Yakama Nation Sockeye Reintroduction XIV

The Yakama Nation is implementing a Sockeye Salmon reintroduction program in the Yakima River Basin. Four naturally occurring nursery lakes in the headwaters of the Yakima River collectively supported over 200,000 spawning adult Sockeye Salmon annually. By the 1930’s, the lakes were impounded to create storage reservoirs for irrigation purposes. Dams constructed on the outlet streams of the lakes were designed without fish passage facilities, which quickly led to the extirpation of native Sockeye Salmon. Notably, the Yakama Nation has lamented the absence Sockeye Salmon in the upper Yakima River Basin, as this species had always been an integral component of tribal culture, tradition, and subsistence; for these reasons, sockeye reintroduction is an unequivocal, and rightful objective for the Yakama Nation.



Efforts to restore naturally spawning populations of Sockeye Salmon in the basin began with Cle Elum Lake. The wild adult fish needed to initiate and temporarily sustain the reintroduction program are sourced from extant populations in Lake Wenatchee and Osoyoos Lake. Fish are trapped and hauled from Priest Rapids Dam on the middle Columbia River, and are released directly into Lake Cle Elum. There is no hatchery rearing component associated with the YN reintroduction effort. Expansion of the program to other reservoirs in the basin is intended as funding procurement and feasibility planning are further investigated and developed.



The Cle Elum Sockeye Salmon reintroduction program is aimed at restoring this species in a natal lake system where it had been historically present before being extirpated in the early 1900’s as a result of dam building. The Yakama Tribe will continue to translocate Sockeye Salmon from Priest Rapids Dam via trap and haul. This action will be necessary until annual abundances of returning natural-origin fish reach self-sustaining numbers.



PCSRF funds are requested to provide staffing and logistical support in 2023-2024 and beyond to continue the essential elements of the sockeye reintroduction program. These elements include: 1) trap-and-haul operations for transport of adult sockeye salmon from Priest Rapids Dam, which occurs each year during the sockeye migration in June and July, and 2) the purchases of a dedicated seining vessel and associated supplies.



Parallel efforts (with outside funding) conducted by Yakama Nation will monitor: 1) demographics of natural origin fish returning to the Yakima River basin, 2) spawning behavior of adult fish on the spawning grounds, and 3) reproductive success, relative spawner productivity, and juvenile production through the marking and tracking of both smolts and adults. Additionally, gillnetting efforts will be implemented to eradicate mackinaw (lake trout; Salvelinus namaycush), a non-native, aggressive predator that was introduced in Cle Elum Lake several decades ago. Depressing or eradicating the mackinaw population will increase abundances of multiple species in the native fish assemblage, create a more balanced ecosystem, and improve the likelihood of establishing a self-sustaining, stable Cle Elum Sockeye Salmon population. Lastly, tribal biologists and staff will perform outreach activities (e.g. in schools, civic forums, presentations at professional venues) to engage the public and promote support for the Sockeye Salmon reintroduction program.



Worksite #1: Lake Cle Elum



Adult Sockeye Salmon collected at Priest Rapids Dam will be transported by truck and released into Lake Cle Elum located in Kittitas County, Washington. Monitoring activities will be conducted at Lake Cle Elum and in the headwaters of Cle Elum River. Also, in order to perform monitoring activities on a regular, and long-term basis, the YN seeks to use project funds to purchase a dedicated seining vessel, seine nets, and tagging supplies including up to 30,000 PIT-tags.

The benefit of this project is to reintroduce sockeye back into its historical areas within the Yakima River Basin starting first with Lake Cle Elum. The YN views this project as not only returning sockeye to its historical range, but also as a major part of rebuilding the ecosystem as a whole. In addition to enhancing the diversity, spatial distribution, and resiliency of the aggregate Columbia River sockeye stock, this reintroduction restores the well-described and broad benefits of marine-derived nutrients to a myriad of aquatic and terrestrial species in the upper Yakima watershed, including ESA-listed bull trout and summer steelhead. Removing introduced Mackinaw from the lake is also a critical part of restoring a self-sustaining sockeye population and natural ecosystem function.