Apre summary

APRE Summary

Program name:		Fall Chinook
Subbasin:		Kalama
ESA status:		Threatened
Operator: WDFW	Co-operators Role National Marine Fisheries Service Administrator of Mitchell Act Funds
Funding Source(s)	Mitchell Act
Annual Operating Cost*	$ 605,527

*Annual Operating Cost is reflected in dollars. The origin of this value is not consistent among programs, as it may reflect total facility costs or multiple programs for a given species.

The purpose of this program is to contribute to: Harvest and Conservation/recovery as mitigation for: Hydro impacts and Habitat loss.

This is an integrated program.

Program description:
Age Class	Maximum Number	Size (fpp)	Release Date	Location
				Stream	Release Point (RKm)	Major Watershed	Ecoprovince
Eggs
Unfed Fry
Fry
Fingerling
Yearling	5,000,000	80.0	Late May-Mid June	Kalama River (Kalama Falls Hatchery and Fallert Creek Hatchery On-Station Release)	16.1 and 8.2	Kalama	Lower Columbia
Comment: Broodstock Collection: Fall chinook adults are collected at the Modrow weir/V-trap located at approximately river kilometer 4.8. The trap consists of a temporary rack-picket structure with a V-trap for capturing/holding adults. The trap structure is placed in the river during the August 1-October 1 period. After capture, adults are selected and transferred to a tanker truck via a brail-hoist system. Adults are transported to the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Broodstock Holding/Maturation: Adults are held and maturated at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Spawning: Adults are spawned at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Egg Fertilization: Gametes are mixed, and fertilized eggs are placed in incubators at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Green-Eyed Egg Incubation Phase: Program eggs are maintained in two groups (early eggtake and late eggtake), and all eggs are incubated from green to eyed egg stage at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Note- Program eggtake production is split at approximately 50% early and 50% late eggtakes. Eyed Egg through Hatch Phase: (1) Early Eggtake Group- This group of eggs is incubated at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. (2) Late Eggtake Group- This group of eggs is transferred from the Kalama Falls Hatchery, and incubated at the Fallert Creek Hatchery. Rearing/Acclimation/Release: (1) Kalama Falls Hatchery Early Eggtake Group- This group is reared and acclimated at the Kalama Falls Hatchery. Fish are forcibly/direct released at ~80 fpp from the Kalama Falls Hatchery during a May-June window (usually the 3rd week of June). (2) Fallert Creek Hatchery Early Eggtake Group- This group is reared at the Fallert Creek Hatchery. Fish are semi-volitionally released over a two week period at ~80 fpp from the Kalama Falls Hatchery during a May-June window (usually the 3rd week of June).

Broodstock source		Kalama River Fall Chinook
Broodstock collection location (stream, RKm, subbasin)		Modrow Weir/V-trap /Kalama River/RKm 4.8/Kalama Subbasin
Adult holding location (stream, RKm, subbasin)		Kalama Falls Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 16.1/Kalama Subbasin
Spawning location (stream, RKm, subbasin)		Kalama Falls Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 16.1/Kalama Subbasin
Incubation location (facility name, stream, RKm, subbasin)		Kalama Falls Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 16.1/Kalama Subbasin; and Fallert Creek Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 8.2/Kalama Subbasin
Rearing location (facility name, stream, RKm, subbasin)		Kalama Falls Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 16.1/Kalama Subbasin; and Fallert Creek Hatchery/Kalama River/RKm 8.2/Kalama Subbasin
	Comment:

Broodstock Source	Origin	Year(s) Used
		Begin	End
Kalama River Fall Chinook (Tule)	H/N	1958	Present
Lower Columbia Fall Chinook (Tule)	H/N	1958	1998

Comment:

Status and goals for target stock:
= Low       = Medium       = High
	Now	10-15 years	30-50 years
Biological Significance
Viability
Habitat

Hatchery program performance indicators for the target stock:
Smolt-to-Adult Survival	Escapement and Hatchery Spawning	Total Catch

