NATIVE FISH SOCIETY


P.O. Box 19570


Portland, Oregon 97280


(503) 977-0287





												

















October 19, 1996





Tom Giese


Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Authority


Suite 200


2501 SW First Street


Portland, Oregon 97201





RE:  Gene Management opportunities and relationship to production strategies.





Dear Mr. Giese:





I knew you would be interested in knowing how the production strategies 


developed by 


the fish managers compares with the gene 


management opportunities identified by Dr. Larry Riggs in his final report to 


the 


NPPC in 1990.  So I am providing you with that 


comparison.  


	Dr. Riggs says, "The genetic character of stocks of salmon and steelhead 


in the 


Columbia Basin is as fundamental to their 


productivity in a particular environment as the character of that environment 


itself."    The report by Dr. Riggs is described as the final 


one in a series reviewing genetic considerations for selecting preferred 


production 


alternatives (emphasis added).  The purpose of this 


report is to integrate genetic considerations into production planning.  When 


the 


fish managers developed the production strategies for 


the 5-year planning effort, did they take into account the work by Dr. Riggs?  


In his 


report, Dr. Riggs places emphasis on A and B 


management opportunities which are: 





Opportunity A:


	


Retain native stock gene pools, for reasons of genetic potential, legal mandate, 


or 


social or cultural imperative.





Opportunity B:





Facilitate productivity of well-adapted wild or naturalized stocks in situations 


where no hatchery supplementation now occurs.





	Some of these opportunities have been lost since Dr. Riggs presented his 


report 


to the NPPC in 1990, but many still remain.  


	With regard to opportunity A stocks, Dr. Riggs says,  "Genetic resources 


are 


not easily renewable and decisions that are 


difficult or impossible to reverse should be made with careful forethought.  A 


category "A" opportunity may not be recoverable, once 


foregone, without waiting a few thousand years.  A category "B" opportunity may 


reoccur after, say, 15-50 years of stock 


naturalization.  Since the genetic characteristics of a native stock cannot be 


restored once altered, I recommend that these opportunities 


be given immediate and thorough consideration."  Dr. Riggs points out that if 


these 


genetic resources are degraded or lost through 


management actions or inactions, the productivity of the basin's salmonids would 


be 


reduced and this would result in lower production 


of fish.


	In the report, Dr. Riggs asks the question: "Is genetic conservation a 


priority?"  He says, "This question highlights an important 


issue deserving explicit consideration by the Council (NPPC), agencies and 


tribes.  


The rationale for making genetic conservation a high 


priority in anadromous salmonid management and planning are spelled out in 


detail in 


numerous publications.   Salmon and steelhead 


genetic resources are the basis  for (a) current productivity of wild and 


natural  


populations, (b) current productivity of artificially 


propagated stocks, and (c) future access to genetic raw material for breeding, 


application of biotechnology, and all forms of 


production."


	So, according to Dr. Riggs's report, production planning and development 


of 


strategies for the 5-year plan should focus on 


maintaining category A and B stocks.  The following compares the draft 


production 


strategy with Dr. Riggs' opportunity A and B 


stocks.


  


BASIN           	   SPECIES             RIGGS CATEGORY        5-YEAR PLAN


Cowlitz*		WS		B				A


NF Lewis*		WS		B				S


EF Lewis*		WS		A,B				--


Sandy*	 	WS		B				A,N?


Wind			WS		A,B				N


Klickitat		WS		A				N


Big White*		WS		B				--


											


Cowlitz*		SS		B				S?,A


NF Lewis*		SS		B				A


EF Lewis*		SS		A,B				--


Wind	*		SS		B				A?,N?


Klickitat*		SS		B				S,A


Big White*		SS		A,B				S, A


Walla Walla*		SS		A,B				S,A


Hood*			SS		B				S,A


											


NF Lewis		FC		A, B				N


EF Lewis*		FC		A,B				--


Sandy*	FC		A,B				A, S?, N


Wind*			FC		B				S?


Hood			FC		A				N





BASIN	     	 SPECIES         RIGGS CATEGORY	    5-YEAR PLAN


John Day		FC		A,B				E


Deschutes		FC		B				N				


Grande Ronde*	SC		B				N, S, A


Salmon *		SC		A				N, S, A


Tucannon*		SC		A, B				S,A


Clearwater*		SC		A,B				S,A


Willamette*		SC		A				A,S?


