Fish Passage Center; Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority, 2002 Annual Report.
- Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority, Fish Passage Center, Portland, OR
The runoff volumes in 2002 were near average for the January to July period above Lower Granite Dam (80%) and The Dalles Dam (97%). The year 2002 hydrosystem operations and runoff conditions resulted in flows that were less than the seasonal Biological Opinion (Opinion) flow objectives at Lower Granite Dam for both the spring and summer period. The seasonal flow objectives for Priest Rapids and McNary dams were exceeded for the spring period, but at McNary Dam summer flow objectives were not met. While seasonal flow objectives were exceeded for the spring at McNary Dam, the 2002 season illustrated that Biological Opinion management to seasonal flow targets can result in conditions where a major portion of the juvenile fish migration migrates in conditions that are less than the flow objectives. The delay in runoff due to cool weather conditions and the inability of reservoirs to augment flows by drafting lower than the flood control elevations, resulted in flows less than the Opinion objectives until May 22, 2002. By this time approximately 73% of the yearling chinook and 56% of steelhead had already passed the project. For the most part, spill in 2002 was managed below the gas waiver limits for total dissolved gas levels and the NMFS action criteria for dissolved gas signs were not exceeded. The exception was at Lower Monumental Dam where no Biological Opinion spill occurred due to the need to conduct repairs in the stilling basin. Survival estimates obtained for PIT tagged juveniles were similar in range to those observed prior to 2001. A multi-year analysis of juvenile survival and the factors that affect it was conducted in 2002. A water transit time and flow relation was demonstrated for spring migrating chinook and steelhead of Snake River and Mid Columbia River origin. Returning numbers of adults observed at Bonneville Dam declined for spring chinook, steelhead and coho, while summer and fall chinook numbers increased. However, all numbers were far greater than observed in the past ten years averaged together. In 2002, about 87 million juvenile salmon were released from Federal, State, Tribal or private hatcheries into the Columbia River Basin above Bonneville Dam. This represents an increase over the past season, when only 71 million juvenile fish were released into the same area.
- Research Organization:
- Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority
- Sponsoring Organization:
- United States. Bonneville Power Administration.
- DOE Contract Number:
- 00004288
- OSTI ID:
- 825107
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BP-00004288-1; R&D Project: 199403300; TRN: US200421%%26
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Sep 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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