PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 1

4(d) Rule Limit 6

Proposed Evaluation and Pending Determination

Title of RMPs: Five Joint Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans for the Lake

Washington Basin

RMPs Submitted by: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

Number: WCRO-2021-02104

Date: 8/25/2021

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Evaluation............................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 5(i)(A) The HGMP has clearly stated goals, performance objectives, and performance

indicators that indicate the purpose of the program, its intended results, and measurements of

its performance in meeting those results. .................................................................................... 2

1.2 5(i)(B) The HGMP utilizes the concepts of viable and critical salmonid population

thresholds, consistent with the concepts contained in the technical document entitled “Viable

Salmonid Populations.”............................................................................................................... 4

genetic and ecological effects on natural populations, including disease transfer, competition,

predation, and genetic introgression caused by straying of hatchery fish. ............................... 13

1.6 5(i)(F) The HGMP describes interrelationships and interdependencies with fisheries

management. ............................................................................................................................. 14

1.7 5(i)(G) Adequate artificial propagation facilities exist to properly rear progeny of

naturally spawned broodstock, to maintain population health and diversity, and to avoid

hatchery-influenced selection and domestication. .................................................................... 15

1.8 5(i)(H) Adequate monitoring and evaluation exist to detect and evaluate the success of

the hatchery program and any risks potentially impairing the recovery of the listed ESU. ..... 15

1.9 5(i)(I) The HGMP provides for evaluating monitoring data and making any revisions of

3 Reevaluation Criteria .......................................................................................................... 17

4 References ............................................................................................................................. 17

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 3

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Proposed salmon hatchery programs for Lake Washington watershed; ESA =

Endangered Species Act, WDFW = Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, SAFS –

University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, SPU = Seattle Public

Proportion of natural origin fish that are used in broodstock (pNOB) ........................................... 7

Table 5. Fish release details in the Duwamish/Green watershed; SCH = Soos Creek Hatchery, IC

= Icy Creek Rearing Ponds, FGP = Flaming Geyser Ponds, KCC = Keta Creek Complex, MCH

= Miller Creek Hatchery, MTC = Marine Technology Center; FRF = Fish Restoration Facility,

TBD = to be decided. ...................................................................................................................... 9

Table 6: Proposed annual release protocols for the genetically linked fall Chinook program at

Issaquah Hatchery ......................................................................................................................... 12

Table 7. Additional measures taken to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fish loss at the

hatchery facilities. NA = not applicable; net pen programs are within Puget Sound and have a

ready supply of water. ................................................................................................................... 13

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 1

1 EVALUATION

do not apply to hatchery activities that are undertaken in compliance with a resource management plan

(RMP) developed jointly by the Tribes and the State of Washington that is consistent with the 4(d) Rule

criteria.

Section 9 of the ESA prohibits the take of endangered species, and pursuant to §4 NMFS has extended

that prohibition to threatened salmon and steelhead. Under the limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule (50 CFR

223.203(b)(6)), those prohibitions are rescinded for hatchery activities described in an RMP, provided

that:

 (i) The Secretary has determined pursuant to 50 CFR Sec. 223.209(b)(the limit on take

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (MIT) and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have

provided NMFS with five hatchery and genetic management plans (HGMPs) proposed for

implementation in the Lake Washington basin and adjacent marine areas (Table 1; Fig. 1). The

applicants have provided the HGMPs and supplementary information for review and determination by

NMFS pursuant to limit 6 of the ESA 4(d) Rule. The co-managers in this basin under United States v.

Washington (1974) are MIT, Suquamish Tribe (SUQ) and WDFW. Each HGMP serves as an RMP for

the purpose of limit 6 consideration; for this evaluation, descriptions of the proposed activities will focus

on the descriptions given in the individual HGMPs.

The proposed HGMPs contain similar provisions regarding shared salmon population recovery and

Production of Chinook salmon at the University of Washington Aquatic Research Facility (UW ARF)

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 2

been informed by data from these past releases. Initial operation of this facility will include monitoring

of initial releases to assess effects of releases on listed species under the proposed operation. The

Issaquah Hatchery Fall Chinook program will transition into a genetically-linked program when the

population of natural origin fish in Issaquah Creek is expected to exceed 500 fish for a third straight year

(Table 6). This will enable NMFS an opportunity to complete accurate analysis of the effect that

production increases would have on listed species in the Lake Washington basin.

