Harvest Management Project 2014

Project 1 (Fisheries Management): The Tribes completed management of the 2015 Chinook salmon fishery prior to initiating the fishing season. The fishery officially began on 21 May 2015 with the Tribal Fish and Game Commission adopting the final approved harvest guidelines and regulations. SBT TRMPs (for the Salmon, Grande Ronde, and Imnaha rivers) identify fishery management areas (FMAs) that return natural-origin Chinook salmon populations targeted for Shoshone-Bannock harvest. Each FMA was managed by an abundance-based sliding scale harvest management framework that takes into account annual population viability. The framework protects all populations from over-harvest and especially those that are functioning below the critical population threshold, as defined by the ICTRT 2007. Conversely, the framework allows flexibility to increase harvest opportunities on populations that are performing above the viable population threshold. Tribal staff attended multiple US v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meetings in fall 2014 and spring 2015. As the run progressed from the Columbia River Mouth upstream to Bonneville and Lower Granite Dams, the Tribes were involved in discussions with TAC and Snake Basin Coordinators on run size updates, lower river fishery impacts, PIT tag detections, as well as generating forecasts for Lower Granite Dam, and individual FMAs. The TAC pre-season forecast for the Columbia River mouth equaled 235,000 age-4, age-5, and age-6 adults with a predicted 49,800 being of wild origin. The in-season Snake River hatchery forecast predicted 78,590 adults returning to project areas. After the pre-season forecast was finalized, Snake Basin Coordinators (IDFG, ODFW, SBT, and NPT) developed return estimates for natural adults to the entire basin (34,273 to Salmon, Clearwater, and Oregon) and individually by population (FMA). The FMA forecasts were used to generate the harvest regulations and guidelines for the Shoshone Bannock Tribes. Post season, all parties provided their harvest take and the final estimate of Chinook salmon at the Columbia River mouth equaled 289,000, 56,500 more Chinook than the pre-season forecast of 232,500. All parties were within take allocation based on the US v OR management plan. Harvest unique to the SBT indicated no excess in take for either pre-season or post-season rates. Age specific broodyear returns in 2015 were evaluated and included in our forecast modeling matrix. The result is a pre-season forecast of 188,800 spring/summer Chinook salmon to the Columbia River mouth in 2016.

Harvest guidelines will be developed using the approved abundance-based sliding-scale harvest management framework for natural-origin populations and hatchery programs, outlined in the TRMP. The harvest guidelines for natural-origin populations are developed to ensure an appropriate number of adult fish escape fisheries to spawn and reproduce. The harvest guidelines for hatchery programs are developed to ensure the hatchery programs meet their broodstock goals. If the co-managers, through TAC modify the production goals for the hatchery programs, the harvest management program will incorporate the changes in the harvest management frameworks and distribute such information accordingly.