Coho Reintroduction in the Upper Columbia Using Adaptive
Coho Reintroduction in the Upper Columbia: Using Adaptive Management to Achieve Success Fisheries Resource Management Yakama Nation
Long Term Vision For Coho Reintroduction “To re-establish naturally spawning coho populations in mid and upper Columbia tributaries to biologically sustainable levels, which provides significant harvest in most years”
Upper Columbia Tributaries • Historical Abundance (Mullan 1983) – Wenatchee: 6, 000 -7, 000 – Entiat: 9, 000 -13, 000 – Methow: 23, 000 -31, 000 Coho Salmon Methow River 1910, Mullan (1992)
Project Undertaking: An Uphill Battle • Challenges and limitations • Identify evaluations needed to study interactions with endemic and sensitive species
Feasibility Study Goals 1. To determine if a local broodstock could be developed from lower Columbia River stocks 2. Initiate natural production 3. Answer critical uncertainties regarding species interactions. 6
Broodstock Development The Development of a Local Broodstock Wenatchee Basin (Brood Year) 1997: LCR 2000: MCR st 1 Generation 2003: MCR Generation 1998: LCR 2001: MCR 1 st Generation 2004: MCR Generation 1999: LCR 2002: LCR & MCR 2005: MCR & 2 nd Generation 2 nd 1 st 2006: MCR 3 rd Generation 2007: MCR 3 rd Generation 2008: MCR 2 nd & 3 rd Generation 2009: MCR th 4 Generation 2010: MCR th 4 Generation 2011: MCR 3 th & 4 th Generation
Broodstock Development The Development of a Local Broodstock Methow Basin (Brood Year) 1998: LCR 1999: LCR 2002: LCR 2001: LCR 2004: MCR 2005: MCR 1 st Generation 2007: MCR 2008: MCR 2 nd Generation 2010: MCR Generation 3 rd 2011: MCR 3 rd Generation 2000: LCR 2003: LCR & MCR 2006: MCR 1 st & 2 nd Generation 2009: MCR 2 nd & 3 rd Generation
Natural Production Wenatchee River Basin 2009 -2011 Creating 4 th generation MCR broods 2003 -2005 Creating 2 nd generation MCR broods 2000 -2002 Creating 1 st generation MCR broods 2006 -2008 Creating 3 rd generation MCR broods
Natural Production Methow River Basin 2007 -2009 Creating 2 nd generation MCR broods 2001 -2006 Creating 1 st generation MCR broods 2010 -2011 Creating 3 rd generation MCR broods
Natural Production Smolt to Adult Return Rates
Feasibility Phase Species Interactions • • Predation Redd superimposition Residualism Competition
Feasibility Phase Next Step • Create a comprehensive long-term plan for coho reintroduction – Progress brood development towards “preferred habitats” • Modeling to determine estimate capacity – Focus on decreasing domestication while increasing population fitness • Target PNI > 0. 5
Proposed Phased Approach An adaptive management strategy to reintroduction • Broodstock Development Phases • Natural Production Phases
Monitoring and Evaluation • Project Performance Indicators • Species interactions • Adaptability to local conditions
Program’s Future • Several studies being implemented: – Monitor natural origin juvenile freshwater performance • Productivity • Distribution – Study the rate of divergence between LCR vs MCR • Allele frequency over time • Phenotypic adaptation – Adult outplant study • Relative reproductive success – Measuring phenotypic attributes of upper basin adults at a lower trap facility – Parental Crosses • Measure progeny’s adult return rates based on mating schemes
Key Milestones • • • March 2010: Final Master Plan completed March 2012: Completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) July 2012: Received a Record of Decision (Ro. D) from BPA Fall 2012: Revising Biological Assessments (BAs) with USFWS/NMFS to initiate Section 7 consultations Fall 2013: Begin Natural Production Implementation Phase (NPIP) in the Methow subbasin
Project Benefits • Provide increased cultural and socio-economic value to the region • Opportunity to study the local adaptation process and at what rate it can occur • Supplying marine nutrients at the onset of winter • Increase abundance of a keystone species within ecological communities
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