Harvest Monitoring of Nez Perce Tribe Coho in the Snake Basin II

The NPT is implementing a Coho Salmon reintroduction project in the Snake River Basin. The Tribe developed a Coho Master Plan for Snake River Coho Reintroduction in 2004 that will provide evaluations critical to adaptive management to guide this successful program. This Master Plan identified the need to collect harvest data from NPT treaty fisheries targeting Coho salmon and to use this data to estimate harvest of natural and hatchery fish.



Worksite #1 Snake River in Washington, Clearwater River in Idaho, and Grande Ronde River in Oregon.

Proposed Work:

Project would conduct harvest monitoring of Nez Perce fisheries in Lapwai Creek, Clear Creek and Lostine River, and in the lower reaches of the mainstem Snake and Clearwater rivers. The NPT harvest monitoring project will monitor, and estimate catch for Nez Perce tribal members exercising their treaty-reserved fishing rights to harvest Coho salmon in specific treaty fisheries occurring in the Snake Basin.

This NPT harvest monitoring project will sample certain Coho salmon tributary (or terminal) fisheries using the creel and inseason interview methods consistent with our existing Snake Basin salmon and steelhead sampling plan. The lower Clearwater/Snake River gillnet fisheries will be sampled using the gillnet inseason interview survey. Catch estimates will include the number of natural and hatchery harvested (fish with adipose fin intact or clipped/absent) and information on number of tribal members sampled and the gear types they use. Catch estimates and related fishery information are critical to the ability of the NPT to manage and regulate its fisheries to (1) achieve treaty harvest share, (2) escape fish through fishery to achieve hatchery broodstock, and (3) to support natural escapement objectives of Coho salmon in Snake Basin. This project may also collect data on other fish species harvested along with Coho salmon in these sampling areas (e.g., Snake River fall Chinook and steelhead).



This project aligns with CBP goals 1-C, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 3-A, 3-B, 3-C, 4-A, 4-B, 4-C, and 4-D by making progress toward restoring an extirpated salmon population to healthy harvestable levels and providing fishing opportunity using an adaptively managed hatchery program. One of the Qualitative Goals is to consider a broad context that reflects the full range of diverse social, cultural, economic, and ecological values in the Columbia Basin, including providing sustainable fisheries and honoring tribal treaty and trust responsibilities.