The Idaho Natural Production Monitoring & Evaluation Project (INPMEP) has been evolving in an adaptive management mode for 20 years. It was originally established by the Northwest Power Planning Council’s 1982 Fish and Wildlife Program as project number 1983-007-00. Project goals were to monitor natural production of anadromous fish and evaluate off-site habitat mitigation projects funded by Bonneville Power Administration. The original project split into general and intensive monitoring components. General monitoring followed anadromous fish production and population trends over a broad geographic area. Intensive studies investigated life cycle survival at 2 sites to develop quantitative criteria to guide management. Both components continued through the 1990s as project number 1991-073-00. Project focus changed with the listing of Snake River spring/summer Chinook and steelhead under the Endangered Species Act. Salmon escapement declined such that survival could not be estimated with intensive studies but had to be done in aggregate. Thus, the intensive studies were expanded to a basin-wide scale and evaluation of specific mitigation projects was discontinued, while general monitoring continued as before. Changing demands for the way monitoring is practiced in the Columbia basin have prompted us to submit a proposal with a slightly changed focus. This statement of work will implement the plans put forth in that proposal as approved by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.

Currently, INPMEP monitors trends in spring/summer Chinook salmon and steelhead trout populations in the Salmon, Clearwater, and minor middle Snake tributaries in the Idaho portion of Hells Canyon.  At this point in time, current objectives need to be evaluated and new directions considered. The ISRP and other entities have stressed the need for probabilistic sampling that is linked to historical trend data sets. We believe INPMEP data should be examined and rigorously evaluated before such a program can be designed. In 2007, we will continue to gather length, sex, and age data from naturally spawning Chinook salmon across Idaho and evaluate biases in these data. The run reconstruction analyses conducted in the past will be updated as well. There are two significant changes in work for 2007. First, we will discontinue the wilderness steelhead PIT tagging work. Second, we will reduce the level of effort in the field for parr monitoring. Instead, more effort will be put into planning a more efficient and valid study design for juvenile salmonid monitoring.

There are three objectives for INPMEP for this contract period. The purpose of each objective involves enumerating or describing individuals within the life stages undergone by anadromous salmonids. By understanding the transitions between stages and associated controlling factors, we hope to achieve a mechanistic understanding of population dynamics.
Objective 1. Estimate annual age composition of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon, 2007-09.
Objective 2. Monitor the juvenile production of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout for the major population groups (MPGs) within the Clearwater and Salmon sub-basins. This objective is general trend monitoring that focuses on density of juvenile salmonids at selected sampling sites. Sites will be selected based on a rotating panel design to be developed during this contract period to incorporate trend monitoring along with status assessment. Status assessment sites will be chosen using a probability-based method, while trend sites will be selected based on analysis of past data. Field work will be reduced somewhat to facilitate more effort into the site selection planning process.
Objective 3. Evaluate life cycle survival and the freshwater productivity/production of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon. This is an evaluation that puts together and interprets data generated from other objectives in a form suitable for management evaluation. The results are invaluable for assessing stock status and the impact of tributary management actions on them. There are two components: update/refine a stock-recruit model and estimate aggregate smolt-to-adult survival.

As a large-scale, long-term monitoring project, INPMEP interacts with many other projects that are concerned with natural production of salmonids in Idaho.  Over time, relationships among many parties have formed to provide technical assistance among projects, as well as to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts. INPMEP provides technical information to IDFG fisheries managers. In addition to fulfilling the primary status monitoring functions for ESA listed Snake River spring/summer Chinook populations, INPMEP has collected essential baseline data for effectiveness monitoring of population responses to management actions with respect to aquatic resources, downstream passage issues, tributary habitat modifications, and natural/hatchery interactions. It is the umbrella for IDFGs assessment of natural production of anadromous salmonids. Related projects include ISS (conducted collaboratively by IDFG, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, and US Fish and Wildlife Service; projects 198909800, 198909801, 198909802, and 198909803) and ISMES (formerly Steelhead Supplementation Studies; project 199005500) take a more local, Tier 3 approach to monitoring. INPMEP complements these projects by providing a broader, Tier 1 & 2, context. These projects are mutually supporting.

Field work will be conducted in the following Chinook MPGs:
Dry Clearwater (the Clearwater River from mouth to Middle Fork confluence and all tributaries excluding the North Fork and Lolo Creek; Work Elements E & G)
Wet Clearwater (Lolo Creek, the Middle Fork Clearwater, and all tributaries of the two; Work Elements E & G)
South Fork Salmon River (the Salmon River from the mouth to South Fork confluence, the South Fork Salmon River, and all tributaries to them; Work Elements D & F)
Middle Fork Salmon River (the Salmon River from the South Fork to the Middle Fork confluence, the Middle Fork Salmon River, and all tributaries to them; Work Elements D & F)
Upper Salmon River (the Salmon River upstream of the Middle Fork confluence and all tributaries; Work Elements D & F).
Steelhead MPGs overlap this list for the most part but also include tributaries to the Snake River in Hells Canyon (e.g., Granite Creek, Sheep Creek, Captain John Creek, Wolf Creek; Work Element D).