The goals of the Shoshone Bannock Tribes Sockeye Research Program include to assess habitat limitations as it pertains to Snake River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka preservation and recovery, to implement activities necessary to increase and\or reestablish O. nerka productivity in nursery areas in the historic range of Snake River sockeye salmon, and to investigate fish community dynamics in lake nursery areas, including interactions between resident and anadromous O. nerka in present or potential Sawtooth Valley production areas.  We will collaborate with the IDFG to determine release strategies, and assess fish performance from introduction into the lakes to smolt migration through adult returns as well as provide input to the Technical Oversight Committee for annual strategies regarding the fate of returning adults.

FY24 Contract objectives include: 1) monitor limnological parameters of the Sawtooth Valley lakes to assess lake productivity; 2) monitor sockeye salmon smolt migration from the production of wild/natural/captive adults in Pettit and Alturas lakes;  3) monitor the number of mature kokanee spawning in Fishhook and Alturas Lake creeks and estimate fry recruitment in each system; 4) trap and enumerate returning adults to Pettit Lake; 5) conduct sockeye and kokanee salmon population surveys; 6) evaluate potential competition and predation between stocked juvenile sockeye salmon and a variety of fish species in Pettit, and Alturas lakes; and 7) assist IDFG with captive broodstock production activities and supply IDFG with requested RM&E and RPA/BiOp data.