Notes

Outline

The Salmon Recovery Puzzle The Roles of Harvest and Hatcheries in Recovery A briefing for the Ag. / Fish / Water group November 22, 2000

The Roles of Harvest & Hatcheries in Recovery Defining the problem What is the Role of Harvest Management? What is the role of Hatcheries? Recovery Planning brings it all together

The Roles of Harvest & Hatcheries in Recovery Defining the problem What is the Role of Harvest Management? What is the role of Hatcheries? Recovery Planning brings it all together

Defining the Problem Many stocks of wild salmon, steelhead and trout have declined along the west coast of North America As a result, ESA listings affect nearly every watershed in Washington State Habitat loss and degradation, overharvest, and hatchery programs have each played a role in the decline of salmonids

Defining the problem …

Population growth: 1950-2040

Defining the problem … Habitat: Then Versus Now Washington population is forecasted to increase 18% over the next 30 years (from 5.75 million today to 6.8 million in 2030; double the 1970 population of 3.4 million) 30% of wetlands have been lost statewide since settlement (1.35 million acres before settlement, 938,000 acres today) 90-95% of urban estuaries & wetlands have been lost 55% of Eastern Washington native grassland & shrub steppe has been converted to other vegetation types and uses (14.6 million acreas before settlement, 6.5 million acres in 1991)

Defining the problem … Key Limiting Factors Overharvest Blockages (dams, culverts) and lack of screens Low water: diversions High winter scouring flow: diking and bank hardening, stormwater runoff, loss of stream complexity & riparian area Poor water quality: too warm, oxygen poor, siltation, loss of riparian area reduces shade Loss of spawning & rearing habitat Interactions with hatchery fish

Salmon are inherently productive, but productivity is affected at every life stage

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Chinook Survival by Life Stage - “Favorable” Conditions *

Chinook Survival by Life Stage – Extreme Scouring Flood Events *

Chinook Survival by Life Stage – Extreme Scouring - No Harvest *

Skagit Fall Chinook Mortality by Life Stage "Adult Equivalent" Mortality Comparison "favorable" versus "poor" productivity conditions

The Roles of Harvest & Hatcheries in Recovery Defining the problem What is the Role of Harvest Management? What is the role of Hatcheries? Recovery Planning brings it all together

The Role of Harvest Management in Recovery How is harvest controlled? How is harvest management contributing to recovery? How do we know those actions are working?

How is harvest controlled? Changes in Management Approach THEN: Fisheries established to take advantage of abundance Account only for landed catch (dead fish in-hand) Little interagency or international coordination NOW: Fisheries established on allowable impacts to weakest stock All impacts are counted (landed catch, "bycatch", release mortality) Coastwide coordination: Alaska to California Ocean to rivers Indians and non-Indians

How is harvest controlled? Coastwide management coordination

ESA Compliance for Harvest All fishing seasons must go through one of the available ESA gateways: Section 10 consultation Section 7 consultation, federal nexus Section 4(d): Fishery Management and Evaluation Plans (FMEPs) Fisheries not approved under ESA are not allowed to go forward Incidental impacts only on listed fish Impacts taken by one fishery must be reduced in another: “zero sum”

How is harvest controlled? Harvest Management Tools

How is harvest controlled? Exploitation Rates, example

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Harvest Actions to Protect Wild Fish  Reduced fishing seasons and catch  Fewer commercial fishing licenses  Mass marking and selective fisheries  RESULTS

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Washington controls only a small proportion of the harvest impact to Nooksack early chinook

Stillaguamish chinook 1991-96 average distribution of mortality

Chinook Commercial Catch in the Columbia River – 1938 to 1999

Columbia River Commercial Days Open Mainstem below Bonneville

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Chinook catch in Washington ocean fisheries dropped 91% in the past 26 years

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Coho catch in Washington ocean fisheries dropped 76% in the past 16 years

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Puget Sound Sport Fishing Seasons have dropped since 1986

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Reductions in summer sport fishing seasons since 1974 have severely impacted local communities

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Harvest Actions to Protect Wild Fish  Reduced fishing seasons and catch  Fewer commercial fishing licenses  Mass marking and selective fisheries RESULTS

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Numbers of commercial salmon licenses have dropped 55% in the past 13 years due to buyback & attrition

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Harvest Actions to Protect Wild Fish  Reduced fishing seasons and catch  Fewer commercial fishing licenses  Mass marking and selective fisheries RESULTS

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Tools for Selective Harvest Timing of seasons and openings Area Closures Special area fisheries Size limits Gear restrictions (mesh size, bait, lures) Require release (species, marked fish) “New” gear types (beach seines, traps, fish wheels, tangle nets, weirs)

How is harvest management contributing to recovery? Fin clipping distinguishes between fish from hatcheries and wild fish

Harvest Actions to Protect Wild Fish  Reduced fishing seasons and catch  Fewer commercial fishing licenses  Mass marking and selective fisheries  RESULTS = How do we know those actions are working?

How do we know those actions are working? ESA compliance has been achieved:

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How do we know those actions are working? Stillaguamish Chinook harvest protection goals are being met Percent of the Adult Population Harvested (Exploitation Rate) relative to Harvest Protection Goal

How do we know those actions are working? Skagit summer-fall chinook exploitation has dropped more than 60% since 1983 Percent of the Adult Population Harvested (Exploitation Rate)

Harvest Management Then and Now

The Roles of Harvest & Hatcheries in Recovery Defining the problem What is the Role of Harvest Management? What is the role of Hatcheries? Recovery Planning brings it all together

The Role of Hatcheries in Recovery What are the roles for hatcheries in Washington? Restore and support wild fish populations Produce fish for harvest How do artificial production programs impact wild fish? What are we doing to address those impacts?

