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1994 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program |
| Council document 94-55 | |
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5.8 Transportation
In coordination with the region's fish and wildlife agencies and Indian tribes, the Corps of Engineers operates a large-scale program to collect and transport in barges juvenile salmon and steelhead to reduce predation and passage loss. This program has been an integral part of the region's fish passage enhancement measures since 1981.
The Council recognizes that despite considerable research and evaluation on the benefits of transportation, much disagreement remains. A similar degree of controversy surrounds other passage measures, such as the benefits derived from flow and water velocity augmentation. These significant scientific uncertainties and their impacts on the region's abilities to develop an effective fish passage strategy are the basis for the mainstem passage experiment described in Section 5.0.
In the near term, especially in low water conditions, transportation is one of the few tools the region has for improving salmon survival. In the longer term, depending on results of continuing evaluation, transportation may be useful in the mix of techniques the region will use to decrease salmon mortality associated with migration through the reservoirs. However, transportation should not be regarded as a substitute for changes in the river ecosystem.
Generally, the Council encourages an interim strategy that substantially reduces the number of fish transported and evaluates transportation survival versus inriver survival. Transportation should not be used as a device to delay substantial improvements in inriver survival conditions. In-season transportation decisions should be made by the fish managers. In the case of stocks listed under the Endangered Species Act, these decisions will be made by the National Marine Fisheries Service in consultation with other fish managers). Accordingly, the Council calls on the National Marine Fisheries Service, in collaboration with the tribes, state fishery managers and the Corps, to aggressively evaluate and implement transportation in keeping with the spread-the-risk concept and as part of an experimental design to evaluate inriver and transportation migration survival and returns to adult spawners. This approach will likely involve significant modification to the present operation of transportation, including the present policy of transporting all fish collected at Lower Granite, except fish collected for research purposes. An essential component of this strategy is the comparison of survival to adult return under the two modes of passage, ideally back to the spawning ground or hatchery. Transportation required for the evaluation, or as a survival measure, should be in accordance with guidelines developed by the fish managers. The Council recommends guidelines consistent with the following:
- For Endangered Species Act sample groups: Because the fish will be placed at risk through handling and marking, the number of fish assigned to be transported and inriver sample groups in any year, should be limited to the minimum necessary for study design purposes and should be determined by the National Marine Fisheries Service in consultation with other fish managers. In years with very low expected numbers of migrating juveniles, prudence may dictate no sample groups for that year.
- For all other Endangered Species Act-listed migrants: Other juvenile migrants should be allowed to migrate inriver except as the National Marine Fisheries Service, in consultation with other fish managers, judges inriver conditions to be extremely adverse (for low water or other reasons). Except under such conditions, the Council expects significantly fewer than half the juveniles would be transported in any year.
- For other non Endangered Species Act-listed migrants: Other juvenile migrants should be allowed to migrate inriver except as the fish managers judge inriver conditions to be extremely adverse (for low water or other reasons). Except under such conditions, the Council expects significantly fewer than half the juveniles would be transported in any year.
The Council believes that transportation is likely to play a role in the region's salmon recovery plan. At the same time, it is apparent that additional information is needed about when and how transportation may benefit fish survival and how survival under transportation compares to the survival of fish migrating in the river. In addition, several innovative ideas for alternative transportation collection systems, techniques and management have been suggested during the amendment process. These should be investigated using the services of outside contractors and other available parties, as needed, to accelerate implementation of such improvements. The region would benefit from a regular infusion of creative ideas for the improvement of transportation management and operations from a broad spectrum of interests. The Council encourages other parties to come forward with creative ideas for transportation, and calls on the transportation operators to take these ideas into full account.
5.8A Transportation Implementation and Evaluation
Corps of Engineers
5.8A.1 In consultation with National Marine Fisheries Service, continue transportation of Snake River fall chinook. Transportation may occur in the Snake River after subyearling fall chinook migrants compose 10 percent of the daily total chinook collection for three consecutive days at Lower Granite Dam. Transportation will not occur in the Columbia River until subyearling migrants compose 80 percent of the daily total chinook collection for three consecutive days at McNary Dam.
National Marine Fisheries Service
5.8A.2 Develop and ensure implementation of a program to compare the survival of transported juvenile spring chinook and, if possible, fall chinook, with fish that migrated through the river over a range of environmental conditions. This evaluation should be based on survival to adult return, ideally to the spawning grounds. The evaluation should minimize its impact on the migration through marking and handling. If possible, the evaluation should be based on collection from a single upriver project to avoid experimental conflicts.
Fishery Managers and Corps of Engineers
5.8A.3 Beginning in 1995, conduct smolt transportation in the Snake River according to the spread-the-risk concept and consistent with the guidelines described in measure 5.8A.1 above and with the experimental design developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service described in measure 5.8A.2. Consistent with the guidelines above, the proportion of the run to be transported in any year beyond evaluation needs will be determined by the fish managers.
5.8A.4 Manage the transportation program to minimize conflict with the evaluation program.
5.8A.5 Utilize the available barges to direct load collected fish into the transportation vehicle rather than holding collected fish in the raceways. Take steps to minimize migrational delay at the project by ensuring that barges are held at the projects for no more than 12 hours. It is expected that the spread-the-risk concept will result in a smaller proportion of the run being transported relative to the situation that has prevailed in the past several years. For this reason, it is hoped that direct loading under spread the risk can be accomplished with few additional barges. However, if this is not possible, then the Corps should immediately take steps to construct and acquire the additional barges necessary to permit direct loading.
Corps of Engineers
5.8A.6 On an expedited basis, improve salmon transportation by upgrading facilities and improving operations. Improvements should include direct loading of fish without holding them in raceways after collection, enlarging transport barge exits, minimizing fish densities, reducing stress in holding areas through shading or other means, developing smolt release strategies, including dispersing fish to minimize predation and reducing noise levels in the barges and collection facilities. Immediately evaluate the feasibility of constructing and operating acclimation facilities below Bonneville Dam and alternative release sites farther downriver. Report to the Council annually by the end of each year on the status of these improvements and evaluations and on the feasibility of increasing transport benefits.
5.8A.7 Expedite funding for a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility and benefits of net pens to increase survival of transported fish by reducing mortality associated with bypass outfall areas. The evaluation will include preliminary engineering, as well as economic and biological parameters. Report results of the evaluation to the Council by December 31, 1995.
Bonneville
5.8A.8 Continue to conduct research on the survival of hatchery, wild and naturally spawning chinook salmon from headwater production areas to mainstem transport sites to determine the extent of mortality prior to transportation. Determine the cause (e.g., water quantity, water quality, food supply, disease, smolt quality, predation, etc.) of any high mortality rates prior to transport.