The following discussion evaluates whether the submitted HGMPs address the criteria in section

223.203(b)(5) 22.203(b)(5) of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead – the appropriate criteria for

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 2

indicators that indicate the purpose of the program, its intended results, and measurements

of its performance in meeting those results.

Each of the HGMPs has clearly stated its goal, performance objectives, and methods for measuring the

progress toward achieving those objectives. The general program goals described in section 1.7 of each

HGMP for propagating hatchery fish are to contribute to:

 Producing Lake Washington fall Chinook population for sustainable fisheries and fulfill federal

tribal trust responsibility and treaty rights guaranteed through treaties and affirmed in U.S. v.

Washington (1974);

 Mitigation for decreased natural-origin production of Chinook, coho, and sockeye salmon in the

Lake Washington basin.

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 3

3. Effects of the program on listed natural-origin fish populations in Puget Sound freshwater and

marine waters where these fish may migrate or return.

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 4

Source productivity is Abundance and Productivity Tables from NWFSC database; measured as the mean of observed recruits/observed

PEPD Lake Washington HGMPs Page | 5

Includes naturally spawning hatchery fish Includes naturally spawning hatchery fish (estimates represent 1999-2019 geo-mean for: NF

Based on generic VSP guidance (McElhany et al. 2000)

Based on spawner-recruit assessment (NMFS 2021)

1.3 5(i)(C) Taking into account health, abundances, and trends in the donor population,

broodstock collection programs reflect appropriate priorities.

A prioritized purpose of a broodstock collection program using listed fish is to re-establish an

2. The donor population is not currently viable but the sole objective is to enhance the propagation or

survival of the listed ESU, or

3. The donor population is shown with a high degree of confidence to be above the critical threshold

although not yet functioning at viable levels, and the collection will not appreciably slow

attainment of viable status for that population.

Broodstock used for non-listed programs are discussed in the following section (1.4).

The details of broodstock collection are summarized in Table 4. The Sammamish River fall Chinook

salmon population is below the NMFS critical threshold (Table 3) and potential improvement in natural-

origin production is limited by the existing habitat (NMFS 2021). Further this population is not essential

Issaquah Creek. The Issaquah Hatchery Fall Chinook program will transition into a genetically-linked

program when the minimum trigger is reached. This would occur when the population of NORs in

Issaquah Creek is expected to exceed 500 fish for a third straight year. This assumes the two preceding

years had more than 500 adult natural-origin returns and that the current pre-season forecast also

exceeds that trigger (Table 6). Under this scenario, Issaquah Hatchery’s goal will be to release 200,000

sub-yearling Chinook derived solely from natural-origin parents. These juvenile Chinook will be 100%

CWT tagged. Any NORs excess to this program will be released upstream. A higher trigger occurs

Table 6: Proposed annual release protocols for the genetically linked fall Chinook program

AD

AD

annual broodstock needs are released to spawn naturally, sold to a contracted fish buyer, or

distributed to the treaty tribes for subsistence use. At Issaquah Hatchery and associated programs,

egg-take is carefully managed to minimize the likelihood of collecting surplus eggs or raising

surplus fry. However, in years of high within-hatchery survival, juvenile production levels higher

than the proposed release numbers may occur. The co-managers plan to limit production to no

more than 10% above levels; an overage of 10% is anticipated to be a rare occurrence. If the

running 5-year average production (beginning in the release year that NOAA makes a

determination on the program) for a species-stage in the Lake Washington Drainage is more than

5% above the level described, the co-managers will notify NMFS. At UW ARF hatchery spawned

and unspawned carcasses are tested for viruses and other diseases before being used to reseed

section 10.10 of each HGMP; (USFWS 2004; WWTIT and WDFW 2006) and use best

management practices to reduce the risk of catastrophic loss of fish under propagation, such as

specific rearing densities and feeding regimes and use of disinfection protocols before entering

and leaving egg incubation/rearing buildings at each facility.

Table 7. Additional measures taken to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic fish loss at the

hatchery facilities. NA = not applicable; net pen programs are within Puget Sound and have

a ready supply of water.

1.5 5(i)(E) The HGMP evaluates, minimizes, and accounts for the propagation programs’

The Lake Washington watershed HGMPs provide evaluations of potential genetic and ecological

effects on NMFS ESA-listed species in section 2 and risk minimization measures in sections 6-10.