"WDFW" WDFW Tribe USFWS

Statewide Hatchery Facilities WDFW 90 facilities   250 cooperative projects   40 Reg. Fish. Enhance. Group projects Tribes 35 facilities USFWS 12 facilities

Species Propagated Chinook, coho, chum, pink, sockeye Steelhead, trout Warmwater species

Annual Statewide Hatchery Production WDFW 200-250 million fish Tribes 46 million fish USFWS 38 million fish

What are the roles for hatcheries in Washington? Dual roles for artificial production

What are the roles for hatcheries in Washington? Additional Benefits of Hatcheries Treaty trust obligations Coded-wire tag program and other evaluation tools Artificial production mitigates for lost freshwater production

ESA Compliance for Hatcheries All artificial production programs must go through one of the available ESA gateways: Section 10 consultation Section 7 consultation, federal nexus Section 4(d): Hatchery Genetic and Management Plans (HGMPs) Hatchery programs affecting listed stocks must have ESA coverage HGMPs will be completed for all rearing  programs & enhancement projects

Hatchery ESA compliance

How do artificial production programs impact wild fish? Potential hazards from artificial production programs Physical aspects and operation of  the hatchery, such as: Fish passage Screened intakes Water supply Pollution abatement Biological impacts of hatchery fish on wild stocks …

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How do artificial production programs impact wild fish? Problem: Straying Effects: Interbreeding with wild fish reduces "fitness" Options: Use locally-adapted or wild broodstock High overall harvest rate (however, kills too many wild fish) Selective harvest of marked hatchery fish Remove hatchery strays: Use for lake plants Use for nutrient enhancement & food banks Implement more natural rearing practices Final option: Reduce or eliminate rearing component

What are we doing to address those impacts? Hatchery Risk Assessment Evaluate the level of impact for each potential risk factor at each facility Determine which impacts to address first Develop steps to minimize impacts, including further research, if needed Coordinate with Hatchery Science Review Group findings Incorporate into HGMPs

What are we doing to address those impacts? Western Washington Hatchery Reform Initiative Congressional appropriation through Senator Slade Gorton Support State and Tribal efforts Provide for facilitation of a reform strategy through Long Live the Kings Provide a competitive grants program for hatchery research Establish an independent scientific panel (HSRG)

The Roles of Harvest & Hatcheries in Recovery Defining the problem What is the role of Harvest management? What is the role of Hatcheries? Recovery planning brings it all together

Recovery Planning Process What are our recovery planning goals? Components of recovery planning What more needs to be done? How are we going to get that done?

What are our recovery planning goals? The WDFW mission is: Sound Stewardship of Fish and Wildlife

What are our recovery planning goals? Washington State's Goal for Salmon Recovery

Components of Recovery Planning ESA Compliance  - examples - What? Actions that avoid/minimize "take" 4(d) rule Section 7/10 "take" authorizations Address "take" liability for Hydraulic Project Approvals & other permits issued by state agencies Who? Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Other state agencies Tribes Local Governments Businesses Citizens

Components of Recovery Planning Programmatic Building Blocks - examples - What? Statewide Initiatives, such as: Shorelines guidelines Forests & Fish Agriculture, Fish, Water Stream corridor guidelines Growth Management Act provisions, such as: Comprehensive Land Use Plans Stormwater management rules Critical Areas Ordinances Shorelines development regs. ESHB 2514 watershed planning products

Components of Recovery Planning Local Watershed Assessments & Recovery Plans  - examples - What? Local Recovery Goals Limiting Factors What biological processes need to be fixed in order to restore properly functioning habitat conditions? Who? Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Tribes Conservation Comm. State & federal agencies Local technical expertise e.g., Lead Entities, WRIA groups Businesses, landowners, citizens

Components of Recovery Planning Comprehensive Species Plans provide a framework to integrate watershed plans into a recovery plan for an entire ESU What? Lower Columbia Multi-Species Plan Puget Sound comprehensive coho & chinook plans Lake Ozette Sockeye Hood Canal/Strait of Juan de Fuca Summer Chum Plan Who? Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Authority Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Tribes local participants, such as Hood Canal Coordinating Council

Components of Recovery Planning Local Recovery Implementation Plan What? Commitments for specific implementation measures What are we going to do? When are we going to do it?

What more needs to be done? "Planning" ESA compliance activities minimize "take" Programmatic building blocks Specific local watershed & comanager plans Comanager comprehensive species plans Region-wide implementation plans a.k.a. NMFS Recovery Plans

What more needs to be done? Managers are addressing harvest & hatchery contributions to recovery: Harvest Managers are:  setting harvest protection goals that protect natural stocks  implementing additional restrictions where appropriate  developing comprehensive harvest plans  developing rebuilding plans in concert with NMFS recovery efforts Hatchery Managers are:  evaluating hatchery program impacts on wild fish  minimizing impacts to wild fish by modifying or eliminating some programs  correcting barriers, screens, water supply, pollution problems at hatchery facilities

What more needs to be done? Successful recovery will depend on addressing all sources of mortality Conduct watershed assessments to identify factors limiting recovery Gov't, businesses, landowners will need to secure ESA compliance Local ordinances modified to comply with Growth Mgmt and Shorelines Mgmt Acts Write Recovery Plans & make commitments for action Monitor & evaluate our progress toward salmon recovery

How are we going to get that done? Ag, Fish, Water negotiations Puget Sound: "shared strategy" Lower Columbia "multi-species plan" Cooperative compliance programs others

Only together can we achieve salmon recovery!