Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) 63.2 of the FCRPS Biological Opinion calls for determining the effects of implemented hatchery reforms on salmon and steelhead populations. There is currently a specified gap in coverage for Upper Columbia River steelhead (RM&E workgroup June 2009 pre-decisional draft document and subsequent work groups). This project provides for implementation and evaluation of major hatchery reforms identified by the RM&E workgroup for the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Winthrop National Fish Hatchery (WNFH). The required transition to local broodstock requires hatchery reform actions that i) can accommodate a later return and spawn timing, ii) induce proper smoltification, iii) promote high survival, and iv) maintain natural levels of fitness in the hatchery stock. Simply, transition to local broodstock cannot be successful without effective implementation of the hatchery reforms described in this proposal, which is part and parcel to the HGMP being developed by the USFWS for WNFH.

Steelhead in Pacific Northwest hatcheries are typically reared for release as 1-year-old smolts, rather than the 2 and 3-year-old smolt life history patterns found in nature. High growth rates associated with accelerated hatchery rearing to a 1-year-old smolt life history may contribute to maladaptive behavioral traits and reduced post-release survival, and may constitute a primary mechanism leading to reduced fitness in hatchery fish. The current proposal offers a unique opportunity to evaluate genetic, physiological, and life history impacts of rearing 1- vs 2-year-old steelhead smolts. The study is cost effective in that it will be conducted using groups of integrated steelhead already being reared in Washington tributaries of the upper Columbia River as part of ESA recovery efforts. The study will aim to provide husbandry solutions that will help increase fitness, and alleviate maladaptive traits of hatchery-reared steelhead. The design fills gaps identified in the FCRPS BiOp Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives 39, 63.2, 64.2. It will develop hatchery reform actions and best management practices for artificial production programs to make a net positive contribution to recovery of listed populations.

Nearly all steelhead intervention programs within the Basin will require non-conventional rearing methods in order to minimize the fitness loss described by Araki et al. (2008 and 2009) while achieving high smoltification and survival rates. The methods developed and tested under this proposal will be transferable in real time to other intervention programs wrestling with the same issues (e.g., Touchet, Tucannon, East Fork Salmon River). The RME workgroup indicated under RPA 64.2 that additional analysis may be needed to determine if supplementation programs are having a negative impact on recovery. This project will evaluate the survival adult hatchery S1 and S2 steelhead returning to the Methow River which could breed with natural steelhead.  These survival estimate would be useful in estimating the proportionate natural influence (PNI) and other important parameters included in HSRG models for integrated hatchery populations.

The USFWS contract supports two biological objectives: 1) Improve survival and reduce fitness loss in Columbia River steelhead smolts by minimizing unnatural selection on body size and other smolt characteristics, and  2) Identify behavioral and physiological traits under selection through laboratory-scale research. A portion of Objective 1 (survival of outmigrating S1 and S2 smolts from broodyears 2010-2014) was completed during the FY15 performance period.  Currently, all steelhead from these broodyears have returned to the Methow River as adults to spawn, and we will model their survival from release as smolts to return as adults. The USFWS will support this objective by compiling a complete life history database sufficient to assist the determination of whether the S2 rearing regime impacts survival to adulthood.  In FY18, the project will continue pursuing Objective 2 by conducting mechanistic laboratory-based research of hatchery steelhead produced from the local natural broodstock at WNFH.  USFWS will support Objective 2 by collecting natural origin broodstock and spawning them to produce the juvenile steelhead required for the laboratory experiments at the NWFSC, Manchester Research Station and compiling critical .