Our new Biological Assessment is out - Klamath Basin Crisis

Klamath Project Operations Biological Assessment
Coho Salmon: Effects of the Proposed Action on Coho Salmon
Table 3-27. Total smolt production in year 10 by smolt type for historical flows (1961 to
2006) and proposed flows (modeled 2008 to 2018) at IGD using 90 percent exceedence
flows combined with 2001 meteorological and tributary flow data, and 50 percent
exceedence flows combined with 2004 data meteorological and tributary flow data
Smolt Type
Historical Flows Proposed Action % Change
(Prop-
Base)
Smolts
produced
% of
total
Smolts
produced
% of
total
Smolts
produced
Type I (tributary) 53,254 84.7% 53,892 84.3% 1.2%
Type II (main stem) 2,216 3.5% 2,344 3.7% 5.8%
Type III (non-natal
tributary)
7,389 11.8% 7,673 12.0% 3.8%
Total 62,859 63,908 1.7%
Type I (tributary) 88,160 86.0% 88,814 86.0% 0.7%
Type II (main stem) 4,362 4.3% 4,497 4.4% 3.1%
Type III (non-natal
tributary)
9,932 9.7% 9,968 9.7% 0.4%
Total 102,454 103,280 0.8%
Another metric used to examine population diversity is the percentage of hatchery
fish among fish spawning naturally. The potential certainly exists for hatchery
fish to compose a large share of natural spawners, and this appears to be the case
in the Trinity River main stem. Only within the last few years has coho salmon
spawning been surveyed in a number of streams throughout the basin, and we
have received anecdotal reports that marked hatchery fish were rarely recovered
in tributaries, except in close proximity to the hatchery. Regardless of what
proportion that the hatchery fish compose of spawners in different areas, we are
unaware of evidence anywhere that suggest the operations of IGD will influence
straying of hatchery fish. Accordingly, there is no function in the life cycle model
that relates straying to project operations.
Reintroduction of Coho Salmon
Reclamation notes that the in the draft environmental impact statement for the
FERC licensing for the continued operation of PacifiCorp’s Klamath
Hydroelectric Project, PacifiCorp proposes a suite of studies to be conducted
during Phase 1 of the adaptive salmon reintroduction plan. These studies are
listed in Table 3-75 of the draft environmental impact statement. Many of the key
uncertainties would be addressed in the first five years of study. Although
PacifiCorp indicates that some aspects of the Phase 1 studies may require 10 years
to complete. PacifiCorp proposes that based on the results and analysis of the six
studies, fisheries’ managers would decide if self sustaining runs of anadromous
fish can be established (FERC, 2006).
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