Table 1. Final reported expenditures for the duration of the project.

Transcription

1 Project Name: Outmigrant Monitoring in the Walla Walla Subbasin PCSRF Project Number: Project Status: Completed PCSRF Fiscal Year: FY2004 PCSRF Budget Update: The total project amount requested was $50,132. The total expenditures of $57, exceeded the requested amount by 13.7% (Table 1). Table 1. Final reported expenditures for the duration of the project. Sub Total Total SALARIES & WAGES $27, FRINGE BENEFITS $3, VEHICLE EXPENSE Vehicle Insurance $ Vehicle Expense $ $ SERVICES AND SUPPLIES Field Materials and Supplies $2, Non Capital Equipment $1, Repair & Maintenance $14.09 Other Expenses $61.50 TOTAL DIRECT CHARGES $35, PASS-THROUGH EXPENSES Facility Rental $1, Utilities $ CAPITAL EXPENDITURES Wet Lab Trailer (8'x16'x6.6 tandem axel cargo trailer) $6, INDIRECT EXPENSE (39.64%) $12, PCSRF BUDGET TOTAL EXPENDITURES $57, COST SHARE FUNDS BPA matching funds for juvenile outmigration monitoring in the Walla Walla Basin $162, USFWS Bull Trout Project cooperative equipment $20, $182, TOTAL PROJECT BUDGET $239, Project Proposed Start Date: September 1, 2004 Project Proposed End Date: August 31, 2005

2 Geographic Area Name/Watershed: The project area includes most of the Walla Walla Subbasin including the Touchet, Mill Creek, and Walla Walla tributaries. Geospatial reference/location/gps Point: Hydrological Unit Location: Project Manager: Gary James, Fish Program Manager Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Fish and Wildlife Department, Pendleton, OR Key Project Staff: Jesse Schwartz, Monitoring and Evaluation Program Supervisor Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Fish and Wildlife Department, Pendleton, OR Michael Lambert, Research Field Biologist II Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Fish and Wildlife Department, Pendleton, OR , PCSRF Objective: D. Salmon Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Project Project Description: The Walla Walla Natural Production Monitoring and Evaluation Project have been involved in collaborative research, monitoring, and evaluation to assess, monitoring and understand production and productivity of salmonids in the Walla Walla Subbasin. Current efforts have included the assessment of migration timing and survival of out-migrating smolts from the upper and middle Walla Walla and Mill Creek Rivers. Recent subbasin planning and regional monitoring coordination efforts have identified the estimation of outmigrant abundance and survival through the middle and lower Walla Walla River as priority data gaps for the Walla Walla Subbasin. The purpose of this research was to assess and monitor the timing, survival, and total abundance of smolts migrating from the lower Walla Walla Subbasin to McNary Pool on the mainstem Columbia River. Data collected and summarized from this research will continue to be used to evaluate spawner performance, in-stream survival, migration timing, outmigrant abundance, smolt to adult survival, and a variety of life juvenile life history characteristics including length at age, growth rates, length-frequency distributions and the like. The analysis and evaluation of these performance metrics will be used to plan mitigation and restoration actions including future passage, flow, habitat, and artificial production work.

3 Target Salmon Species Affected/Benefits to Salmon: This project targeted spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Walla Walla Subbasin. Additional species for which information was obtained in the lower Walla Walla River include fall Chinook salmon, Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), and resident rainbow trout. The analysis and evaluation of performance metrics was completed and will be used to plan mitigation and restoration actions including future passage, flow, habitat, and artificial production work. Project Objectives: Objective 1: Estimate the abundance of salmonid smolts migrating from the Walla Walla Subbasin to McNary Pool. Objective 2: Estimate the survival of salmonid smolts from the upper and middle subbasin to the lower Walla Walla River. Objective 3: Estimate the timing of smolts migrating from the lower Walla Walla River to McNary Pool. Project Summary: Several planning activities, including Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit and the Walla Walla Subbasin Plan, have identified spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead restoration as priorities for the Walla Walla Subbasin. Current restoration activities include the experimental reintroduction of spring Chinook salmon in the Walla Walla and Mill Creek Drainages, and the development of an endemic steelhead artificial production program in the Touchet Drainage. In concert with these biological activities a variety of passage, flow, and habitat restoration activities are taking place. The overall goal of these programs is to restore salmonid production in the Walla Walla Subbasin. An informal collaboration of state, federal, tribal, academic, and non-profit organizations, operating as the Walla Walla Technical Work Group (TWG), is conducting research in the subbasin to generate annual estimates of production and productivity of salmonids. Collectively TWG is adequately quantifying a number of performance metrics that are essential to understanding the nature, source, and magnitude of salmonid productivity and mortality in the subbasin. These activities span the spectrum of performance categories including the assessment and monitoring of habitat, productivity, and genetic performance measures. TWG worked with Walla Walla Subbasin planning teams to identify research, monitoring, and evaluation (RM&E) needs in the context of regional RM&E coordination efforts including the Cooperative System-wide Monitoring & Evaluation Partnership (CSMEP) and the Pacific Northwest Monitoring and Evaluation Partnership (PNAMP). Principle among these data gaps was the elucidation of salmonid outmigrant abundance to the Columbia River, and the survival of salmonid smolts from the upper and middle Walla Walla Subbasin to the lower Walla Walla River and McNary Pool. There is some uncertainty about the suitability of the middle and lower Walla Walla Subbasin as a migration corridor for smolts. In addition there is considerable uncertainty regarding the ability of Walla Walla salmonids to sustain or improve their current

