Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon Released Upstream of Lower Granite Dam Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resources Management Project Principal Investigator: Stephen J. Rocklage

Project Goal Monitor Snake River fall chinook salmon acclimated and released above Lower Granite Dam to evaluate whether supplementation efforts are successfully rebuilding these populations to viable and harvestable levels

RPA contributes to development and future revisions of HGMPs RPA 184 – …hatchery research, monitoring and evaluation program consisting of studies to determine whether hatchery reforms reduce the risk of extinction for Columbia River basin salmonids and whether conservation hatcheries contribute to recovery. Specifically conforms to the tenet of adaptive management through rigorous monitoring and evaluation as specifically called for in the NMFS 2000 Bi-Op, FWP, Snake Hells Canyon Subbasin Summary, Clearwater Subbasin Summary Relationship to the 2000 NMFS Bi-Op

Snake Hells Canyon Subbasin Summary Coordinate M&E efforts at the subbasin and provincial scale Continue and enhance the cooperative/shared approach in research, monitoring and evaluation between tribal, federal, state, local and private entities Gather improved population status information for wild, natural and hatchery chinook salmon Calculate returns per spawner from index surveys Establish or continue monitoring and evaluation efforts for all new or existing projects Continue Lower Snake River Compensation Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation Continue evaluating reintroduction efforts for fall chinook salmon

Snake River Grande Ronde River Imnaha River Salmon River Snake River Hells Canyon Dam Lower Granite Dam Tucannon River Snake River Little Goose Dam Pittsburg Landing Facility Lyons Ferry Hatchery Big Canyon Creek Clearwater River Dworshak Reservoir W A O RI D Big Canyon Facility Fixed Receivers Captain John Facility

Objectives Document health and condition of yearling fall chinook at the Pittsburg Landing, Big Canyon Creek, and Captain John Rapid acclimation facilities Determine post-release behavior, emigration characteristics, and survival of fall chinook released from the acclimation facilities Document contribution and distribution of adult returns and determine smolt-to-adult survival of fall chinook salmon released from the acclimation facilities

Approach Coordinate fish health assessments with DNFH fish health lab PIT tag up to 10,000 yearlings at each acclimation facility to estimate survival (SURPH Model) and emigration timing characteristics Radio tag up to 100 yearlings at each acclimation facility to document post-release dispersal and emigration behavior Track adult fall chinook radio tagged at Lower Granite Dam to monitor migration patterns and distribution and conduct aerial spawning ground surveys to document redd counts and locations

Lyons Ferry Hatchery (WDFW) Fall Chinook Acclimation Facilities (FCAP) ( ) Juvenile Emigration Adult Migration Adult Spawning Juvenile Rearing Yearling Acclimation M&E of Yearling Fall Chinook ( ) M&E Fall Chinook Spawning Distribution (USFWS) ( ) M&E of Yearling Fall Chinook ( ) M&E Fall Chinook Spawning Distribution (USFWS) ( ) M&E of Yearling Fall Chinook ( ) NPT Hatchery M&E ( ) Snake River Fall Chinook Enhancement Program – Activity Responsibilities

Estimated Survival (SURPH Model) to Lower Monumental Dam of Yearling Fall Chinook Released from the Pittsburg Landing, Big Canyon and Captain John Acclimation Facilities,

Summary of Accomplishments and Results, PIT tagged up to 2,500 yearlings per release group, Estimated survival to Lower Snake River dams of PIT tag release groups. Determined emigration characteristics such as travel time and arrival timing to Lower Snake River dams Radio tagged 195 yearlings (total) at Pittsburg and Big Canyon in 1997, and 50 at each facility Documented yearling emigration locations, dispersal and rates through free-flowing and impounded reaches.

Summary of Accomplishments and Results, Monitored radio tagged adult fall chinook (in cooperation with ) through fixed-wing aircraft flights Allowed description of adult fall chinook migration patterns above Lower Granite Dam (Project ) Calculated minimum SARs for supplementation yearling releases, migration years Assisted conducting fall chinook spawning ground surveys in the Clearwater and Salmon River basins,