On November 20, 2023, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council asked the Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) to review a response from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to address six conditions raised in the ISRP’s August 18, 2023, review of the Tribes’ Waterwheel Hatchery Program Master Plan, March 17, 2023 (see ISRP 2023-3). The response review documents include a Cover letter and Technical Memorandum. This response review is part of the Council’s Step Review Process for a proposed hatchery under Project #2008-906-00, Crystal Springs Planning and Operations/Maintenance. The Master Plan is for the construction and operation of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and spring-summer Chinook salmon hatchery facilities and programs to mitigate the effects of the Federal Columbia River Power System through the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program. The Tribes’ response, the 2023 Master Plan, and the ISRP’s review build on past reviews of proposals, Lower Snake River Compensation Plan summary documents, and the Crystal Springs Hatchery Master Plan from 2011-2012. A detailed summary of those past reviews and documents is included in the ISRP’s August 2023 review (see ISRP 2023-3, pages 2-7).
ISRP Recommendation: Defer to ISRP Step 2/3 Review
The ISRP thanks the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and contributing consultants for providing a timely and informative response to the ISRP’s six conditions associated with the Step 1 Master Plan review. The conditions for the spring/summer Chinook component of the hatchery program concern consolidation of goals and objectives, best available science, fish production assumptions and management uncertainties, and adaptive management. The condition for the Yellowstone cutthroat trout component concerns the broodstock options assessment.
The response addressed the six conditions with varying levels of detail. Overall, the response was highly informative, addressed aspects of each condition, and will clearly serve as a good foundation for revising the Master Plan to fully address all elements of each condition. In those cases where limited or no information was provided for a specific condition, the response provided a clear plan for how the conditions will be addressed in the Step 2/3 Master Plan.
The ISRP’s response is purposely brief, and the ISRP defers determination of whether the Master Plan meets scientific criteria until the review of the Step 2/3 Master Plan is complete.
