The Resident Fish Stock Status Above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams Project, commonly referred to as the Joint Stock Assessment Project (JSAP) is a multi-agency cooperative project that began in 1997 to meet the NWPPC 1994 Program (Measure 10.8B.26) and more recently the NWPCC 2014 Program and 2020-9 Addendum Parr 1.B. This project is designed and guided jointly by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Kalispel Natural Resource Department (KNRD), Spokane Tribe of Indians (STI), and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CTCR) to enhance fisheries resources by identifying data gaps, filling data gaps with research, and implementing management recommendations based on research results.

The goal of the Resident Fish Above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams project is to coordinate with regional co-managers to facilitate decisions related to adaptive management for the restoration, conservation, and preservation of resident fish species above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams.

The objective of the CTCR portion of the JSAP Project is to meet the NWPCC Programs Part 1.B, Assessing, Monitoring and Reporting requirements. The CTCR has collected fisheries data on the reservation and ceded "North Half" for over 50 years. The majority of this data has been stock piled in filing cabinets and computers in various offices. Untold amounts of data may have been lost over the years due to data storage mismanagement.  The CTCR must ensure data collected by the CTCR Resident Fish Program is properly stored and available to researchers and managers if we are to participate in regional co-management discussions and decision making.

The goal of the CTCR under the JSAP Project is to Ensure historical and current fisheries data collected by CTCR is electronically preserved and available to CTCR management and regional co-managers.

To reach this goal, CTCR has implemented three objectives; 1). To develop and maintain a Resident Fish Database system that has offline electronic data collection capabilities, cloud based storage and has the ability to query and export data for reporting and management needs; 2) to assist CTCR project managers with keeping current on data entry and uploading to the CTCR Resident Fish Database and 2) to organize, enter and maintain historical fisheries data collected by the CTCR.

The database is intended for the CTCR Fish and Wildlife Department’s use for the long-term preservation of fisheries and water quality data. Compiling data into a centralized database allows fish managers to have access to large amounts of regional fisheries statistics. These data can be used to assess the condition of fish populations and provide insight into management needs in the Intermountain Province and other similar areas. Through this project, the CTCR works to participate in regional coordination with local managers. This project provides a resource that facilitates the discussion of consistent data collection methods and protocols between regional managers.

The CTCR Resident Fish Program currently operates 10 BPA funded projects and approximately $5M annually. Since 2011, the program has been collecting and preserving data in two databases; one includes all CTCR Resident Fish Data except White Sturgeon Data, and then a separate database built specifically for the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative that is used by multiple regional entities to ensure consistent data collection.

To meet objective 1, the CTCR contracted with Environmental Science Associates (ESA – formerly known as Sitka) in 2017 to develop both the Resident Fish and White Sturgeon databases. Due to a flat line budget of $76,000 since 2011, in 2020 the project could no longer support a full or part time employee. Consequently, in 2021 the CTCR Program rolled the cost of both databases into the JSAP Project in an attempt to combine resources and streamline the databases to maximize costs savings. During 2022 project year the CTCR Resident Fish Database and the White Sturgeon Databases migrated to ESAs GeoOptix platform. This program gives staff the ability to developed datasheets and collect data electronically via an application (Gather) that can be downloaded to any device (Ipad, tablet).
During the 2023 project year, the contract with ESA will be extended and additional fisheries project will be added to the GeoOptix Program and the migration of historical data will continue.