Monday, December 7, 1998
NWPPC Conference Room, Portland, Oregon
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PRODUCTION REVIEW COMMITTEE Monday, December 7, 1998 NWPPC Conference Room, Portland, Oregon |
Work Plan for the Artificial Production Review
(As of 11/30/98)
The Artificial Production Review was initiated in early 1998 to address Congressional and regional concerns about how the tool of artificial production is used in the Columbia River Basin. It is intended to develop policies and principles that can be used to guide federal, ratepayer, and other funding of this tool. The review addresses resident fish and salmon. Elements of the review are listed below and described in detail in the text that follows. Attachment 1 demonstrates the relationship between these elements. Attachment 2 provides a schedule in Gantt chart form.
Element 1. Summary of artificial production use in the Columbia Basin including description of hatcheries, mitigation agreements, applicable laws, and policy changes over time.
Element 2. State of the Science Review on Artificial Production that details what is known about what works and what doesn't, and relative risks and benefits for using this tool.
Element 3. Artificial Production Review Workshop.
Element 4. Regional Process for development of recommendations.
Element 5. Report to Congress.
Element 6. Relationship to Multi-Species Framework Development.
Element 7. Summary of Hatchery Audits prepared by Independent Hatchery Operations Team.
Element 8. Data Base on Columbia Basin Hatcheries including specific information such as number of fish released of each population each year by each facility, number harvested from these releases, and number returning to spawn.
Element 9. Performance Evaluation of Columbia Basin Hatcheries looking at how successful individual programs have been in addressing numerical and biological goals and objectives.
Element 10. Economic and Social Analysis evaluating economic costs and benefits, cultural and social benefits, and success in addressing agreements and laws relating to Columbia Basin artificial production.
Element 11. Independent Review of Hatcheries in the Columbia Basin. Element 1. Summary of artificial production use in the Columbia Basin
For salmon, this element has been drafted in pieces. A piece of it was drafted using the information found in the program appendix called the Losses Assessment. It includes a description of the origin and history of Columbia Basin hatcheries, related mitigation agreements, and applicable laws. This piece was worked on by Council staff (Harrison/Merrell) through the middle of last summer and is available in draft form. Another piece of this element is a description of policy changes over time. A contractor (Tuck) expects to have this piece completed by November 25. The final piece of this element is a complete list of all the hatcheries that will be addressed by the review. Council staff (Oster) is working with the Production Review Committee to complete this list. It is available in draft.
For resident fish, a contractor (Walker) is assembling the description of the origin and history of Columbia Basin hatcheries, related mitigation agreements, and applicable laws. We need to determine a date for completion of this element. The contractor (Tuck) assembling the history of policy changes over time for salmon is also collecting information for resident fish. This is expected to be completed by November 25. The complete list of all the hatcheries that will be addressed by the review is being assembled by Council staff (Oster) working with the Resident Fish Ad Hoc Committee. It is available in draft.
The next step for this element will be to combine all three pieces into a single document. This will be done through contract with a technical writer. Deadline for this product should be before the workshop in January for salmon. The same schedule should apply to resident fish, but it may be more difficult to meet this deadline. The draft document could then be used for the workshop and bundled with the workshop product for public review purposes. It would be included in the package provided to Congress in May of 1999.
Element 2. State of the Science Review
This element of the APR details what is known about what works and what doesn't, and the relative risk and benefits for using this tool. At this point it is limited to salmonids which includes resident trouts and kokanee as well as anadromous salmon and steelhead. It is being drafted by the Science Review Team will be completed by the end of November, 1998. The Science Review Team has used element #8 (see below) to a limited extent in doing this review.
The Science Review Team will present this review to the Council at the December 1-2 meeting in Portland. The review will be used for the workshop in January. This may require summarizing to be useful to the workshop participants. The Production Review Committee and Resident Fish Ad Hoc Committee, as well as other interested parties, will be provided the report for review in December. This document will be bundled with the workshop product for public review purposes. It will be included in the package provided to Congress in May of 1999.
The resident fish portion of this element will not be completed with the first report completed at the end of November. Further discussions need to occur on how to address this problem. Potential approaches for completing the resident fish portion include contracting or using the existing Science Review Team expertise.
Element 3. Artificial Production Review Workshop.
The Artificial Production Review workshop will occur over two days in the period of January 19-21, 1999. It is expected that about 30 people from all interested parties will be invited to attend and participate. This workshop will be facilitated by a contractor (Jim Waldo).
This workshop will produce a document that will be used for a public review and policy approval process. The document will include draft alternative regional and population specific policies. It will also include relative biological and social risks and benefits related to these alternative draft policies.
Element 4. Regional Process for development of recommendations.
This element will use the document produced by the workshop (element #3) bundled together with elements #1 and #2 to get public review and comment to produce element #5. The public review documents will be distributed for review on February 12, 1999. Public meetings will be held in several sites around the region in addition to opportunities to comment at Council meetings in February and March. It is anticipated that discussions will occur with the Framework Management Committee over this time period to ensure proper coordination with the Framework development. Written comment would be due April 2. The Council decision on the final recommendations to Congress would occur at the April 27-28 working session. This would allow the final report to be provided to Congress on May 7, 1999. This submission date allows the report recommendations to be incorporated into the fiscal year 2000 budgets for federally funded and ratepayer funded projects.