4 demographic structures. While current estimates of adult abundance appear to be sufficient to describe population trends in the Walla Walla Basin, this information cannot be used to estimate life-stage-specific mortality, survival, productivity, or program effectiveness. Estimates of outmigrant abundance can be used in combination with adult counts and Columbia mainstem survival estimates to derive a number of life-stage-specific performance metrics including smolt-to-adult survival and the number of smolts produced per spawner. These metrics can be used to evaluate the performance of populations, and, as part of an integrated RM&E program, to determine the efficacy of restoration actions on a subbasin scale. A number of additional metrics can be readily obtained during the elucidation of outmigrant abundance including the size, timing, and condition of smolts at emigration. These metrics can be used to help managers evaluate the efficacy of restoration actions and flow management scenarios in an adaptive context. This collaborative project will utilize established smolt marking and trapping techniques to fill smolt performance data-gaps in the Walla Walla Subbasin that are essential to the restoration of anadromous salmonids in this system. Project Progress Summary: Project objectives have been completed as proposed in the monitoring and evaluation plan. The schedule and budget for FY Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Funds have supported additional temporary staff and equipment, and continuation of these funds will be needed to sustain these activities as part of a comprehensive long-term monitoring program for the Walla Walla River and Columbia River Basins. A summary of results are presented under the project products section, and a more detailed methodology and analysis can be found in the report by Lambert et al 2006 listed in the metrics. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: We examined the relative influence of drainage origin on the survival, timing, and condition of out-migrants in the Walla Walla Subbasin. We captured, PIT-tagged and released several large groups of juvenile Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead in the headwaters during the field activities. The survey area included portions of the Touchet, Mill Creek, and Walla Walla drainages. We captured naturally produced salmonids with traps, seines and electrofishers depending on season, location and conditions. We PIT-tagged Chinook salmon greater than 75 mm and summer steelhead juveniles greater than 100mm with smolt or partial smolt characteristics (age 2 and 3+) to avoid resident trout. We anesthetized fish with MS222 (tricaine methane-sulfonate) and PIT-tagged by hand using sterile syringes. Syringes were rotated after each use and kept in a bath of denatured methyl alcohol for disinfecting. PIT-tagged fish were measured, held for observation and released. Tagging crews submitted the appropriate tagging and release files to PTAGIS according to the procedures detailed in the most recent PIT-Tag Specification Document. We operated a 5 ft rotary screw trap in the lower Walla Walla River (RKm 15.0) throughout the spring migration. Smolts were collected in the screw trap and tagged and handled as described above. Each smolt was scanned using a hand-held PIT-tag detector to determine the number of recaptures of each species from each of the three drainages. The relative survival of salmonids from the headwaters to the screw trap were calculated based on the number of fish tagged in the