Artificial fish production may result in a loss of within-population genetic diversity (the reduction

in quantity, variety and combinations of alleles in a population), outbreeding depression (loss in

fitness caused by changes in allele frequency or the introduction of new alleles) and/or hatchery-

influenced selection. Genetic effects of fall Chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon on ESA-listed

earlier in this document, all hatchery actions would be implemented in accordance with the co-

manager and USFWS fish health policies to account for and minimize the risks of pathogen

transmission and amplification.

The primary genetic risks to the natural-origin salmon and steelhead populations posed by salmon

hatchery programs are identified in the HGMP. The Sammamish River fall Chinook salmon

population is below the NMFS critical threshold (see details in section 1.3 above). The additional

contribution of hatchery fish provides some demographic benefit, but potential improvement in

natural-origin production is limited by the existing habitat (NMFS 2021). Further the life history

and Green River genetic legacy of the population are represented by other populations in the

Central/South Sound Region (NMFS 2021). While the program is operating as a segregated

program, there would be minimal interbreeding between hatchery- and natural-origin fish. When

the Issaquah Hatchery program transitions into a genetically-linked program, some interbreeding

• When the program would operate as a genetically-linked program, natural-origin fish would

• Fish are marked to differentiate them from other natural-origin Chinook salmon stocks,

section 3.

The HGMPs indicate that all co-managed hatchery programs in the Puget Sound region would

operate consistent with the U.S. v. Washington (1974) fisheries management framework. This

legal framework sets forth required measures for coordinating implementation of State and tribal

hatchery programs, defining artificial production objectives, and maintaining treaty-fishing rights

through the court-ordered Puget Sound Salmon Management Plan (PSSMP 1985). This fisheries

resource co-management process requires that both the State of Washington and the Puget Sound

Tribes develop salmon and steelhead hatchery program goals and objectives, and reach agreement

on the function, purpose, and fish production strategies for all Puget Sound hatchery programs.

The goals of the HGMPs include providing hatchery-origin Chinook, coho, and sockeye salmon

for harvest to support fisheries. State recreational and tribal fisheries for hatchery-origin species

may incidentally affect NMFS ESA-listed species. However, these fisheries are not considered

interrelated with or interdependent on these programs because these programs are not the sole

1.7 5(i)(G) Adequate artificial propagation facilities exist to properly rear progeny of

failure at one facility. As described in sections 4 and 5 of the HGMPs, the hatchery facilities used

to implement the programs have adequate surface and groundwater sources, egg incubation and

fish rearing vessels, and fish release facilities to ensure proper rearing of ESA-listed Chinook

Section 1.10, and are further described in Section 11 of each HGMP. Some of these activities may

 Calculating estimates of smolt-to-adult survival rates, harvest of hatchery fish, and straying

 Collection of abundance, timing, age class, sex ratio, and fish health condition data for

effects would be evaluated by the applicants to determine whether performance standards are

being met. Annual reports for the programs assembled by the applicants would be jointly

reviewed by NMFS to document program results, and to determine if adjustments to the

programs’ assumptions and management strategies are warranted. Any changes would be

incorporated into Future Brood Documents, Annual Operating Plan documents, and/or the

HGMPs as necessary. These programs are enforced through the U.S. v. Washington Management

Agreement process, upon review of annual reports and operating plans. The tribes and WDFW

writing, and will specify any necessary implementation and reporting requirements.

one component of an effort to preserve and recover to a fishable status ESA-listed Chinook

salmon, steelhead, and other non-listed salmonid populations in the Lake Washington watershed.

The ESU recovery plan for Chinook salmon has hatchery, harvest, and habitat components, and

includes monitoring, research, and restoration recommendations to complement artificial

NMFS. 2006. Endangered Species Act Section 7 Consultation Biological Opinion and Section 10

Essential Fish Habitat Consultation. Washington State Forest Practices Habitat

Conservation Plan. NMFS Consultation No.: NWR-2005-07225. 335p.

WDFW, and PSTIT. 2012. Puget Sound Chinook Comprehensive Harvest Management Plan

Annual Report Covering the 2011-2012 Fishing Season. October 3, 2012. Olympia,

Washington. 125p.