Element 5. Report to Congress
Submission of this report was originally scheduled for the end of June, 1999. This date was moved up to early May so as to allow policies identified in the report to be applied to Columbia Basin fish production projects and programs beginning with the fiscal year 2000 funding. The earlier submission provides time for Congress to take into account the policies in the appropriations process for federally funded fish production programs. It also allows the Independent Scientific Review Panel to apply the policies to fiscal year 2000 proposals addressing the Fish and Wildlife Program. This review must be completed by June 15 of each year. At this point it is not clear how these policies will apply to artificial production funded by other sources such as utilities, states and tribes.
This element will be a set of regional policies. These policies will be of two types; 1) general policies that are applied across the basin to all projects and 2) population specific policies. General policies will include a set of general principles regarding the use of artificial production as a tool for mitigating and enhancing fish populations in the Columbia River Basin. These could address many elements and might include topics such as: a) no more than X million smolts in the estuary at any given time; and/or b) use acclimation facilities for at least X weeks before release of any artificially produced fish. Population specific policies will be "if, then" statements. For example, "If there have never been any fish of a specific species in a subbasin, then (add specific actions that could be used)." Another example might be, "If a specific species of fish have been eliminated from a subbasin, then (add specific actions that could be used)." At third example might be, "If a naturally reproducing population of fish is healthy, then (add specific actions that could be used)." "If, then" statements would apply to production situations such as those listed above and others such as a population that is weak and declining, a supplemented population that is holding steady, an isolated hatchery population that is holding steady, and an isolated hatchery population that is declining. These statements will also take into account such things as habitat condition of the subbasin (excellent, good, fair, poor).
Compliance with these policies might be required to procure ratepayer, federal, state, tribal, private or other funding. Compliance would need to be phased in over a period of time such as 3 to 5 years. Accountability might be applied through several avenues; GAO audit, demonstration of compliance in annual reports to Congress from operators, review by blue ribbon commission assembled for this purpose, and/or contracted review.
Element 6. Relationship to Multi-Species Framework Development.
The Artificial Production Review will produce the piece of the framework pertaining to fish production. Therefore, it is important that the Artificial Production Review be consistent with and not get ahead of the Multi-Species Framework or vice versa. The Report to Congress in May 1999 will provide information for development of the Framework.
Element 7. Summary of Hatchery Audits
This element only addresses salmon. It is completed. It is not expected that it will be done for resident fish. It was prepared by a contractor (Sampson) from work done under the guidance of the Independent Hatchery Operations Team. The summary is available on the StreamNet webpage and is linked to the Council's webpage. It is also available via CD-ROM upon request. Hard copies can be prepared for a cost of about $80 each.
It is expected that this element will be used is preparing elements #9 and #10.
Element 8. Data Base on Columbia Basin Hatcheries
This element is intended to address salmon and resident fish. It includes information on specific hatcheries such as number of fish released of each population each year at each facility, number harvested from these releases, and number returning to spawn. The initial data base was compiled by a Bonneville contractor (Battelle). This data base addresses only salmon. It is in draft form and needs further work.
Staff is working with StreamNet staff to complete this work. Some of the information on resident fish is being collected by another contractor (Walker). It is anticipated that work on this element needs to be completed by the end of December. It is expected that this element will be used is preparing elements #9 and #10.
Element 9. Performance Evaluation of Columbia Basin Hatcheries
This element will look at how successful individual programs have been in addressing numerical and biological goals, and objectives. It will use elements #1, #2, #7, and #8 as background. It will be done by the Science Review Team.
Work on this element will be initiated in December. It is expected to be completed by the end of March, 1999 at the earliest. It is expected that elements #5, #9, and #10 will be used to develop element #11 recommendations for individual programs and facilities.
Element 10. Economic and Social Analysis
This element evaluates economic cost and benefits, cultural and social benefits, and success in addressing agreements and laws relating to Columbia Basin artificial production. It will use elements #1, #2, #7, and #8 as background. It will be done by a contractor with input from the Independent Economic Advisory Board.
Work on this element will not be initiated until December. It is expected to be completed by the end of March, 1999. It is expected that elements #5, #9, and #10 will be used to develop element #11 recommendations for individual programs and facilities.
Element 11. Independent Review of Hatcheries in the Columbia Basin.
This element identifies specific actions that might be taken for individual programs and projects. This might include changing agreements or laws, updating facilities infrastructure, abandoning facilities, constructing facilities, and changing operation of facilities. It would include an estimate of funding savings or additional needs for each action. It would use elements #5, #9, and #10. The analysis portion of this element could be drafted by a contractor by August 1999. It is anticipated that a public process and policy recommendations could be completed by December 15, 1999. These recommendations would be used to develop budgets for federal, state, regional, tribal, and other programs and projects starting in fiscal year 2001.