Hood			SC		A				E, S


John Day		SC		A				N


Wenatchee*		SC		B				S,A


Yakima*		SC		B				S


											


Methow*		SUMC		B				S,A


Okanogan*		SUMC		B				S,A


Wenatchee*		SUMC		A				S


Entiate*		SUMC		B				--


Salmon*		SUMC		A,B				N,S,A


Clearwater*		SUMC		B				--


											


NF Lewis*		EC		A,B				A


EF Lewis*		EC		A,B				--


Wind*			EC		A,B				S


Big White Salmon	EC		A,B				S


Hood **		EC		B				E


											


Willamette*		LC		A,B				A


NF Lewis *		LC		A,B				A


EF Lewis*		LC		A,B				--


Sandy			LC		B				A


											


Salmon *		SOC		B				S


Wenatchee *		SOC		A,B				S


Okanogan*		SOC		B				S


Deschutes**		SOC		A,B 				E


											


Key:


Species:  winter steelhead (WS), summer steelhead (SS), fall chinook (FC), 


spring 


chinook (SC), summer chinook (SUMC), early coho (EC), late coho (LC), sockeye 


(SOC).


5-year plan symbols:  


N =  management intent to have naturally spawning fish without targeted hatchery 


enhancement


A =  management for hatchery production returning to hatchery or adult 


collection 


site, not intended to naturally                 produce; or using hatchery 


production 


for 


fisheries enhancement.


S =  managing for natural production assisted by hatchery production


* =  conflict between Riggs' gene conservation opportunity and 5-year plan


** =  gene conservation opportunity lost





	Dr. Riggs identifies 50 category A or B gene conservation options in his 


1990 


report that could be managed to maintain 


biological diversity of wild native populations of anadromous salmonids.  By 


comparing the salmonid populations in Dr. Riggs' report to 


the production strategies for the 5-year plan,  numerous conflicts can be found.  


Out 


of 50 populations identified by Dr. Riggs for 


protection, 41 are exposed to genetic risk in the 5-year plan production 


strategy.  


Another two populations on Riggs' list are no longer 


available due to extinction.  


	Dr. Riggs developed his final report to the NPPC based on consultations 


with 


the fish managers in the Columbia River basin 


during four subbasin technical meetings covering 24 subbasins.  The 5-year plan 


production strategy is being developed by the fish 


managers, many of whom helped Dr. Riggs develop his data base.


	The NPPC's Genetics Team developed 6 guiding principles to evaluate 


planning 


alternatives and implementation:  


*	The conservation of genetic and biological diversity is essential for 


meeting 


long-term production goals.


*	To increase production, a mix of production measures must be effectively 


integrated with passage and harvest measures.


*	All management activities (harvest, passage, habitat, and production) 


affect 


genetic resources.


*	Genetic risks must be assessed.


*	Irreversible losses of genetic resources and genetic diversity must be 


avoided.


*	Adaptive management should guide action and improve knowledge.





		The NPPC Genetics Team adopted a goal for conserving salmonid 


genetic 


resources in the Columbia River Basin.  The team 


said that "sustainable increases in salmon and steelhead productivity in the 


Columbia 


River Basin can only be achieved if the genetic 


resources required for all forms of production, present and future, are 


maintained in 


perpetuity.  If increases in productivity are to be 


sustain in the long term a second goal must be established:





Goal:





To maintain genetic resources of salmon and steelhead in native, naturalized, 


and 


artificially propagated populations 


with no avoidable and irreversible losses in genetic diversity resulting from 


management interventions or inactions."








	The 5-year plan strategy for production does not refer to the NPPC's 


Genetics 


Team findings or to its goals and 


recommendations.  There is no evidence this was taken into account in developing 


production strategies   Consequently, proposals for 


increased use of artificial production in the Columbia River could be viewed as 


creating genetic risk for native, wild populations of 


salmonids, many of which are listed under the Endangered Species Act.  It is not 


evident in production planning under the 5-year plan, 


that fish managers are employing standards and protocols to protect and maintain 


the 


biological diversity and genetic integrity of the 


basin's anadromous salmonids whether they are wild natural populations or of 


hatchery 


origin.  





Sincerely,





Bill M. Bakke, Director