This research, monitoring and evaluation project was established in 2007 as a collaborative accord between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).  In January 2007, BPA requested of this project an amended collaborative proposal; one that emphasized salmonid status and trend monitoring.  Tribal and state partners agreed to collaborate on the project proposal, budget, statement of work and annual report; but, retained their individual contracts with BPA.  Prior to this collaboration, the CTUIR and WDFW conducted separate studies under BPA project numbers 200003900 & 199802000; see http://data.umatilla.nsn.us/, http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/, and efw.bpa.gov.

The Walla Walla Subbasin supports steelhead and bull trout that are both listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and a reintroduced population of spring Chinook. These populations are depressed relative to historic levels.  Prior to the start of this project, the subbasin co-managers did not have adequate information to assess adult abundance, distribution, age structure, genetic characteristics, adult to adult production values, smolt-to-adult survival, and natural spawning escapement.  In addition, numerous habitat protection and rehabilitation projects to improve salmonid freshwater production and survival have also been implemented in the subbasin and are in need of effectiveness monitoring.  While our monitoring efforts outlined here will not specifically measure the effectiveness of any particular project, they will provide much needed background information for developing context for project-specific effectiveness monitoring.  In the near future, we will begin to monitor the CTUIR spring Chinook hatchery program as a major part of this monitoring and evaluation program.

Our goal is to provide ecological information to decision makers in support of adaptive management for ESA recovery, population restoration, conservation, and preservation of cultural, social, and economic salmonid resources.  We do this by emphasizing monitoring of population status and trends to estimate “adults in and juveniles out” as a measure of salmonid population viability within the subbasin, and as evaluation of the spring Chinook hatchery program.  Project results help inform the Tribes First Foods management within the Ceded lands.  

This collaborative effort is conducted by the CTUIR and WDFW as funded by the Columbia River Fish Accords through at least 2017.  Our goal is to provide ecological information in support of adaptive salmonid management. We do this by collecting Viable Salmonid Population (VSP) criteria (particularly abundance, productivity), and life-history survivals (McElhany et al. 2000).  

Project level performance indicators and metrics used to describe total abundance, productivity and life-cycle survival to describe "adults-in and juveniles out" include:

Adult abundance (metric and method)
• Spawning escapement (spawning surveys and/or adult counts at dams, weir and traps)
• Total population abundance (Pit-tag detection system, adult counts at dams, weir and traps)
• Fish per redd (spawning surveys and/or adult counts at dams, weir and traps)
• Redds per mile (spawning surveys)

Production and life-cycle survival (metric and method)
• Population level smolt production annually from the Walla Walla and Touchet watersheds (Pit-tag detection system)
• Smolts per Redd (Pit-tag detection system, rotary trapping, spawning surveys)
• Survival & Run Timing (Pit-tag detection system & rotary trapping)
• Smolt to Adult Return (Pit-tag detection system, rotary trapping, adult counts, and spawning surveys)
• Adult to adult return (spawning surveys and/or adult counts at dams, weir and traps)

Primary management questions addressed by this project are based on the Draft Adaptive Management and Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of the SE WA Salmon Recovery Plan (see Appendix C; SRSRB 2011).   Primary monitoring questions 1 and 3 of that Appendix are most directly associated with this project.  Those questions are: “Is the status of the population/ ESU/DPS improving?” And “Are hatchery programs meeting specific mitigation goals?”  

Project field methods were adapted from the Salmonid Field Protocols Handbook (Johnson et al. 2007) to collect a few key fish population performance indicators.  For adults-in, our main population metric is adult abundance estimated at counting stations at dams or traps, or in some cases use of spawning surveys (depending on the species and location).  The primary population productivity indicators are natural origin adult abundance and AAR based on spawning escapement.  In the future, our long-term objective is to establish adult enumeration sites in the lower Walla Walla River (WWR) to better estimate total adult returns.  For juveniles-out, our primary indicators are smolt abundance and SARs.

Project Work Elements include: adult enumeration, spawning surveys, PIT-tagging, outmigrant monitoring, juvenile production monitoring.  However, we also collect water temperature and flow data because they are such major factors determining salmonid distributions.  We believe these monitoring and evaluation actions meet the highest priorities for fish population monitoring as identified by the Walla Walla Subbasin Plan (Walla Walla County 2004), the Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment Recovery Plan (NMFS 2009), Snake River  Salmon and Steelhead Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for Southeast Washington (Appendix C in SRSRB 2011), the Independent Science Review Panel, the Council’s draft Columbia River Basin Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Reporting Plan (MERR 2010), the NOAA Draft Guidance for Monitoring Recovery of Salmon and Steelhead (NOAA 2009), and Draft Anadromous Salmonid Monitoring Strategy (ASMS, 2010).

Project work emphasizes Mill Creek, Walla Walla and Touchet rivers, and is coordinated with local stakeholders whenever possible (e.g., ODFW, USFWS, USACE, USFS, the Walla Walla Subbasin Watershed Council, Snake River Salmon Recovery Board (SRSRB),  local irrigation districts and other public and private groups).  

CTUIR project offices are located at the William A. Grant Water and Science Center at Walla Walla Community College, while the WDFW South East Washington District Offices are located in Dayton, Washington. Previously, CTUIR and WDFW conducted separate studies and reported to BPA in separate annual reports, under project numbers 199802000 and 200003900.  Previous project reports, data and metadata are found at the CTUIR website www.data.umatilla.nsn.us/fisheries/index.aspx, or WDFW website at www.wdfw.wa.gov, or the BPA website (efw.bpa.gov).