5 headwaters and the number of fish re-captured using the SURPH and CriSP models ( Some fish tagged at the screw trap were transported up-stream of the smolt trap and released. The ratio of captured and re-captured fish was used to calculate daily and weekly estimates of trap efficiency for the screw trap. These efficiency estimates were used to expand the total catch data into an estimate of outmigrant abundance. Outmigration abundance estimates were derived from stratified mark-recapture data using a software package (DARR 2.0) developed by NOAA (Bjorkstedt 2005). Abundance estimates were combined with relative survival estimates to calculate the absolute survival of each species from each of the three drainages. Scales were collected from a fraction of the smolts handled. These are being processed by the CTUIR age and growth laboratory under regular BPA funded activities to determine the age distribution, length-age relationships, and age-timing relationship of the smolt sample. This information will be used to determine the brood-year contribution to the smolt population, facilitating the performance evaluation (i.e. total smolts per spawner and smolt-to-adult survival) of each spawning population. ESA, NEPA and other Regulatory Compliance Plan if appropriate: Field activities were conducted by CTUIR employees under NOAA Section 10 ESA Permit 1365, USFWS Section 10 ESA Permit TE , and an ongoing Section 7 Consultation with NOAA for summer steelhead sampling. All project activities received NEPA exemption via the US Department of Energy BPA NEPA planning office. Placement of the rotary screw trap was conducted under a WDFW in-stream habitat modification permit. Partners and Cost Share: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) supported these activities. Contributions from BPA totaled approximately $162,000. Most of the supervisory, analysis, and evaluation activities under the Walla Walla Natural Production Monitoring and Evaluation Project were conducted using BPA funds, allowing the majority of PCSRF funds to be used on the ground for field activities. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) also contributed about $20,000 in annual cost share through USFWS and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers grants. There grants went towards operating and maintaining PIT-tag antennae arrays in the Walla Walla Basin that contributed to understanding of emigration timing and survival of salmonids. CTUIR and USFWS also co-operated a rotary screw trap in the headwaters for trapping and PIT-tagging juveniles. Project Products: We trapped and PIT-tagged juvenile Chinook and Coho salmon and summer steelhead-rainbow trout to evaluate outmigration abundance, survival and timing from the Walla Walla Subbasin to the lower Columbia River during the migration year. Tag groups occurred in the fall, winter and spring emigration periods as fish moved from spawning and rearing habitats through migration corridors to the mainstem Columbia River. Collection techniques included traditional beach seining, electroshocking, rotary-screw traps and irrigation canal bypass facilities. Trapping and facility operations, and sampling periods are indicated in Table 1. PIT-tag detections were

6 analyzed from tagged juvenile salmonids detected at in-basin antenna arrays and traps, and interrogation systems located at mainstem Columbia River dams. A 5 ft diameter rotary screw trap was used to estimate outmigrant abundance in the mainstem Walla Walla River at the Pierce RV Park (rkm 15; Table 1, Figure 1). Trap efficiency releases for this site were made on the south bank of the river immediately upstream of the Oasis Bridge Table 1. Trapping and facility operation dates by trap site and irrigation canal screening facility, emigration year (WWR = Walla Walla River, LWWR = Little Walla Walla River) Stream Location Rkm Rm Method Start Date End Date Mainstem WWR Pierce RV Park Rotary trap 04-Nov Jun-05 WWR LWWR Diversion Fish bypass 08-Dec Dec-04 WWR Joe West Bridge Rotary trap 31-Jan Jun-05 Mill Creek Bennington Dam Rotary trap 13-Dec Jan-05 Figure 1. A photograph of the 5 ft rotary screw trap located in the mainstem Walla Walla River (rkm 15.0).

7 (rkm 16.0). The mainstem Walla Walla River rotary screw trap (rkm 15.0) was deployed 145 d from 4-November 2004 through 16-June There were 224 sample days, of which the trap was inoperable 38 percent of the time due to icing, flooding, river debris and limited staffing. During peak emigration of salmonids (February-mid June) the trap was operable 78.1 percent of the time (Figure 2). During the trapping period a total of 20,866 fish were captured representing 23 species, of which 12,620 were salmonids and 8,246 were non-salmonids (Figure 3). During the course of the study, fish were caught at a rate of 6.2 fish per hour when the trap was operational. The majority of fish captured were hatchery spring Chinook salmon (7,201, 34.5%) and hatchery summer steelhead (3,037, 14.6%). Other juvenile salmonids captured included 1,157 natural Chinook salmon, 1,158 summer steelhead-rainbow trout, 60 Coho salmon, 1 brown trout and 6 mountain whitefish. Mean capture rate per day for juvenile Chinook salmon was 6.4 (SD 10.6) and 8.0 (SD 17.2) for summer steelhead-rainbow trout, respectively. During the emigration year , a total of 2,972 natural Chinook salmon and 1,223 summer steelhead-rainbow trout juveniles have been captured and PIT-tagged within the Walla Walla Subbasin (Tables 2 & 3). Mean fork length, weight and condition factors are summarized for fish sampled and PIT-tagged at the mainstem Walla Walla River rotary screw trap (rkm 15.0) in migration year 2005 (Table 4) Nov 1-15 Nov Dec 1-15 Dec Jan 1-15 Jan Feb 1-15 Feb Mar 1-15 Mar Apr 1-15 Apr May 1-15 Time Sampled (%) May Jun 1-16 Biweekly Sample Period Figure 2. The percent of time the mainstem Walla Walla River rotary-screw trap (rkm 15.0) was operable for each biweekly sample period, migration season.