Consistency of hatchery program with the goals for the target stock:

The goals for the target stock are to maintain the current high biological significance and high viability of Kalama River Tule fall chinook as well as provide annual harvest. The purpose of this program is to (1) provide harvest of Tule fall chinook to fisheries of the Kalama River, lower Columbia River/Estuary, and marine areas (Pacific Ocean); and (2) conserve the naturally producing populations of Tule fall chinook in the Kalama River as mitigation for hydroelectric development in the Columbia River basin. The strategy employed to accomplish these goals is through an integrated hatchery program where all life stages are reared within the Kalama basin, which is consistent with the goals for this stock. Only 3.5% of hatchery fall chinook are marked; the origin of the majority of the fish cannot be easily determined. It is unknown if the naturally spawning component is properly integrated with the hatchery broodstock. Hatchery-origin adults compose more than 30% of the of the naturally spawning population, a level which does not allow the natural stock to drive adaptation and is inconsistent with the goal of maintaining high biological significance. The managers indicate that the carrying capacity of the subbasin has been taken into consideration when sizing this program although it is unclear as to how this was accomplished. If this program has, in fact, been sized based on this consideration, the risk that fish from this program will have competitive interactions with other naturally produced fall chinook stocks is reduced. The Lower Kalama Falls adult trapping/collection facility provides a limited ability to manage escapement of program fall chinook into the Kalama River above lower Kalama Falls. Annual spawning surveys are conducted in the Kalama River subbasin, and provide the ability to monitor and evaluate the escapement of program fish and natural fish in the watershed. Over the years, the program has consistently provided significant harvest to fisheries in the Kalama River, the Lower Columbia River/Estuary, and Pacific Ocean.

Guidelines for improving key operational elements to increase the likelihood of meeting goals for the target stock:

Broodstock Collection 10% or more of the broodstock should be derived from wild fish each year. Adult Holding The water used for adult holding should meet or exceed the recommended Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (IHOT) water quality standards for temperature. Incubation "The water used for incubation should meet or exceed the recommended Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (IHOT) water quality standards for the following compounds: ammonia, carbon dioxide, chlorine, pH, copper, dissolved oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, dissolved nitrogen, iron, and zinc. " Hatchery intake screening for the incubation water supply should comply with Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (IHOT) and National Marine Fisheries Service facility standards. IHOT species-specific incubation recommendations should be followed for using substrate. Rearing Rearing water should have a chemical profile significantly different from natural stream conditions to provide adequate imprinting of hatchery fish and minimize the attraction of naturally produced fish into the hatchery. The water used for rearing should meet or exceed the recommended Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (IHOT) water quality standards for temperature. "The water used for rearing should meet or exceed the recommended Integrated Hatchery Operations Team (IHOT) water quality standards for the following compounds: ammonia, carbon dioxide, chlorine, pH, copper, dissolved oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, dissolved nitrogen, iron, and zinc. " Juvenile rearing density and loading guidelines used at the facility should be based on life-stage specific survival studies conducted on-site. The water used for rearing should provide natural water temperature profiles that result in fish similar in size to naturally produced fish of the same species. The program should use a diet and growth regime that mimics natural seasonal growth patterns. Release Fish produced should be qualitatively similar to natural fish in growth rate. Marking/tagging techniques should be used to distinguish between the hatchery and natural populations. Volitional releases during natural out-migration timing should be practiced. Fish should be released at an optimum time and size that has been determined by a site-specific survival study. Fish produced should be qualitatively similar to natural fish in size. Fish should be released at sizes and life history stages similar to those of natural fish of the same species. Fish produced should be qualitatively similar to natural fish in behavior. M&E Adults from this program should not make up more than 30% of the natural spawning escapement (for the species/race) in the subbasin.

