Department of Fisheries Resources Management
Monitor & Evaluate Yearling Fall Chinook Released Upstream of Lower Granite Dam

The Fall Chinook Acclimation Project (FCAP) acclimates yearling and subyearling fall chinook salmon from Lyons Ferry Hatchery and releases them into the Snake and Clearwater rivers.  The FCAP facilities are located on the Snake River at Pittsburg Landing and Captain John Rapids and on the Clearwater River at Big Canyon Creek.  The top priority of the FCAP program is to release 450,000 yearling Fall Chinook salmon (150,000 from each facility).  Given recent production levels, the FCAP program is expected to release a minimum of 1 million subyearling fall Chinook salmon annually. This project provides monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of all Fall Chinook salmon releases from the FCAP facilities and has been ongoing since the FCAP program began in 1996.  The original expectation of the FCAP program was to focus on yearling releases and only execute subyearling releases if surplus broodstock was available in a given year.  Therefore, M&E has focused primarily on yearlings due to funding constraints even though subyearling releases have taken place in all but one year (1998) since 1997.

We use PIT tag technology to estimate survival and determine attributes such as travel time, migration rate and passage timing through the Federal Columbia River Power System.  We PIT tag approximately 5,000 in each yearling release group and 2,500 in each subyearling release group.  From 1996-2004, yearling survivals from Pittsburg Landing to McNary Dam have ranged from 37.9-81.8%.  From 1997-2004, yearling survivals from Big Canyon to McNary Dam have ranged from 39.5-83.3%.  And from 1998-2004, yearling survivals from Captain John Rapids to McNary Dam have ranged from 48.5-84.0%.

The other primary function of this project is to conduct Fall Chinook salmon spawning ground surveys on the Grande Ronde, Imnaha and Salmon rivers.  This is part of a cooperative effort between the Nez Perce Tribe, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Idaho Power Company to conduct Fall Chinook spawning ground surveys throughout the Snake River basin above Lower Granite Dam.

Publications:
Annual Report 1998 Spawning Distribution of Fall Chinook Salmon in the Snake River.
Annual Report 1999 Spawning Distribution of Fall Chinook Salmon in the Snake River.
Annual Report 2000 Spawning Distribution of Fall Chinook Salmon in the Snake River.
Annual Report 2001-2002 Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Ground Surveys in the Snake River Basin upriver of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 1998 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2002-2003 Fall Chinook Salmon Spawning Ground Surveys in the Snake River Basin upriver of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 1999 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2000 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2001 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2002 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2003 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.
Annual Report 2004 Monitoring and Evaluation of Yearling Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Released from Acclimation Facilities Upstream of Lower Granite Dam.