8 Number of fish YP TM CC BG PS SU CM MF D C BASS NPM LAMP WF BRT COHO HSTS STS-RB HCHS CHN Species Figure 3. The combined number of fish caught in the 5 ft rotary screw trap located in the mainstem Walla Walla River (rkm 15.0), fall 2004-spring Species abbreviations: CHN = Chinook salmon HCHS = hatchery spring Chinook salmon STS-RB = summer steelhead/rainbow trout HSTS = hatchery summer steelhead COHO = Coho salmon BRT = brown trout, Salmo trutta WF = mountain whitefish LAMP = Lamprey spp. NPM = northern pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus oregonensis BASS = bass spp., Micropterus spp. C = common carp, Cyprinus carpio D = dace spp., Rhinichthys spp. MF = mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis CM = chiselmouth, Acrocheilus aluaceus SU = sucker spp., Catostomus spp PS = pumpkinseed, Lepomis macrochirus BG = bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus CC = channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, bullhead catfish, Ameiurus spp TM = tadpole madtom, Noturus gyrinus YP = yellow perch, Perca flavescens Another 1,001 of 250,374 Carson stock hatchery spring Chinook salmon smolts were PIT-tagged at the Little White Salmon Hatchery prior to release into the South Fork Walla Walla River near Harris Park (rkm 12.6). At time of tagging, mean length, weight and condition factor was mm (±0.5), 24.9 g (±0.60) and 1.08 (±0.01), respectively. Length frequency distribution is presented in Figure 4 for hatchery spring Chinook salmon at time of PIT-tagging. In migration year , abundance estimates were determined for natural and hatchery juvenile Chinook salmon and summer steelhead collected at the mainstem Walla Walla River rotary screw trap (rkm 15.0; Table 5). Survival estimates for natural Chinook salmon and

9 summer steelhead-rainbow trout to McNary dam in migration year 2005 are presented in Tables 6 and 7. An estimated 11,963 (SD 3,921) natural Chinook salmon emigrated from the Walla Walla River from December 2004 to mid-june Peak migration occurred from mid-march to mid-may. Total survival to McNary Dam for PIT-tagged natural Chinook salmon emigrating from the Walla Walla River was 27.8%, (SE 0.019) and 43.7% (SE 0.048) for Chinook salmon PITtagged at the mainstem Walla Walla River rotary screw trap, respectively (Table 6). An estimated 132,018 (SD 52,404) hatchery spring Chinook salmon emigrated from the Walla Walla River (Table 5). The abundance estimate is based on natural Chinook salmon trap efficiencies during biweekly sample periods when hatchery spring Chinook salmon catch was present. The abundance estimate of hatchery spring Chinook salmon at rkm 15.0 represented 52.7% (Table 5) of the 250,374 released on 4-5 April Outmigration of hatchery smolts occurred from April to mid-may, 2005 and peaked from mid-april to mid-may. Cormack/Jolly Seber survival estimates indicate 84% (SE 0.166) [ ] of the hatchery released spring Chinook salmon (n=997) survived from the South Fork Walla Walla River (rkm 12.6) to Nursery Bridge Dam (rkm 72.0), upper Walla Walla River, and 43% (SE ) [ ] to McNary Dam HCHS PIT-tagged n=1,000 Number of Fish Fork Length at PIT-tagging (mm) Figure 4. Length-frequency distribution of juvenile Carson stock hatchery spring Chinook salmon PIT-tagged at the Little White Salmon/Willard National Fish Hatchery Complex prior to release in the South Fork Walla Walla River.