These recommendations represent an opportunity to improve key operational elements for this type of program. Detailed information on the benefits and risks of all operational phases as they affect the outcome of this program are available in APRE Report for Fall Chinook in the Kalama

Consistency of hatchery program with goals for other stocks:

Hatchery fish may affect other stocks in several ways. Naturally spawning populations may be subject to genetic interactions through interbreeding. Ecological interactions through predation and competition may occur between the hatchery population and other populations, and natural populations may be incidentally harvested in fisheries targeting a more abundant hatchery stock. Abundant hatchery stocks may also mask the status of natural populations. Conversely an increase in the number of artificially produced fish may improve the ecological function of a watershed through their contribution of marine derived nutrients. A number of factors are known to affect the likelihood and severity of such interactions, among them the abundance of the hatchery population relative to other populations; the time, size and life stage at which hatchery fish are released; and the quantity and quality of habitat available to the co-mingled stocks. The table below lists the current status of some of the populations in the subbasin where the hatchery fish are released that might be vulnerable to these interactions. Competitive interactions between the hatchery fall chinook stock and other natural stocks are minimized by volitionally releasing a portion of the fish, ensuring that they are fully migratory. However, the portion of fall chinook that are directly released may pose a risk of increased competitive interactions if they are not fully migratory. The hatchery fall chinook are larger at release than natural fish, increasing competition with wild fish and increasing selection pressure on wild fall chinook for size. The managers indicate that the carrying capacity of the subbasin has been taken into consideration when sizing this program although it is unclear as to how this was accomplished. If this program has, in fact, been sized based on this consideration, the risk that fish from this program will have competitive interactions with other naturally produced stocks is reduced. Competitive interactions may be minimal because fish are released relatively “low” in the system. Due to their size, Tule fall chinook do not pose a predation risk to the coho and steelhead stocks in the subbasin. Stock Name ESA Listing Viability Biological Significance Coho (Early)-Natural Candidate M M Coho (Late)-Natural Candidate M M Summer Steelhead (Local) Threatened M H Winter Steelhead (Local) Threatened M M

Additional reviewer comments:

This is an integrated harvest program that uses in-basin rearing of a locally-adapted broodstock, increasing the likelihood of long term survival, maintaining among population diversity, and reducing the likelihood of unexpected ecological interactions. Genetic diversity of the stock is maintained by the large effective population size and randomly mating a representative sample of the entire run. However, less than 10% of the broodstock is composed of wild fish. Adult holding, incubation and rearing occur on a water supply that does not meet IHOT standards for temperature or other compounds. This results in altered gamete and egg development, hatch/emergence timing and growth rates of fish. Fish are fed under a regime that does not mimic natural seasonal growth patterns. Density and loading rates are based on standardized agency guidelines, life-stage specific studies conducted at other facilities and staff experience. No measures are taken to simulate the natural stream environment. Release dates are based on juvenile production goals and survival studies conducted at other facilities. A portion of the fish are volitionally released. The early eggtake group reared at Kalama Falls Hatchery are directly released. The subyearlings released are larger than natural fish. There are goals for in-culture performance which are met. Post-release performance standards are specified; it is unknown if the post release standards are met. Additionally there appears to be no formal adaptive management plan associated with the program other than an annual agency production review. It is not clear if that review alone incorporates the elements necessary to make informed changes to this program when necessary. All new relevant information is available to hatchery staff on a realtime basis and is used for attaining goals. Data on smolt-to-adult survival and total catch were provided and are assumed to be readily available. Escapement and spawning data were not provided. Specific Recommendations: Incorporate at least 10% natural fish in broodstock. Mass-mark fish to distinguish between hatchery and natural populations. Use feeding regime that mimics natural seasonal growth patterns. Conduct life stage-specific studies to determine the optimal rearing density and loading. Evaluate use of enriched environments. Release all fish volitionally. Evaluate migratory status of fish. Release fish qualitatively equal to naturally produced fish in size. Conduct site-specific survival studies to determine release time and size. Improve hatchery intake structures to meet current NMFS standards. Develop explicit adaptive management plan.

Manager/operator response:

Text that will be added by manager/operator.