This project is a collaborative approach to directly evaluate relative reproductive success of three variants of steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss (natural-origin, hatchery-origin, and reconditioned kelt) across two ESUs of interest as listed in the BPA Request for Studies released in 2003.  Additionally, the project will evaluate kelt steelhead reconditioning and rematuration rates spatially and temporally.  The nature of this work dictates long-term commitments to funding and monitoring.  As proposed this project will operate for 12 years, thus encompassing 2 steelhead generations and 1 reference year-class.

Background

The expression of iteroparity is apparently depressed in steelhead populations that spawn in tributaries located upstream of Bonneville Dam, due primarily to the hydrosystem.  Large numbers of kelt steelhead are observed at collector dams like Lower Granite Dam, but abundance of those same steelhead at Bonneville Dam is relatively small.  

The recent ESA listing of many Columbia Basin steelhead populations has prompted interest in developing reconditioning methods for wild steelhead populations within the Basin.  To address recovery and reinstate this valuable life history strategy, the Yakama Nation in collaboration with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) began capturing wild emigrating kelt steelhead from the Yakima River in 1999 to test reconditioning and the effects of several diet formulations on its success at Prosser Hatchery on the Yakima River (BPA Project 200001700).  The reconditioning project has developed techniques to successfully recondition kelt steelhead, but prior to widespread implementation of the procedures, the Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) suggested that a study evaluate the relative reproductive success of artificially reconditioned kelt steelhead.  

General Approach

This evaluation program is designed to investigate the reproductive success of hatchery-reared, natural-origin, and reconditioned kelt steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss in two different evolutionary significant units (Upper Columbia and Middle Columbia) under natural conditions.  The two major goals are 1) directly examine reproductive success in two streams; and, 2) replicate and evaluate kelt reconditioning procedures and protocols at a variety of locations.  This project is a collaborative effort among three tribes (Warm Springs, Yakama Nation, and Colville), the University of Idaho, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

We will apply kelt reconditioning methods developed by project 2000-017-00 with geographic replication.  Direct examination of reproductive success will be accomplished using pedigree analysis.  At all of our study sites returning adults of all variants (hatchery-origin identified by missing adipose fin, natural-origin identified by intact adipose fin, and reconditioned kelt collected from the previous spawning migration) will be DNA-typed in order to establish parentage of juveniles sampled from rearing areas above the weir.  A total of 10 to 12 microsatellite loci will be assayed using nonlethal tissue sampling methods.  Additionally, we will also collect and DNA-type approximately 200 adult resident rainbow trout O. mykiss at each stream in an attempt to identify parentage from resident forms.  We also plan to implant PIT tags in each fish (resident and anadromous forms) sampled to track their migration through the hydrosystem.  

If relative reproductive success is high, reconditioning kelt steelhead could provide a means for maintaining this natural life history characteristic and potentially aid in the recovery of listed stocks.  This study will provide resolution on uncertainty and genetic risk associated with the use of artificial propagation and reconditioning kelts in recovery of listed populations.

Objectives

1.  Plan and coordinate all aspects of project implementation including permitting, subcontracting, and logistics.  

Rationale:  This project is very complex.  It involves geographic replication of specimen collection, artificial reconditioning of post-spawn steelhead, and state-of-the-art genetic analysis.  Three different tribal fishery staffs will be conducting field collections and CRITFC will coordinate activities.  The target species is listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in all areas above Bonneville Dam, which invokes a federal permitting process.  Major coordination tasks include:

2.  Evaluate reproductive success of natural-origin, hatchery-origin, and reconditioned kelt steelhead and adult resident O. mykiss at Shitike Creek and Omak Creek, using pedigree analysis.

Rationale:  Determining reproductive success of individual steelhead involves very intense monitoring and evaluation.  In addition, regulation of access to the spawning area must be maintained.  Monitoring efforts will involve trapping adults and juvenile steelhead and tagging individuals with PIT tags.  Tissue samples will be collected from all adult individuals and from a random sample of juveniles.  

