This project provides the following:

1) juvenile Snake River summer steelhead abundance estimates from the South Fork Clearwater River and Lolo Creek using data collected at rotary screw traps,
2) adult Snake River summer steelhead status and trend monitoring in Joseph Creek (lower Snake River), lower Salmon River tributaries, and the lower Clearwater River tributaries using temporary weirs and portable PIT tag arrays,
3) participation in a regional run reconstruction process for adult Snake River summer steelhead populations above Lower Granite Dam,
4) assessments of factors that may limit Snake River summer steelhead populations within the Snake River Basin and,
5) analysis of In-Stream PIT Tag Detection Systems (IPTDS) data for assessments for Snake River steelhead and Chinook Salmon.

Juvenile Snake River summer steelhead Fish-In and Fish-Out abundance data generated through the implementation of this project is required under the CRSO BiOp and is consistent with the ASMS Coordinated Anadromous Workshop Snake Basin strategy for high precision abundance data, hatchery effectiveness monitoring, and data management.  

The collection of adult Snake River summer steelhead data implements reasonable and prudent  measure to maintain M&E for Viability assessments  of the Biological Opinion, and the ASMS Coordinated Anadromous Workshop (2010) regional research, monitoring, and evaluation (RM&E) strategies for Snake River basin steelhead.  Monitoring of Joseph Creek steelhead was originally designed to occur annually to implement the Grande Ronde Subbasin Plan (Cat Tracks Wildlife Consulting 2004) to provide status and trend data in adult abundance for focal species and comparison of adult life history characteristics between hatchery and natural fish, and to compare adult steelhead mark-recapture escapement estimates to PIT tag array escapement estimates.  This contract continues the monitoring of Joseph Creek Steelhead in 5 year intervals with a rotation of monitoring in lower Salmon and Clearwater river tributaries to provide larger scale status, trend, and ultimately distribution data for Snake River summer steelhead.

The participation in a regional run reconstruction process for adult Snake River summer steelhead populations above Lower Granite Dam involves coordinating the use and input of NPT Harvest data into a regional steelhead run reconstruction model.  The run reconstruction model will help to evaluate adult Snake River summer steelhead abundance status and trends within the Snake River Basin.

Potential limiting factors assessed by this program using productivity measures derived from Fish-In and Fish-Out abundance data will be the effects of rearing area water temperatures on juvenile abundance and emigrant survival, juvenile run timing in relation to hydro system transportation and smolt-to adult survival, effects of the Columbia River hydro system and ocean conditions on smolt-to-adult survival, and the effects of adult harvest by origin and Columbia River fishery zone on smolt-to-adult survival.

Project personnel tasked with operation of the rotary screw traps in the spring and fall will be utilized to support the maintenance of Snake Basin PIT tag arrays during the summer and winter when they are not operating rotary screw traps.