Contact
About

Integrating energy and the environment in the Columbia River Basin

About the Council
Mission and Strategy Members and Staff Bylaws Policies Careers / RFPs
News

See what the Council is up to.

Read the Latest News
Read All News Press Resources Newsletters International Columbia River

Explore News By Topic

Fish and Wildlife Planning Salmon and Steelhead Wildlife Energy Planning Energy Efficiency Demand Response
Fish and Wildlife

The Council works to protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Its Fish & Wildlife Program guides project funding by the Bonneville Power Administration.

Fish and Wildlife Overview

The Fish and Wildlife Program

2020 Addendum 2014/2020 Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program Subbasin Plans Project Reviews and Recommendations F&W Program Costs Reports

Independent Review Groups

  • Independent Economic Analysis Board (IEAB)
  • Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB)
  • Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP)

Forums and Workgroups

  • Asset Management Subcommittee
  • Ocean and Plume Science and Management Forum
  • Regional Coordination
  • Science and Policy Exchange
  • Toxics Workgroup
  • Columbia Basin Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Workgroup
  • Informal Hatchery Workgroup
  • Strategy Performance Indicator Workgroup

Topics

  • Adaptive Management
  • Anadromous Fish Mitigation
  • Blocked Areas
  • Invasive and Non-Native Species
  • Lamprey
  • Predation: Sea lions, pike, birds
  • Protected Areas
  • Research Plan
  • Resident Fish
  • Resource Tools and Maps
  • Sockeye
  • Sturgeon
  • Hatchery Map
Energy

The Council develops a plan, updated every five years, to ensure the region’s power supply and acquire cost-effective energy efficiency.

Energy Overview

The Northwest Power Plan

The 2021 Northwest Power Plan 2021 Plan Supporting Materials Planning Process and Past Power Plans

Technical Tools and Models

  • Regional Portfolio Model
  • Generation Evaluation System Model (GENESYS)

Energy Advisory Committees

  • Regional Technical Forum
  • Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
  • Demand Forecast Advisory Committee
  • Demand Response Advisory Committee
  • Generating Resources Advisory Committee
  • Fuels Advisory Committee
  • Resource Adequacy Advisory Committee
  • System Analysis Advisory Committee
  • RTF Policy Advisory Committee
  • System Integration Forum

Energy Topics

  • Energy Efficiency
  • Demand Response
  • Power Supply
  • Resource Adequacy
  • Energy Storage
  • Hydropower
  • Transmission
Meetings
See next Council Meeting October 11 - 12, 2023 in Redmond › See all meetings ›

Recent and Upcoming Meetings

Swipe left or right
NOV 2022
THU
03
9:30 am—3:30 pm
GENESYS Technical Conference (SAAC/RAAC Combined)
NOV 2022
TUE
08
1:00 pm—4:00 pm
Resource Adequacy Technical/Steering Comm Meetings
NOV 2022
TUE WED
15 - 16
Council Meeting
NOV 2022
WED
30
9:00 am—10:00 am
RTF Policy Advisory Committee Q4 Meeting
DEC 2022
MON
05
1:30 pm—3:30 pm
Resource Adequacy Advisory Committee
DEC 2022
TUE
06
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
DEC 2022
TUE WED
13 - 14
Council Meeting
JAN 2023
TUE WED
10 - 11
Council Meeting
JAN 2023
WED
18
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
FEB 2023
TUE WED
14 - 15
Council Meeting
FEB 2023
WED
22
2:00 pm—3:30 pm
Conservation Resources/Demand Response Adv Comm Combined Meeting
FEB 2023
WED THU
22 - 23
RTF Meeting
FEB 2023
FRI
24
9:00 am—2:00 pm
Conservation Resources Advisory Comm.
MAR 2023
TUE WED
14 - 15
Council Meeting
MAR 2023
TUE
21
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
MAR 2023
THU
23
9:00 am—12:00 pm
Resource Adequacy Adv Comm - Technical Committee
MAR 2023
TUE
28
9:00 am—11:00 am
RTF Policy Advisory Committee Q1 Meeting
MAR 2023
FRI
31
9:00 am—10:30 am
Generating Resources Advisory Committee
APR 2023
WED
05
9:00 am—12:00 pm
System Analysis Advisory Committee
APR 2023
MON
10
1:00 pm—4:00 pm
Regional Coordination Forum (RCF) Meeting
APR 2023
TUE WED
11 - 12
Council Meeting
APR 2023
TUE
18
9:00 am—12:30 pm
RTF Meeting
MAY 2023
TUE WED
16 - 17
Council Meeting
MAY 2023
TUE
23
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
10:00 am—12:00 pm
Regional Coordination Forum (RCF) Meeting
MAY 2023
WED
24
1:00 pm—3:00 pm
RTF Policy Advisory Committee Q2 Meeting
JUN 2023
TUE WED
13 - 14
Council Meeting
JUN 2023
WED
21
9:00 am—12:00 pm
RTF Meeting June 21, 2023
JUL 2023
TUE WED
11 - 12
Council Meeting
JUL 2023
FRI
14
9:00 am—12:30 pm
Demand Forecast Advisory Committee
JUL 2023
TUE
18
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
JUL 2023
THU
20
9:00 am—3:00 pm
Conservation Resources Advisory Committee
AUG 2023
TUE WED
15 - 16
Council Meeting
SEP 2023
TUE
05
1:30 pm—4:30 pm
System Analysis Advisory Committee
SEP 2023
TUE WED
12 - 13
Council Meeting
SEP 2023
FRI
15
9:00 am—11:00 am
RTF Policy Advisory Committee Q3 Meeting
SEP 2023
TUE
19
9:00 am—3:00 pm
RTF Meeting
SEP 2023
THU
21
1:00 pm—3:00 pm
Regional Coordination Forum (RCF) Meeting - Governors Report and Future Reporting
OCT 2023
WED THU
11 - 12
Council Meeting
OCT 2023
TUE WED
17 - 18
RTF Meeting
OCT 2023
THU
26
1:00 pm—3:00 pm
Regional Coordination Forum (RCF) Meeting - Flat Funding
NOV 2023
THU
02
9:30 am—12:30 pm
Demand Response Advisory Committee
NOV 2023
TUE
07
9:00 am—1:00 pm
RTF Meeting
NOV 2023
WED
08
12:30 pm—3:30 pm
RTF Policy Advisory Committee Q4 Meeting
NOV 2023
TUE WED
14 - 15
Council Meeting
DEC 2023
TUE
05
9:00 am—4:00 pm
RTF Meeting
DEC 2023
TUE WED
12 - 13
Council Meeting
JAN 2024
TUE WED
09 - 10
Council Meeting
FEB 2024
TUE WED
06 - 07
Council Meeting
MAR 2024
TUE WED
12 - 13
Council Meeting
APR 2024
TUE WED
09 - 10
Council Meeting
MAY 2024
TUE WED
14 - 15
Council Meeting
JUN 2024
TUE WED
11 - 12
Council Meeting
JUL 2024
TUE WED
09 - 10
Council Meeting
AUG 2024
TUE WED
13 - 14
Council Meeting
SEP 2024
TUE WED
10 - 11
Council Meeting
OCT 2024
TUE WED
08 - 09
Council Meeteing
NOV 2024
WED THU
13 - 14
Council Meeting
DEC 2024
TUE WED
10 - 11
Council Meeting
View Council Meetings View All Meetings
Reports and Documents

