Project GOAL

The Manchester Idaho Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Project's primary goal is to provide a marine reared safety net population that can be used to sustain ESA-listed stocks of spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in years when no fish return from the sea.  The Project's secondary goal is to provide maturing fish to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (SBT) for use in their collaborative supplementation efforts to rebuild these ESA-listed populations in the Snake River Basin.  The specific project goal for FY 2009 is produce up to 250 maturing adults for use in Salmon River recovery efforts

BACKGROUND

In spring 1995, IDFG initiated captive broodstocks as part of their conservation efforts for ESA-listed stocks of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon.  Idaho's Snake River program includes two stocks captured as eyed eggs from the Salmon River Basin.  IDFG requested that a portion of each group be reared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) in protective culture in seawater.  In August 1996, NOAA Fisheries began a Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) funded project (Project 199606700).  A new project number of 2007-403-00 was assigned in FY 2007 to consolidate the Idaho Spring Chinook Safety Net efforts to rear Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon captive broodstocks in seawater at the Manchester Research Station.  State and Federal involvement in these programs is coordinated through the BPA chaired Chinook Salmon Captive Propagation Technical Oversight Committee (CSCPTOC).

The use of captive broodstocks as an artificial propagation tool to aid in the recovery of anadromous runs of Snake River Chinook salmon is an action called for by many objectives and goals of the (NPCC) Salmon Basin Summary (NPPC 2000a), Salmon Subbasin Management Plan (NPCC 2004a), Artificial Propagation Summary for the Mainstem/Systemwide Province (NPPC 2002), and the 2000 Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program.  The creation and maintenance of these captive broodstocks for ESA listed stocks is a required Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA 175, 176, 177) action called for by the 2000 NMFS Biological Opinion.  It is also an Updated Proposed Action (Hatchery Action pg. 66) that the 2004 Biological Opinion on Remand concurs with.  The NMFS Draft Recovery Plan for Snake River Salmon also called for the use of captive broodstocks as a tool to restore ESA listed Chinook salmon stocks (Schmitten et al. 1995, 4.1a and 4.1b).  The Idaho (199700100) and the NOAA Fisheries Manchester projects (199606700) have been re-authorized by the NPCC of these fish in captivity between fall 1996 and 2007 has resulted in more than 2,730 prespawning adults provided to IDFG.  Spring 2007 was the last year smolts (BY 2005) from the current safety net stocks were sent to Manchester for marine rearing.  Unless there is a need for the marine safety net rearing of other Idaho stocks the Manchester portion of the project should phase out by 2011.

EXPECTED RESULTS

It is expected that the continued marine rearing of Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon at Manchester will continue to provide a safety net for these ESA listed stocks while habitat improvements are underway.  In FY 2009 the Manchester Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Project expects to produce up to 250 Salmon River spring/summer Chinook salmon for use in Idaho restoration efforts.