Principal Investigators:Sherman Sprague-Spring ChinookBilly Arnsberg-Fall Chinook

Nez Perce Tribal HatcheryMonitoring & Evaluation

BPA Project # 1983-350-03Nez Perce Tribe

Department of Fisheries Resources Management

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan for the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery

Steward,1996 Hesse & Cramer, 2000

Monitoring & Evaluation Program Status• 1988 - Baseline fall chinook salmon spawning data• 1991 - Baseline spring chinook salmon juvenile and adult data• 1993 - Baseline natural fall chinook juvenile life history data• 2000 - Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery construction begins • 2002 - First spring chinook egg incubation test group and fall chinook egg

incubation• 2003 - First fall chinook juvenile production releases, adult trapping and spawning • 2004 - First spring chinook juvenile production releases

Monitoring & Evaluation Goal

Monitor and evaluate results of the Nez Perce Tribal Hatchery so that operations can be adaptively managed to optimize hatchery and natural production, sustain harvest, and minimize ecological impacts.

Yoosa/Camp Creek

Meadow Creek

Allotment 1705 (NPTH)

Newsome Creek

Luke’s Gulch Cedar Flats

Sweetwater Springs

North Lapwai Valley

Hatchery Facility

Satellite Facility

Crooked R

iver

Red River

Spring Chinook AreasFall Chinook Areas

Objective 1 Hatchery Product Performance

• Production – Annual Operation Plan• Abundance - Marking, Smolt Yield, Adult Returns• Survival - Smolt, Mainstem Passage, SAR• Distribution - Density, Dispersal, Emigration, Spawning• Stocking Rate - Updated Model, Predict• Fitness Traits - Spawn Timing, Aggressive Behavior,

Habitat Use, Passage Timing, Age-at-Maturity

Determine If Program Targets for Contribution Rate of Hatchery Fish Are Being Achieved and Can Be Improved.

Objective 2 Natural Production Response

• Abundance - Juvenile Abundance/Distribution, Adult Abundance/Distribution

• Habitat - Juvenile, Adult• Life History - Juvenile, Adult, Survival• Environmental Variation - Monitor, Correlation• Density Response - Variable Stocking, Dispersal• Carrying Capacity - Predictive & Available Habitat, Growth, Recruitment,

Limiting Factor

Determine the Increases in Natural Production That Results from Supplementation of Chinook Salmon in the Clearwater River Subbasin, and Relate Them to Limiting Factors.

Objective 3 Interactions

• Genetic - Straying, Variation, Fitness Traits• Competition - Relative Abundance, Predation• Disease - Presence/Absence, Event Triggered

Sampling, Special Concerns

Estimate Ecological and Genetic Impacts to Fish Populations.

Objective 4 Harvest Management

• Abundance – Ocean and Columbia, Clearwater• Distribution – Ocean, Freshwater• Run Prediction – Run Predictor, Optimal

Escapement, Fishing Method, Catch & Release

Determine How Harvest Opportunities on Spring, Early-fall, and Fall Chinook Salmon Can Be Optimized for Tribal and Non‑tribal Anglers Within Nez Perce Treaty Lands.

Objective 5 Applied Adaptive Management

• Data Management - StreamNet, PTAGIS, RMIS• Results - SOW, Qtr. Reports, Summary Reports,

ESA Reports, Annual Reports, Five-year Reports, Journal Publications, Conferences and Workshops

• Coordination - AOP, Coordination Meetings, RME Working Group

• NPTH Operations - NATURES Design Team, Five-year Symposium

Effectively Communicate Monitoring And Evaluation Program Approach And Findings to Resource Managers.

Fall Chinook Salmon Smolt SurvivalEstimates (SURPH) to Lower Granite Dam

27%14%

38%

90% 92%

42%

0%

20%40%

60%80%

100%

'01 '02 '03

Su

rviv

al E

stim

ate Natural

NPTH 1st

NLV

NPTH 2nd

Number of Fall Chinook Redds in the Clearwater River Drainage

0100200300400500600

Year

Nu

mb

er o

f R

edd

s

First adult returns from Supplementation at Big Canyon Creek

Total redds = 2,176

1995- incomplete count due to flooding

Clearwater River Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Locations, 1988-2003

Snake River

Lewiston Orofino

Dworshak

0Scale (approx)

Kilometers

Reservoir

Lolo Creek

Greer

PotlatchRiver Bedrock Cr.

CottonwoodCreek

1010

HogIslands

NPTH

ClearwaterRiver

Big CanyonCreek Acclimation Facility

60588

n = 2,176 total redds

Lenore

*Not shown are 17 redds upstream near Kamiah And 9 redds observed in the S.F. Clearwater R.

2

1734

24

121

41245

16

31

185163

32

77

89

137

38

3

12

19

Natural Spring Chinook Juvenile Production Estimates

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

'01 '02

Em

igra

tion

Est

imat

e LoloNewsomeMeadow

Lolo Creek Spring Chinook Salmon Smolt Survival Estimates (SURPH) to Lower Granite Dam

72%72%66%

88%

68%

36%

60%54%

72%67%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Natural

Hatchery

Sur

viva

l Est

imat

e

Migratory Year

Newsome Creek Spring Chinook Salmon Smolt Survival Estimates (SURPH) to Lower Granite Dam

32%

51%56%

40%52%

57%

47%

89%

53%

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Natural

Hatchery

Sur

viva

l Est

imat

e

Migratory Year

Meadow Creek Spring Chinook Salmon Smolt Survival Estimates (SURPH) to Lower Granite Dam

53%61%

73%

59%57% 58%

75%

59%65%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Natural

Hatchery

Sur

viva

l Est

imat

e

Migratory Year

Spring Chinook Adult Escapement to the Lolo Creek Weir

0500

10001500200025003000

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

StrayHatcheryNatural

Num

ber

of C

hino

ok

Spring Chinook Adult Escapement to the Newsome Creek Weir

0

100

200

300

400

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

StrayHatNat

Num

ber

of C

hino

ok

Spring Chinook Redd Counts Meadow Creek

0 0

146

5 318

159

12 9

0

50

100

150

200

'95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Num

ber

of

Red

ds

Year

Lolo and Newsome Creek Spring Chinook Salmon Fish per Redd Estimates

8.3

2.9

7.1

13.6

10.5

5.94.74.0

14.0

0.00

5

10

15

'99 '00 '01 '02 '03

Fish

per

Red

d

LoloNewsome

• Baseline data for spring and fall chinook have been collected

• Fall chinook juvenile survivals to Lower Granite Dam have ranged from 14-38% for natural and 42-92% for hatchery fish

• Fall chinook redd counts have increased from a low of 4 redds in the early 1990’s to a high of 573 redds in 2003

• Spring chinook production estimates ranged from 2,308 to 78,096 and survivals to Lower Granite Dam have ranged from 32-88% for natural and 36-89% for hatchery fish

• Spring chinook escapement estimates have ranged from 0-2,636 adults from 1999 to 2003 with a fish/redd estimate of 2.9-14.0

• First NPTH fall chinook releases began in 2003 and 2004 for spring chinook

• First fall chinook adult returns expected in 2005 and spring chinook in 2007

Summary