Browse reports and documents relevant to the Council's work on fish and wildlife and energy planning, as well as administrative reports.

Browse Reports

REPORTS BY TOPIC

Power Plan Fish and Wildlife Program Subbasin Plans Financial Reports Independent Scientific Advisory Board Independent Scientific Review Panel Independent Economic Analysis Board

COLUMBIA RIVER HISTORY PROJECT

Review of a Revised Proposal for the Lake Roosevelt Burbot Population Assessment Project (#200811500)

Council Document Number: 
ISRP 2014-8
Published date: 
July 31, 2014
Document state: 
Published

Share

In response to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s June 3, 2014 request, the ISRP reviewed a revised proposal for the Colville Confederated Tribes’ (CCT) project Lake Roosevelt Burbot Population Assessment (#2008-115-00). As described in the revised proposal, “the goal of the project is to achieve a stable, harvestable Burbot population in Lake Roosevelt. The primary objective of this project is to provide technical advice to the Lake Roosevelt Co-Managers [CCT, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Spokane Tribe of Indians] regarding management alternatives so that they can develop realistic fishery targets and appropriate implementation strategies. Stock assessment data will be used to estimate current population harvest potential, evaluate alternative management scenarios, and assess recruitment variability.”

This is a follow-up to the ISRP’s review and Council’s recommendation in the Resident Fish, Data Management, and Regional Coordination Category Review (ISRP 2012-6, pages 79 - 81). In that review, the ISRP recommended that the project met scientific review criteria in part: “The full proposal is not yet justified. Deliverable 1 should proceed. Previous and ongoing burbot data collection in Lake Roosevelt from WDFW Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN) should be fully examined and analyzed to determine if it is adequate for evaluating the status of burbot before exerting significant additional sampling effort in the lake. Evaluation based on Deliverable 1 should be used to design field sampling efforts, if needed, beyond existing efforts as a means to meet project goals. The ISRP should review a subsequent revised proposal that builds on results from Deliverable 1. The design should consider other ISRP comments noted below [provided in the full ISRP memo].” 

The Council subsequently recommended “Implement Objective 1, deliverable 1 only through completion and not beyond FY2017 (Analysis of Fall Walleye Index Netting Bycatch Data). Sponsor to submit revised proposal based on this analysis for ISRP/Council for review and recommendation prior to additional assessment efforts in Lake Roosevelt.”

ISRP Recommendation: Meets scientific review criteria in part (qualified) 

The proposal meets scientific review criteria in part; Deliverable 2 is not recommended until the feasibility of that deliverable can be demonstrated in a pilot project and until scenarios are developed to demonstrate how the proposed collection of new information could change the management of the fishery.

