Monitoring and Evaluation Updates for John Day/ The Dalles Dam Mitigation Programs at Spring Creek and Little White Salmon National Fish Hatcheries FY 2018 Annual Report

The John Day/The Dalles Dam Mitigation (JDTD) program provides mitigation for the escapement of 30,000 adult fall Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) due to the loss of spawning habitat and production caused by construction of the John Day and The Dalles Dams in the Columbia River. The program is funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and operates with a total adult production (TAP) goal of 107,000 adults which include all adults harvested in saltwater and freshwater, returns to the hatchery, strays to other facilities, and any adults observed on the spawning grounds. Working towards this TAP goal, juvenile fall Chinook are reared and released from numerous state, tribal, and federally-operated hatcheries. Spring Creek and Little White Salmon National Fish Hatcheries (NFHs) annually contribute to the TAP goal of the JDTD program through the coordinated rearing and release of juvenile tule and upriver bright fall Chinook. In the past ten years, Spring Creek NFH has annually released a mean of 10.8 million juvenile tules into the Columbia River, and contributed a mean of 68,631 adult tules (including 47,335 for harvest) annually to the JDTD program TAP goal. Since 2009, Little White Salmon NFH has annually released a mean of 4.4M juvenile upriver brights into the Little White Salmon River, and supported JDTD programs at other facilities through egg and juvenile transfers. The program at Little White Salmon NFH contributes a mean of 24,280 adult upriver brights (including 12,376 for harvest) to the JDTD program TAP goal. Congressional mandated mass marking of juveniles prior to release from both Spring Creek and Little White Salmon NFHs has been conducted to allow selective harvest of hatchery-reared individuals and protection of wild fish stocks. Additionally, coded-wire and PIT tagging of juveniles at both facilities has provided knowledge on timing of juvenile migration, downstream survival, number of adult returns to the facilities by brood year, smolt-to-adult survival rates, and tracking of fish straying. Collectively, both facilities are successfully contributing to their mitigation obligations. Additional monitoring and evaluation projects for both facilities are ongoing or currently being developed to determine the success and longevity of the programs in meeting their mitigation goals (and ESA compliance) as part of the JDTD program.

Author(s)
Brook Silver, Fish Biologist, wearing tan waders, black t-shirt and holding a salmonid. She is standing in a shallow creek.
Fish Biologist - Hatchery Assessment
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
Expertise
Program R,
Access Databases ,
GIS,
Backpack Electrofishing,
State Collection Permits, ESA 4(d) Authorization, and Section 10 Permits,
Science Communication/Illustration,
Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act on the Willamette River Basin Flood Control Project
Vancouver,WA
Doug Olson
Kari Dammerman
Publication date
Type of document
Annual Report
Facility
Coho Salmon eggs incubating and hatching at Quilcene NFH in WA State.
The Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office collaborates with local, state and Tribal partners to conserve, restore, and improve native fish and aquatic resources throughout Oregon and along the Columbia River. We study wild and hatchery aquatic organisms and their populations, support...
Tule Fall Chinook salmon
Welcome to Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery! We raise 12.5 million young Tule Fall Chinook salmon each year, making a significant contribution to the ocean harvest and an extremely popular sport fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River. We also mitigate fishery losses due to hydroelectric...
Adult Chinook Salmon
Welcome to the Little White Salmon Fish Hatchery! Founded in 1898, it is the oldest Columbia River hatchery and a pioneer of salmon propagation. We raise and release roughly 5.5 million young spring and up-river bright fall Chinook salmon each year; in addition we collect eggs for other facilities...
Program
Juvenile Northern Pike in aquarium at Gavins Point National Fish Hatchery, South Dakota
The Fish and Aquatic Conservation program leads aquatic conservation efforts for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are committed to tackling the nation’s highest priority aquatic conservation and recreational challenges to conserve, restore, and enhance fisheries for future generations.
Species
FWS and DOI Region(s)