Tribal Hatchery Reform 2011 Enhancement Projects

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) tribes have been active participants and supporters of all aspects of the hatchery reform effort since its inception. In FY 2000, tribes developed a very extensive annual Request for Proposals (RFP) and evaluation/ranking process for implementing hatchery reform recommendations, with the criterion that the projects were to be consistent with HSRG recommendations. At the request of Congress, this ranking process is conducted in advance of funding decisions so that individual projects are identified for decision-makers. Beginning in 2009, the tribes asked the HSRG to review the project list developed from the tribal ranking process to ensure that the projects were consistent with HSRG recommendations and priorities. Again in 2011, the NWIFC asked the HSRG to review the tribal project list to ensure that projects are consistent with HSRG recommendations and priorities or were otherwise necessary for hatchery reform.

Tribal Hatchery Reform: The tribal grant requested for $2,568,203 implements projects that improved, evaluated, and monitored hatchery practices and strategies and modify or constructed hatchery facilities to improve hatchery operations. The new PCSRF reporting metrics requires a seperation of enhancement and monitoring/research projects. This enhancement project includes eight distinct projects desribed in the worksites totally $1,762,044. (The remaining ten projects are classified under monitoring/research under a seperate project number 11-1653E).

1) Elwha River Native Steelhead Brood Dev. - alternate winter steelhead hatchery broodstock to be used in fish restoration efforts
2) Skookum Creek Hatchery - proposes that mud kettles be installed at the outflow end of the ponds, a new open channel constructed, and pollution abatement ponds be constructed
3) Tulalip Chinook - purchase and install 100,000 coded-wire tags (CWT’s) in Tulalip Hatchery summer Chinook
4) Quinault Adult return channel - 100% design and engineering and construction of a concrete adult collection channel with a mechanical fish crowder, brail system, vacuum pumping system and a reconfigured fish processing area.
5) Quilyute Lonesome Creek - CWT all Chinook produced by LC Hatchery (LCH) to evaluate relative return rates of different rearing strategies,
6) Gorst Creek Abatement Pond - support building an abatement pond for the Gorst rearing pond as per requirements of having an NPDES permit,
7) Skykomish CHinook traps and lifts - install broodstock trap lifts to enable collection of native summer Chinook at Tulalip as emergency backup gene pool
8) Hatchery Water supply - restore hatchery supply water quality and fish habitat for the stream channel impacted by incision

Hatchery reform projects are designed to limit impacts to wild fish from hatchery operations.