Background

The goal of the lamprey restoration project is to restore natural production of Pacific lamprey in the Yakama Nation Ceded Lands of the Wind, White Salmon, Klickitat, Yakama, Wenatchee, Methow, and Entiat Rivers and streams.  Very little information exists about lamprey abundance and distribution throughout the Ceded lands and essentially no information has been collected concerning known or potential limiting factors.  One of the primary and over-arching objectives over the next couple years is to survey key habitats and collect baseline information that will be used to develop a long-term restoration strategy.  Other key objectives within this time frame will be to evaluate potential artificial propagation and translocation of adult lampreys.  These latter objectives would be used as a tool to help jump start natural production in selected watersheds.  

Over the next year, Yakama Nation Pacific Lamprey Restoration Project will focus efforts in program development, regional coordination and initiating surveys in key subbasins habitat for lamprey abundance, distribution and potential primary limiting factors.  Due to the lack of lamprey information and the rapidly increasing interest in understanding lamprey status and developing restoration strategies, a significant portion of 2009 will be spent developing a foundation for a long-term Yakama lamprey program that is well coordinated with other regional interests and entities.  Additionally, in spring of 2009 the Yakama Nation will begin habitat surveys; we anticipate hiring three individuals to serve as one field crew.  The long-term objectives and primary focus for this crew are as follows:

• Consolidate and summarize existing databases / information related to Pacific lamprey distribution and abundance within the Yakama Nation Ceded lands.
• Identify lamprey adult and juvenile migration characteristics.
• Identify current habitat strongholds for ammocete rearing.  Quantify and index relative densities of ammocetes.
• Describe known and / or potential factors that contribute to relatively strong or weak ammocete production in key (or index) watersheds.  
• Describe key habitat characteristics that may contribute or are related to juvenile growth and productivity.
• Measure ammocete lengths and correlate, if possible age class and annual productivity.
• Identify the key limiting factors that prevent juveniles from successfully hatching, staging and achieving high levels of productivity in preferred habitats.  
• Identify key areas where adults hold and/or spawn.  Identify environmental / physiological conditions that trigger spawning to occur.
• Describe key habitat characteristics that may contribute or are related to adult holding and/or spawning.
• Identify the key limiting factors that prevent adults from successfully migrating and/or spawning.
• Identify known and suspected passage barriers to adult lamprey migration.
• Identify actions that can be taken to restore or enhance adult holding and spawning.