The recent analysis of FWIN data by Bennett and Steinhorst (2014) demonstrates that the existing FWIN program data can be used to detect year-to-year changes in relative abundance of burbot and to identify strong and weak year classes in a general way. It also provides estimates of age composition and length-at-age, although changes in these metrics over time may not be readily detectable unless the change is large. Thus, the sponsors should be able to detect trends in recruitment and provide basic data needed to monitor the population for the current modest fishery (typically <500 fish per year) for this large reservoir. Now that a comprehensive analysis of the FWIN data has been completed, it appears that relatively little additional effort would be needed to use these data to inform harvest management. Monitoring and full utilization of burbot bycatch in the FWIN program should continue; any burbot accidentally killed in the process of FWIN sampling should be sampled for age determination to aid in assessing year class strengths.

The basis for instituting more intensive field collections and stock assessment of this fishery, as outlined in the proposal, is less clear. The stated goal of this project is to liberalize fishing regulations for burbot if it is determined that the population can support greater harvest. Current regulations limit the daily harvest to five burbot, and setlines (multiple hooks) are not allowed. The fishery is open year round. These regulations already seem quite liberal compared with regulations elsewhere, including Alaska, especially given the health warning for potential consumers by the Washington Department of Health. Acquiring more data may not be particularly useful, necessary, or cost effective given the apparent limited interest in the fishery. Population estimates may not be needed to manage this fishery as trend data currently provided by the FWIN may be adequate. Not all fisheries can or need to be monitored intensively (e.g., Johannes 1998), especially if the fishery is small and of limited interest.

It was not clear to the ISRP how new information, beyond that obtained from FWIN, would be used to change burbot management in Lake Roosevelt. How much would the management of the burbot fishery improve if the sponsors gained the additional data? Would the additional data actually make a difference given the limited nature of the fishery? For example, the major field sampling effort proposed to examine selectivity (bias) of the FWIN gillnets has not been adequately justified in terms of how it would contribute to achieving the overarching management goal. The sponsors should also show how the additional data and FAMS analysis would better inform different harvest scenarios. The proposal does not describe any alternative harvest strategies for burbot. Broader social and ecological aspects of the harvest are not well described. Is it realistic to increase this fishery given that it is primarily a winter fishery? Is it prudent to increase this fishery given that burbot are generally a species of concern in the lower 48 states? Is it even desirable to expand this fishery given the health warning released by the Washington Department of Health for children and pregnant women that may consume burbot? In short, the goal of this project to potentially liberalize harvest regulations (e.g., increase daily bag limit beyond five fish) may not be warranted. 

The sponsor’s concern over non-representative sampling of the small, young fish comes from the Bennett and Steinhorst (2014) analysis. The shortage of age two and younger fish in samples is hypothesized to be a result of limitations of the FWIN survey. To better assess the relative abundance of young fish, the sponsors would need to develop or test monitoring methods different than FWIN, specifically a bottom trawl capable of catching burbot representatively at ages 2, 3, and 4. These representative catch data could then be used to develop a scaling factor to correct any size bias in the FWIN data. Other factors may be clouding the current sampling results. For example, what if age 3 fish are migrants? The bottom trawl may help clarify these issues if it can representatively sample the key age groups. Are the sponsors also planning to use data for other non-target species captured with their proposed methods to better understand species composition in Lake Roosevelt?

Since it is not clear to the ISRP that more information is justified at the current level of the fishery, the proposed expansion of field monitoring requires additional justification. Is obtaining the identified information on younger-aged fish feasible and cost effective? Several sampling methods are identified including trawls, cod pots, and trammel nets, but no information is provided regarding the likely effectiveness of these methods, especially in Lake Roosevelt. The proposal does not describe efforts and successes using these and other methods elsewhere, in and beyond the Columbia River Basin. For example, mark-recapture experiments of burbot have not been effective in Canada (Neufeld 2008). Under these circumstances, it would be prudent to start by testing the effectiveness of new methods at a pilot level, one that is considerably less intensive than proposed. A full-blown sampling program should not be undertaken until some significant and potentially useful insights and catch rates as well as a feasible path forward have been demonstrated in a pilot study.

The ISRP also questions the feasibility of obtaining adequate data for the FAMS model, especially a measure of total recruitment in the reservoir.

Given the limited nature of the fishery and the unproven methods for effective sampling of younger burbot, Deliverable No. 2 (FWIN data that are corrected for size and age selectivity) is not recommended at this time. The ISRP suggests a focused, scaled-back field investigation until sampling methods are proven to be effective and the prospects for obtaining the needed data for FAMS modeling are much clearer.

Topics: 
Fish and wildlife
Tags: 
Colville TribesLake RooseveltBurbotISRPCCTWDFW200811500

ISRP 2021-05 LibbyMFWPfollow-up1June.pdf

Download the full report

Sign up for our newsletter

  •    

Contact

  • Central Office
  • Idaho Office
  • Montana Office
  • Oregon Office
  • Washington Office
  • Council Members

Social Media

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Vimeo Flickr

Copyright 2023

Privacy policy Terms & Conditions