10 Table 2. PIT-tagged natural Chinook salmon juveniles released in the Walla Walla Basin by migration year, stream, release location, capture method, and month released. Migration year Stream Location Month Capture method RKm RM Total MWWR Pierce RV Park Rotary Trap WWR LWW Diversion Bypass WWR Joe West Bridge Rotary Trap SFK WWR Headwaters Beach Seine Total Table 3. PIT-tagged summer steelhead juveniles released in the Walla Walla Basin by migration year, stream, release location, capture method, and month released. Migration year Stream Location Month Capture method RKm RM Total MWWR Pierce RV Park Rotary Trap WWR LWW Diversion Bypass WWR Joe West Bridge Rotary Trap SFK WWR Headwaters Beach Seine PCR Headwaters Electrofishing MCR Headwaters Beach Seine Total

11 Table 4. Estimates of mean fork length (mm), weight (g) and condition factor for natural and hatchery juvenile summer steelheadrainbow trout and Chinook and Coho salmon sampled at the mainstem Walla Walla River rotary screw trap (rkm 15.0), migration year (CHN = natural Chinook salmon, STS-RBT = summer steelhead-rainbow trout, COHO = Coho salmon, HCHS = hatchery spring Chinook salmon and HSTS-END = endemic stock hatchery summer steelhead). Fork length (mm) Weight (g) Condition factor a Species N Mean Range 95% C.I. N Mean Range 95% C.I. N Mean Range 95% C.I. CHN ± ± ±0.01 STS-RBT ± ± ±0.01 COHO ± ± ±0.01 HCHS ± ± ±0.02 HSTS-END ± ± ±0.01 a Condition factor was estimated (weight(g)/length(cm) 3 )*100 Table 5. Estimated number of natural and hatchery summer steelhead and Chinook salmon migrating from the mainstem Walla Walla River subbasin (RKm 15.0, Rm 9.2) derived from DARR 2.0, 4-November 2004 to 16-June Race/Species Hatchery stock Abundance estimate Standard deviation Percent survival NCH HCHS WSTS HSTS HSTS Carson Endemic Lyons Ferry 11, ,018 39,980 3,525 97,981 3,921 52,405 14,755 1,620 40, % 6.3% 51.5% Table 6. Cormack/Jolly-Seber survival estimates derived from the SURPH model for PIT-tagged natural Chinook salmon emigrating from the headwaters of the Walla Walla River to McNary Dam, migration year Tag location Rkm Monthly tag period n Survival estimate SE C.I. (95%) SFK Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Mainstem Walla Walla River October-November March-April December December-June Walla Walla River Subbasin October-June

12 Table 5. Estimated number of natural and hatchery summer steelhead and Chinook salmon migrating from the mainstem Walla Walla River subbasin (RKm 15.0, Rm 9.2) derived from DARR 2.0, 4-November 2004 to 16-June Abundance Standard Percent Race/Species NCH HCHS WSTS HSTS HSTS Hatchery stock Carson Endemic Lyons Ferry estimate 11, ,018 39,980 3,525 97,981 deviation 3,921 52,405 14,755 1,620 40,082 survival % 6.3% 51.5% Table 6. Cormack/Jolly-Seber survival estimates derived from the SURPH model for PITtagged natural Chinook salmon emigrating from the headwaters of the Walla Walla River to McNary Dam, migration year Tag location Rkm Monthly tag period n Survival estimate SE C.I. (95%) SFK Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Mainstem Walla Walla River October-November March-April December December-June Walla Walla River Subbasin October-June An estimated 39,980 (SD 14,755) wild summer steelhead juveniles emigrated from the Walla Walla River from December 2004 to mid-june 2005 (Table 5). Peak migration occurred from mid-april to mid-june. A total of 530 summer steelhead smolts were PIT-tagged at the mainstem Walla Walla River of which an estimated 49.4% survived (n=529; SE ; 95%C.I ) to McNary Dam (Table 7). An estimated 97,981 (SD 40,082) Lyons Ferry stock hatchery summer steelhead passed rkm 15.0, representing 51.5% of the 190,397 released into the Touchet and Walla Walla River by WDFW (Table 5). The abundance estimate for the endemic stock hatchery summer steelhead was 3,525 (SD 1,620). Based on a release of 55,706 endemic stock hatchery summer steelhead by WDFW in the Touchet River, our estimate of survival was 6.3% (Table 5). Unpublished data by WDFW indicated survival estimates to McNary Dam using the SURPH model have ranged from 2 to 9 percent from (WDFW, unpublished data). The abundance estimates for hatchery summer steelhead were based on wild summer steelhead trap efficiencies during biweekly sample periods when hatchery summer steelhead catch was present. Outmigration timing of hatchery summer steelhead smolts occurred from 2-April to 10-May 2005, and peaked from April for the Lyons Ferry stock and 1-15 May for the endemic stock. The McNary Dam PIT-tag interrogation facility detected 573 and 337 PIT-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon in migration years 2004 and 2005 (Table 8). Based on PIT-tag detections at McNary Dam, natural Chinook salmon juveniles emigrated past McNary Dam between early April and mid-june (Tables 8 and 9). The median detection date to McNary Dam was the same for both migration years (Table 8). Most natural Chinook salmon emigrated past McNary Dam by mid-may in both 2004 and 2005 (Table 9).

