The downstream fish passage measures of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) Fish and Wildlife Program include measures for flow and spill to provide mitigation for the effects of the development and operation of the federal Columbia River Basin power system (FCRPS) on migratory salmon and steelhead and resident fish.  The program also includes monitoring and evaluation to assess the progress in accomplishing the biological objectives of the program at a basinwide level.  The Fish Passage Center (FPC) is included in the mainstem program.  The primary purpose of the FPC as defined in the Program is to provide technical assistance and information to fish and wildlife agencies, tribes in particular, and the public in general on matters related to juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead passage through the mainstem hydrosystem. Specifically, the Program establishes that the FPC shall:

1.  Plan and implement the annual smolt monitoring program;

2.  Gather, organize, analyze, house, and make widely available monitoring and research information related to juvenile and adult passage, and to the implementation of the water management and passage measures that are part of the Council's program;

3.  Provide technical information necessary to assist the agencies and tribes in formulating in-season flow and spill requests that implement the water management measures in the Council's Program, while also assisting the agencies and tribes in making sure that operating criteria for storage reservoirs are satisfied; and

4.  In general, provide the technical assistance necessary to coordinate recommendations for storage reservoir and river operations that, to the extent possible, avoid potential conflicts between anadromous and resident fish.

The NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion for the FCRPS includes fish passage measures, flow and spill and the implementation of the Annual Smolt Monitoring Program.  The Fish Passage Center, in conducting the tasks and objectives established by the NPCC Fish and Wildlife Program, gathers research and monitoring information, makes available information and analysis that relate directly to reasonable and prudent alternatives (RPA) included in the NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion.  In addition, the FPC carries out activities required by the Biological Opinion, such as the Smolt Monitoring Program and the Section 10 permit Endangered Species Act requirements for FPC activities.

In May of 2008 the Columbia River Federal Action Agencies and the Yakama, Umatilla and Warm Springs tribes finalized the Columbia Basin Fish accords, a memorandum of agreement between the three treaty tribes and the FCRPS action agencies.  This MOA included the FPC, the Comparative Survival Study, and the Smolt Monitoring Program projects.  Subsequently letters from FPC, BPA and the treaty tribes established an agreed upon funding levels for these projects, for the term of the MOA, starting in 2009.

The agencies and tribes have assigned some of their joint collaborative initiatives and activities that they have undertaken cooperatively to the FPC.  This is to take advantage of the regional coordination systems that are in place at FPC and the cost effectiveness and efficiencies implementing these programs through FPC. These are within the scope of the NPCC program, such as the Adult Fish Facilities Inspection Program and the Comparative Survival Study. The Adult and Juvenile Fish Facilities Inspection Program is funded by the state and federal salmon management agencies.

The primary purpose of the Fish Passage Center is defined in the Program to provide technical assistance and information to fish and wildlife agencies, tribes in particular, and the public in general on matters related to juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead passage through the mainstem hydrosystem.