Snake River Coho Restoration VII

In 1994, the Nez Perce Tribe initiated a coho reintroduction program as a result of agreements in the U.S. v. Oregon forum that reprogrammed Lower Columbia River Mitchell Act hatcheries to produce coho salmon for release in the Clearwater River Subbasin. The focus of this program is to restore Snake River coho salmon populations to levels of abundance and productivity sufficient to support a sustainable run capable of annual harvest in the Clearwater River and Grande Ronde River subbasins.



The overall goals of the program are to

• Restore and maintain treaty-reserved tribal and recreational fisheries.

• Establish a localized Clearwater River subbasin coho salmon hatchery broodstock.

• Establish a localized Grande Ronde subbasin coho salmon hatchery broodstock.

• Establish natural spawning populations of coho salmon in the Clearwater River Subbasin and Grande Ronde River subbasin.

• Utilize hatchery production to achieve optimal production effectiveness while meeting priority management objectives for natural production enhancement, harvest, diversity and minimizing impacts to non-target populations.

• Monitor and evaluate program activities and communicate program findings to resource managers.

• To specifically provide fish for tribal treaty rights. It gives the treaty tribes access to Mitchell Act fish that were previously released downstream of Bonneville Dam.



This program is occurring in a phased approach, and this proposed project would provide PCSRF support to complement Mitchell Act funding for the 7th iteration of the current phase, primarily to occur during 2024/2025. Specific proposed activities by worksite are as follows:



#1 Dworshak National Fish Hatchery (DNFH) is used as a broodstock trapping and juvenile rearing to smolt facility. Adult coho broodstock are trapped elsewhere ,spawned, and eggs are reared at DNFH. Will rear 1,050,000 coho and mark 120,000 of the coho with Coded Wire Tags. When the smolts have reached optimum growth levels they will either be transported to Kooskia NFH for acclimation and release (775,000 smolts) or acclimated and released into Lapwai Creek. Will trap 100 returning coho adults and use as broodstock to provide eggs for the coho hatchery production groups under this project.



#2 Kooskia National Fish Hatchery (KNFH) is used as an adult trapping facility and as an acclimation and release facility. Adult coho broodstock are trapped and transported to DNFH where they are spawned. Releases from KNFH include 775,000 smolts previously reared at DNFH. Will acclimate and release these 775,000 smolts from DNFH. Will mark 10,000 coho with PIT tags. Will trap 1,500 coho adults and use as broodstock to provide eggs for all the coho hatchery production groups under this project.



#3 Lapwai Creek is used as an adult trapping facility and an acclimation and release facility. Adult coho broodstock are trapped and transported to DNFH for spawning and eggs are reared at DNFH. Smolts are transported to North Lapwai Valley acclimation facility be acclimated and released. Lapwai Creek. releases include 275,000 smolts reared at DNFH. Will mark 5,000 coho with PIT tags. Will trap 600 coho adults and use as broodstock to provide eggs for all of the coho hatchery production groups under this project.



#4 Lostine River/Cascade Fish Hatchery (CFH) - Adult coho broodstock for the Lostine River release group are trapped at Bonneville National Fish Hatchery and transported to CFH for spawning and rearing to smolt. Lostine River is used as an adult trapping facility and release facility and CFH is used as a rearing to smolt facility. Adult coho broodstock trapped and released upstream for natural spawning may be used as a broodstock in the future. Releases into the Lostine River include 500,000 Tanner Creek stock smolts reared at CFH, of which 60,000 are marked with coded wi

The benefit of the program is that coho salmon will be restored to sufficient numbers in the Snake River sub basin to support natural production, as well as tribal and non-tribal harvest. This level of production would provide for a Clearwater broodstock to be naturally, self-sustaining and to provide a run sustaining hatchery supplementation. Our long-term adult return goal for the Snake River is 21,000 coho salmon, breaking it down to 14,000 returning to the Clearwater River in Idaho and 7,000 returning to the Lostine River in Oregon. This program will require a substantial hatchery production component and the establishment of highly productive naturally spawning coho salmon to become self-sustaining.