13 Table 7. Cormack/Jolly-Seber survival estimates derived from the SURPH model for PIT tagged juvenile summer steelhead-rainbow trout ( 100mm) emigrating from the headwaters of the Walla Walla River to McNary Dam, migration year Tag location Mill Creek SFK Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Upper Walla Walla River Mainstem Walla Walla River Rkm Monthly tag period December-January October-November March-April December December-June n Survival estimate SE C.I. (95%) a a a Walla Walla River Subbasin October-June a Not enough detections of PIT tagged juvenile fish at interrogation facilities on the Columbia River in order to produce an estimate of survival. During migration year 2005, 113 of the potential 997 PIT-tagged hatchery spring Chinook salmon were detected at McNary Dam (Table 8). The median detection date at McNary Dam of 30-Apr for hatchery spring Chinook salmon was one week later than for the natural Chinook salmon, although most hatchery spring Chinook salmon had emigrated past McNary Dam by mid-may similar to the natural Chinook salmon (Tables 8 and 9). The one week difference in median detection date may have been artificially influenced by the release date of hatchery spring Chinook salmon. Table 8. Summary of first time observations for natural and hatchery Chinook salmon juveniles PIT tagged in the Walla Walla subbasin and detected at McNary Dam by migration year for examining effects of year on passage timing. Migration year Median detection date First detection date Last detection date Rear type Release locations Release dates Length (mm) # of detections 2004 N Subbasin All All Apr 1-Apr 18-Jun 2005 N Subbasin All All Apr 29-Mar 25-Jun 2005 H Subbasin All All Apr 13-Apr 4-Jul Table 9. Summary of first time observations for natural and hatchery Chinook salmon juveniles PIT tagged in the Walla Walla Subbasin by migration year and the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentile dates past McNary Dam used for examining effects of year on McNary Dam passage timing. Date Passed Migration Rear Release Release Length # of Days between year type locations dates (mm) detections 10th 50th 90th 10th and 90th 2004 N Subbasin All All Apr 24-Apr 12-May N Subbasin All All Apr 24-Apr 9-May H Subbasin All All Apr 30-Apr 6-May 14

14 Salmon Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Projects: State whether or not the project is directly related to key salmon management questions regarding salmon recovery and/or sustainability of healthy salmon stocks? Yes List names of the organizations cooperating on the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Project: Bonneville Power Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Columbia Basin Research U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Whitman University Number of organizations cooperating on the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Project: 9 Report the number of research findings related to Pacific Salmon Treaty incorporated into abundance-based management regimes: Four principle metrics were produced: abundance, survival, and timing of outmigrants, plus estimates of smolt-to-adult return ratios based on other data collected from CTUIR, WDFW, USFWS, and ODFW. Describe the Research Monitoring and Evaluation findings utilized in adaptive changes to salmon and watershed programs and policies: Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund provided cost share funds to monitor the outmigration, survival, and run timing of naturally-produced and hatchery salmonids from the upper and middle Walla Walla River, Touchet River, and Mill Creek. Information obtained from these funds assisted researchers and managers in addressing assumptions and answering critical uncertainties inherent in the fish restoration programs in the Walla Walla Subbasin. No adaptive changes have been made to watershed programs and policies. We are still collecting and PIT tagging fish, and are in the early stages of the project. Report the stream length assessed/monitored for habitat condition, water quality, salmonid abundance and productivity in accordance with Research Monitoring and Evaluation or watershed monitoring strategy in miles: The project activities included the entire Walla Walla River Basin covering more than 3,000 river kilometers of historical spawning habitat for salmonids. Cite the reports prepared by the project on key management or restoration data, information and needs. These reports could be progress reports, or final reports associated with research:

15 Lambert, M.B., Mahoney, B.D., Olsen, T.J., and Schwartz, J.D.M Walla Walla Basin Natural Production Monitoring and Evaluation Project Progress Report, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, report submitted to Bonneville Power Administration, Project No