Okanagan Sockeye Reintroduction program

18 October, 2012 Portland, Oregon

Howie Wright

8 Communities

1. Lower Similkameen Indian Band2. Upper Similkameen Indian Band3. Osoyoos Indian Band4. Penticton Indian Band5. Westbank First Nation6. Okanagan Indian Band7. Upper Nicola Band8. Colville Tribes

Salmon Integral to Okanagan Culture

• Commercial Salmon Fisheries U.S. (1870’s)• Historical decisions did not consider

importance to Okanagan fisheries– Mainstem Columbia River Dams (1933)– Grand Coulee Dam blocks access to Upper

Columbia (1938)– Grand Coulee Dam Fish Maintenance Project

(1939-1943)– Columbia River Treaty (1961)– Okanagan River Channelization and salmon Access

in Okanagan River restricted (McIntyre Dam -1915)

History

• Sockeye

• Chinook – COSEWIC designation

• Steelhead – Present

• Coho – extirpated

• Sturgeon - ???

• Lamprey- ???

What is left?

Background: Okanagan Sockeye

Okanagan

Wenatchee

ARROW LAKES

Columbia River sub-basins historically accessible to sockeye

Columbia River sub-basins with present day viable sockeye populations

• Okanagan sockeye population is one of three remaining Columbia River stocks

History of Okanagan Sockeye

Habitat and Fish Passage: McIntyre Dam

Before

After

Okanagan River in 1938 and 1996

Habitat and Fish Passage: ORRI Phase 1

DYKE SETBACK

GRAVEL BARS

© One Wild Earth © Kevin Dunn

RE-MEANDERING

SPAWNING PLATFORM

RIFFLE

Before After

Fish Water Management Tools

• Initiated by the Okanagan Nation in 1996

• COBTWG (Central Okanagan Basin Technical Working Group)

• 12 Year Reintroduction Program (2004-2015) into Skaha Lake

• Adaptive management framework• Funded by Grant and Chelan County

Public Utility District (Columbia hydro mitigation)

• Stepwise approach prior to Okanagan Lake

• Extensive Monitoring• Decision at end of program for

passage• Program focused now on not if but

how many• Looking at fishway designs

Skaha Lake sockeye Reintroduction Program Overview

Key questions include (not limited to):

• What impacts will sockeye have on existing kokanee stocks?

• What components of the food web and physical environment most strongly control the production of sockeye and kokanee?

• What are the effects on the existing Osoyoos sockeye population?

Program Overview: Key Questions

?

Summary of Results to Date

• Results from monitoring impacts of sockeye reintroduction are promising so far

• Relatively good juvenile abundance, growth, and survival

• Low impact to resident kokanee

• Increased understanding that Mysis shrimp are driving the foodwebs

• Increased Okanagan River sockeye escapement in recent years, but many factors involved and we expect to see some smaller runs in the near future

Why Hatchery?• Program requirements for Sockeye Project

was to push in-lake capacity of Skaha Lake• Model suggested 1000 fry/ha prior to seeing

reduced growth and survival of 0+ Kok• Selected 1,750 fry/ha, 3.5 million released fry

or 5 million eggs located in Penticton• Building to 8 million capacity• Skaha 2000 ha lake so about 1.75 million

smolts• Developed before knowing PUD mitigation

requirements

Why a Hatchery?

Hatchery planning in Canada?• In Canada, there is the Wild Salmon Policy which one

of the requirements is to safeguard genetic diversity• DFO Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP)

guidelines• PUDs require an HGMP - Okanagan sockeye HGMP• Hosted workshop of U.S./Canadian expertise to:1. Develop HGMP2. See what we could be collecting now to help with

long term planning3. Look at our broodstock collection and fry release

methods and suggestions for improvements of program overall

Hatchery Planning in Canada?

Hatchery planning in Canada?• Stock recovery management

– Segregated versus integrated? 1, 2, 3 populations in the Okanagan (Osoyoos, Skaha, Okanagan)

– Other systems (e.g. Lake Cle Elum – Okanagan/Wenatchee)?– Long term how to manage harvest?

• Okanagan Nation– Focus on restoration– Not going to get all habitat and production back, how will

hatchery contribution be used for harvest?

• PUDs– As we recover, what happens if we don’t need hatchery for Skaha?

Okanagan?– As we increase sockeye, how does this affect mitigation

requirements?

Hatchery questions?

How are the sockeye run doing?

19671969

19711973

19751977

19791981

19831985

19871989

19911993

19951997

19992001

20032005

20072009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000 Reference period trend in Okanagan River sockeye salmon escapement

Wells

AUCriver

Return Year

Esca

pem

ent e

stim

ate

Exp

eri

me

nt

Be

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s

Why Hatchery?• Many Factors:• Cultural ceremonies – headwater, winter

dances, first salmon• Habitat – water management, habitat

restoration• Harvest – Snake River sockeye limitations?• Hydro – Judge Redden orders• Ocean survival• hatchery contribution

Why a the increase?

2007 2008 2009 20100

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

Skaha Hatchery Osoyoos Wild

Hatchery contribution

Food fisheries/culture

• Salmon feast at Okanagan Falls

• Salmon in diet• Revitalizing a fishery• Cultural ceremonies

Starting to see benefits-economic and recreational

fisheries

Its not just a sockeye

“Sharing a Story”“Certification”

Traditional/responsible trade

Changing attitude on “river fish” in CanadaMoving fisheries inland

Thank you!(Lim Limpt)