work Direct tie to management actions Direct tie to management actions Increased habitat survey effort Increased habitat survey effort Increased electrofishing survey effort Increased electrofishing survey effort Testing of baited seining and trapping methods for less invasive sampling Testing of baited seining and trapping methods for less invasive sampling

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Outmigrant Monitoring Operate 3+ rotary screw traps annually Operate 3+ rotary screw traps annually PIT-tag 3-6,000 steelhead and Chinook PIT-tag 3-6,000 steelhead and Chinook Manage data and detections via PTAGIS Manage data and detections via PTAGIS

Screw Traps

Chinook Catch

Steelhead Catch

Outmigrant Timing at McNary Dam

Future Outmigrant Work Lower river trap Lower river trap Outmigrant abundance estimate Outmigrant abundance estimate Development of survival models Development of survival models

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Age & Growth Collections and archive Collections and archive Carcasses Carcasses Outmigrant trap Outmigrant trap Juvenile surveys Juvenile surveys Mounting for brood analysis and growth analysis Mounting for brood analysis and growth analysis

Future Age and Growth Work Retrofit digital otolith/scale lab Retrofit digital otolith/scale lab Attain needed staff levels Attain needed staff levels Detailed examination of JV growth patterns Detailed examination of JV growth patterns Brood analysis of steelhead and Chinook Brood analysis of steelhead and Chinook

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Movement and Passage Gill-net, hook & line, and seine collections Gill-net, hook & line, and seine collections Gastric tags for steelhead, surgical implants for bull trout Gastric tags for steelhead, surgical implants for bull trout Fixed station, foot, vehicle, and fly-over geolocation Fixed station, foot, vehicle, and fly-over geolocation

Radio Telemetry Data Loggers in the Walla Walla Subbasin

Steelhead Movement

Bull Trout Movement

Future Movement & Passage Work Publish bull trout and steelhead results Publish bull trout and steelhead results Shifting focus to Chinook evaluation Shifting focus to Chinook evaluation Focus passage restoration effectiveness at project sites for both steelhead and Chinook Focus passage restoration effectiveness at project sites for both steelhead and Chinook

Monitoring & Evaluation Objectives 1. Spawner/carcass surveys 2. Juvenile rearing monitoring 3. Outmigration monitoring 4. Age and growth 5. Adult movement and passage 6. Quantitative evaluation 7. Administration and reporting 8. RM&E planning and coordination

Quantitative Evaluation Population performance Population performance Production, productivity, & survival Production, productivity, & survival SAR, SAS, smolts/spawner SAR, SAS, smolts/spawner Future performance Future performance Standing stock Standing stock Run predictions Run predictions Fish-habitat interactions Fish-habitat interactions Availability Availability Utilization Utilization Habitat potential Habitat potential Ecological processes Ecological processes Natural mortality (top down) Natural mortality (top down) Prey availability and competition (bottom up) Prey availability and competition (bottom up) Limiting factors and planning Limiting factors and planning

Presentation Outline Project history and focal area Project history and focal area Project goals and objectives Project goals and objectives Results to date Results to date RM&E planning RM&E planning Monitoring & evaluation improvements Monitoring & evaluation improvements Research agenda Research agenda

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Multi-species approach Multi-species approach Indicator species Indicator species Hatchery-natural interactions Hatchery-natural interactions Ecological interactions Ecological interactions Geostatistical approach Geostatistical approach Georeferenced monitoring: modified EMAP Georeferenced monitoring: modified EMAP Improved data management Improved data management Geostatistical stock assessments Geostatistical stock assessments Stronger connection to management actions Stronger connection to management actions Habitat Habitat Flow Flow Passage Passage

Monitoring and Evaluation Improvements Ecosystem focus Ecosystem focus Watershed focus Watershed focus Full outmigrant estimate Full outmigrant estimate Increased juvenile, spawner, and carcass surveys Increased juvenile, spawner, and carcass surveys Planning for increased overall effort associated with Walla Walla hatchery Planning for increased overall effort associated with Walla Walla hatchery

Research Goals 1. Facilitate collaborative basic science 2. Develop, refine, and publish novel techniques, applications, and findings 3. Train and educate up and coming CTUIR scientists

Walla Walla Research Agenda Evaluate connectivity of bull trout and whitefish populations Evaluate connectivity of bull trout and whitefish populations Stable isotope monitoring of energy flow Stable isotope monitoring of energy flow Toxicological survey of rearing juveniles and returning adults Toxicological survey of rearing juveniles and returning adults Mass-balance models of system function Mass-balance models of system function Marine behavior of Walla Walla anadromous fishes Marine behavior of Walla Walla anadromous fishes