Monitoring and Evaluation Updates for John Day/The Dalles Dam Mitigation Programs at Spring Creek and Little White Salmon National Fish Hatcheries -FY 2022 Annual Report

Monitoring and Evaluation Updates for John Day/The Dalles Dam Mitigation Programs at Spring Creek and Little White Salmon National Fish Hatcheries -FY 2022 Annual Report
2022_JDM-Annual-Report_Final_3-29-2023.pdf2.31 MB

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. Over the past 10 brood years, the program has contributed a mean of 86,407 adult tules (including 65,326 for harvest) annually to the JDTD program TAP goal. Since 2013, Little White Salmon NFH has annually released a mean of 4.4 M juvenile upriver brights into the Little White Salmon River. Over the past 10 brood years, the program at Little White Salmon NFH contributed a mean of 31,643 adult upriver brights (including 16,205 for harvest) annually 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. 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 as well as ESA compliance through Biological Opinions 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
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Program R,
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GIS,
Backpack Electrofishing,
State Collection Permits, ESA 4(d) Authorization, and Section 10 Permits,
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Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act on the Willamette River Basin Flood Control Project
Vancouver,WA
Fish Biologist Jeremy Voeltz
Fish Biologist - Program Lead for Hatchery Assessment, GIS and Data, and Marking and Tagging
Fish and Aquatic Conservation
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Certified Civil Treatment Course Instructor
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Vancouver,WA
Publication date
Type of document
Annual Report
Facility
Coho Salmon eggs incubating and hatching at Quilcene NFH in WA State.
Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
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...
Conservation Office
Vancouver,WA
Adult Chinook Salmon
Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery
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...
National Fish Hatchery
Cook,WA
Tule Fall Chinook salmon
Spring Creek National Fish Hatchery
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...
National Fish Hatchery
Underwood,WA
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.
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Falls Church,VA
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