Highly polymorphic microsatellite loci have become the marker of choice for parentage and population studies due to the potential for differentiating closely related populations and accurate parentage assignment.  Utilizing microsatellite loci optimized for steelhead studies, we plan to determine the reproductive success of wild, hatchery, and kelt steelhead from three replicate sites in the Columbia Basin.  The process will be comprised of four steps:  1) collect year 2006 samples from each of three study sites (all adult returns over three selected weirs, smolt progeny from screwtraps, and adult resident rainbow trout),  2)  generate microsatellite genotypes from all samples taken in 2006 and perform parentage assignments, 3) collect adult returns of brood year 2006 steelhead (annually in 2008, 2009, and 2010), and 4) generate microsatellite genotypes of annual adult returns and assign parentage.  Specifically, we will attempt to assign the parentage of juvenile progeny (and subsequent adults) back to adult collections of wild, hatchery, or kelt steelhead.  This method will allow us to quantify not only the reproductive contribution of individual fish, but also quantify the adult returns related to each parental category of steelhead.

3.  Apply kelt steelhead reconditioning techniques at selected streams to post-spawners for release back into study streams.

Rationale:  This objective will test the following hypothesizes:
Ho:  Kelt steelhead reconditioning rates are similar spatially and temporally; and,
Ho:  Kelt steelhead rematuration rates are similar spatially and temporally.  
Additionally this objective will provide the reproductive success experiment (objective 2) with reconditioned kelt steelhead for study.
  
At each of the three study sites, kelt steelhead will be collected as they accumulate on the upstream side of each picket weir.  These fish will be removed with dip nets and placed in an anesthetic tank.  Anesthetized steelhead will be visually examined to classify each fish as a kelt or prespawn individual.  Methods for visual classification are available and primarily involve keying specimens based on an imploded abdomen.  This visual technique was highly precise when compared with the use of ultrasound analysis.  If a specimen is suspected to be a pre-spawner the fish will be released on the downstream side of the weir.  Following collection anaesthetized kelts will be "in-processed", where they are scanned for a PIT tags, measured, weighed, fish color and condition noted, injected with Ivomec intubate (parasite treatment), and injected with a PIT tag if not present in the specimen.  The kelts are then held in a tank prior to transport to the reconditioning facilities.  Transporting the kelt steelhead is covered under.  Work elements below will cover kelt rearing/reconditioning, release back into the stream of capture, and comparison of reconditioning success among sites.

4.  Evaluate survival of kelt steelhead that are tagged and released back into the river.

Rationale: This treatment, termed direct-release, provides a control group to compare against results from other treatment groups.  Fish will be collected in the lower Yakima River, PIT tagged and released.

5.  Evaluate the effects of directly transporting steelhead kelts around the hydro system on enhancement of iteroparity.

Rationale:  This treatment, termed no-term, evaluates the lowest cost kelt enhancement alternative.  Kelt steelhead are collected near Prosser, Washington, tagged then transported and released by Bonneville Dam.  The expectation is that survival will increase in this group over the control since the effects of the hydrosystem are removed from the downstream migration period.

6.   Evaluate effects of short-term kelt reconditioning and subsequent transportation of kelts around the hydro system on enhancement of iteroparity.

Rationale:  This treatment, termed short-term, evaluates a low cost kelt enhancement alternative.  Survival and migration characteristics will be measured and evaluated of kelt steelhead collected near Prosser, WA.  These fish will be collected tagged, transported and released below Bonneville Dam.  Migration characteristics will be evaluated using hydroacoustic tags and histology profiles.

7.  Evaluate effects of long-term kelt reconditioning and captive spawning on: a) gamete and progeny viability; and b) enhancement of iteroparity.

Rationale:  Gamete and progeny viability analysis will be performed at the University of  Idaho on hatchery fish returning to Hood River, Wells Hatchery, and from a small group of fish reconditioned at Bonneville Hatchery in the saltwater rearing tank.  These fish will then be held for reconditioning at Parkdale Hatchery, Cassimere Bar Hatchery respectively.
Following rematuration, these fish will be spawned and gamete and progeny viability analysis performed in order to determine potential effects from artificial reconditioning.  This second spawning and analysis will be completed in the spring of 2008.

We will continue to develop a database and framework to evaluate the relative effectiveness and efficiency of the different reconditioning strategies.  The actual evaluation will be completed in our Project Completion Report, currently planned for 2009.  This analysis should provide managers with expected benefits and costs of various scenarios using kelt steelhead for restoration purposes.