FY17 Ongoing Salmonid Enhancement and Harvest Management Planning and Analysis

*Note: Following an approved no-cost grant extension to September 2020, the Tribe requested a budget modification which shifted FY2020 indirect costs to direct costs, and transferred some funds to our higher priority habitat project, ID 2017-JSKT-04. NWIFC granted the budget modification.

[Strait of Juan de Fuca Worksite]:

Point No Point Treaty Council (PNPTC) staff participated in multiple harvest management activities necessary for the exercise of tribal-treaty fishing rights. Treaty staff assisted with developing harvest regulations, participated in hatchery and harvest management meetings and forums, and other relevant harvest and hatchery management planning processes, such as those related to a new Puget Sound Chinook Resource Management Plan, and development of the next five-year review of the Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative

PNPTC staff reviewed preseason forecasts of abundance for Hood Canal and Strait of Juan de Fuca Chinook Salmon and prepared preseason forecasts of abundance for Hood Canal and Strait of Juan de Fuca summer chum. Staff modeled fishery impacts to Puget Sound Chinook Salmon as a preliminary step toward implementing planned fisheries as required to meet ESA requirements of salmon recovery plans and harvest management plans. PNTPC and Jamestown staff participated in the Pacific Fisheries Management Council and co-manager North of Falcon salmon preseason planning processes that set harvest management strategies that contribute to salmon recovery. Staff implemented the agreements of the North of Falcon process during these months.


[Dungeness Worksite]:

Jamestown staff attended the annual Dungeness Chinook Technical Committee meeting on January 29th, 2020 to review previous year’s data (including spawner surveys, broodstock collection, egg and fry growth/survival etc.) and discuss ways to improve future adult returns, as well as any changes to our current methods for the upcoming season.

Staff reviewed results from the 2019 Chinook surveying season, as calculated by WDFW, including terminal run size of adult Chinook returns, wild spawners, redd counts, and broodstock collection. We also reviewed coded wire tag and scale analyses to estimate natural production (versus hatchery supplementation in Dungeness).

Tribal staff reviewed fishery activities to help assure potential fishery impacts on Dungeness ESA-listed species were minimized. For example, staff help assure appropriate equipment is used and review WDFW’s coded wire tag data and other sampling data to assist with management of the fishery, including determining the fishery’s closing date ahead of the fall chum return.

[December 2020] Difference between proposed and actual budgets reflect actual work accomplished and final accounting following approved budget modification.

The goal of our harvest management planning is to develop strategies that, when implemented, will protect ESA-listed salmonids, and produce regulations that ultimately benefit ESA-listed salmonids. The harvest management planning, updates and analysis are recommended in approved recovery plans.

Evaluating carcass and tag data allows restoration planners to determine contributions from the naturally produced portion of Chinook returns, detect trends, and gage effects of the supplementation efforts on boosting abundance of Chinook populations. Analyses of wild verses hatchery returns will be used for adapting and planning future approaches to the supplementation and broodstock programs.