Federal Concerns Regarding Hatchery Steelhead Spawning in the Wild

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Federal Concerns Regarding Hatchery Steelhead
Spawning in the Wild
NOAA Fisheries Salmon Recovery Division
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NOAA Fisheries

• Richard Turner
• Fisheries Biologist
• Hatcheries and Inland Fisheries Branch
• (Lower Columbia River ESUs)

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Jurisdictions under the ESA

• NOAA Fisheries (formally know as NMFS) -
  jurisdiction over species that spend most of
  their life in the ocean.
• U.S. Fish Wildlife Service - species that spend
  most of their life on land or in freshwater.

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NOAA Fisheries Integrated Mission

• ESA
• Treaty Trust Responsibility
• Recreational Fishing Policy
• Magnuson-Stevens Act

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Tribal Trust Responsibilities

• Arise from Indian Treaties
• Reconcile trust responsibilities with statutory
  law
• Treaty rights not abrogated by ESA
• Federal Government cannot place excessive
  conservation burden on Tribes to avoid ESA
  jeopardy

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NOAA Fisheries/USFWS Policy on ESA and
Recreational Fisheries

• Purpose meet conservation needs of species
  listed under the ESA while providing for the
  continuation and enhancement of recreational
  fisheries.
• This policy does not diminish or abrogate the
  responsibility for the conservation of listed
  species.

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Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
Management Act

• Promote commercial recreational fishing under
  sound conservation and management principles.
• Foster and maintain the diversity of fisheries in
  the US.

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Hatchery Programs

• NOAA Fisheries Review
• Provide Guidance
• Purpose of Program
• Consideration of Subbasin Plans
• Recovery Planning Process

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Artificial Propagation Benefits
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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Primary purpose is to provide harvest
  opportunities.
• Programs can use local or non-local steelhead for
  broodstock.
• Hatchery steelhead are marked to allow for
  harvest.

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Segregated Hatchery ProgramsConcerns

• Genetic Introgression of Hatchery steelhead
• Juvenile Interactions
• Straying
• Harvest Impacts

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Genetic Introgression of Hatchery steelhead
• Hatchery steelhead spawning naturally
• Overlap temporally with natural population
• Overlap spatially with natural population

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Juvenile Interactions
• Earlier spawning times
• Juvenile size advantage
• Competition
• Predation

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Hatchery steelhead straying
• Straying into other basins
• Accounting for all returns
• Recycling hatchery steelhead

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Harvest Impacts
• Mixed stock fisheries
• Catch and release mortality
• Encounter rates

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Evaluation of Hatchery Programs
• Contribution to Fisheries
• Escapement to natural spawning areas
• Proportion hatchery steelhead on spawning grounds
• Timing and spatial distribution of hatchery
  steelhead spawning
• Natural production of hatchery steelhead
• Straying into other basins
• Accounting

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Segregated Hatchery Programs

• Metrics used in evaluation
• Proportion of hatchery steelhead on the spawning
  grounds
• Harvest meeting program objectives
• Incidental impacts
• Stray Rate
• Success in spawning
• Interactions with endemic steelhead

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Addressing Concerns

• Genetic Introgression of Hatchery steelhead
• Juvenile Interactions
• Straying
• Harvest Impacts

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