A 2005 "Progress Report" released June 16 by federal agencies charts steady accomplishment of goals set out in their 10-year plan for protecting salmon and steelhead that navigate the Columbia/Snake River hydrosystem.

It says the benefits to fish from efforts by the federal "action agencies" and those of states, tribes and others in the region are beginning to show.

"It will take many years to rebuild sustainable populations of some species," the report concludes. "Each single recovery component, taken alone, may not produce dramatic results. But taken together, these multiple and carefully coordinated efforts are producing solid and measurable successes."

"The long-term average continues to rise," NOAA Fisheries regional administrator Bob Lohn said of adult salmon returns to the Columbia Basin.

"I'm convinced that efforts we've made to improve fish passage through the dams, significant investments to enhance fish habitat, and our current hatchery and harvest management reforms will help salmon recover for the long term," he said.  

Operating federal dams for flood control, power production, irrigation, navigation and other uses affects the flow of the river and water conditions. The dams are also in the path of salmon and steelhead as they migrate many miles to the ocean to mature and return upriver to spawn in inland streams and tributaries.

The report highlights actions implemented by the Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation in 2005 to protect ESA-listed salmon and steelhead affected by the operation and maintenance of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).

Because 13 of the basin's salmon and steelhead stocks are listed under the Endangered Species Act, those action agencies must consult with NOAA to build a plan that assures the dams to not jeopardize the fishes' survival. A 2004 NOAA biological opinion judges the impacts of an updated proposed action developed by the other federal agencies. It targets mainstem survival improvements, including predator control, as well as "off-site" work.

Lohn emphasized that salmon runs are variable and that improved in-river conditions do not always translate into larger runs because the ocean plays an even greater role in salmon survival.

"The poor ocean conditions we observed in 2004 and 2005 lead us to expect lower rates of return for spring chinook in 2007," Lohn said. "The counts of jacks -- the early-returning fish from the juveniles that migrated to the ocean in 2004 and 2005 -- are about two-thirds of last year's number."

Officials with NOAA Fisheries said the agency was continuing its work on hatchery reform, aimed at making hatcheries more compatible with efforts to conserve naturally spawning salmon. The agency said in the next few weeks it will identify several hatcheries in need of reform.

In the UPA, the action agencies committed to continue implementing most of the actions from prior biological opinions, with the addition of several new actions, such as habitat protection in certain upper Columbia subbasins, and expanded control of predators that consume salmon. All of these actions, old and new, are focused on achieving biological performance standards, achieving programmatic performance targets, or addressing factors that limit certain life stages for specific evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) of salmon and steelhead.

Improving water quantity and quality, screening fish away from irrigation and other water diversions and protecting and restoring habitat are among the "off-site" actions called for in the UPA.

During 2005 more than 300 cubic feet of water per second was secured in tributaries with 17 cfs delivered in the Wenatchee, Entiat, and Methow subbasins.

Fish screens have been installed or retrofitted at more than 85 water diversions (14 installed in 2005).

Since 2000, fish access has been restored to more than 1,280 miles of tributary habitat with 19 barriers or obstructions removed in 2005 to restore access to more than 180 miles of habitat. More than 1,000 miles of tributary riparian habitat protected or enhanced with 38 miles added in 2005.

More than 660 acres of habitat in the Columbia River estuary have been acquired at Crims Island, Crooked Creek, and Germany Creek and over 300 acres of estuary habitat are being actively restored, with plans to restore another 900 acres, according to the progress report.

The report notes accomplishments, overall and in 2005, in four other categories of action.

Hydrosystem:

Adult fish survival through the system of dams is now similar to that of an undammed river, according to the report.

-- Juvenile survival through the hydrosystem is improved with bypass systems, surface passage systems, and spilling water during migration periods;

-- Based on available water supply, water releases are supporting seasonal fish migrations;

-- Transporting juvenile fish in trucks or barges around dams when this provides better survival than migrating in-river, with 22 million transported in 2005;

-- More accurate monitoring of fish migration is available with improved fish detection systems.

Hatchery:

-- Safety-net hatchery programs reduced the extinction risk of populations of Snake River sockeye, spring/summer chinook, fall chinook and steelhead, and mid- and lower Columbia steelhead;

-- The final phase of draft Hatchery Genetic Management Plans were funded. As these plans are reviewed and approved by NOAA Fisheries, they may be used to identify and prioritize facilities and practices for reform.

Predator control:

-- Fewer juvenile salmon are consumed by Caspian terns (from 15 million in 1999 to 3.6 million in 2005);

-- Since 2000, more than 2.8 million northern pikeminnow have been removed from the Columbia River through the Northern Pikeminnnow Management Program and have reduced their predation of juvenile salmon by about 30 percent;

-- The NPMP rewards were increased in 2004 and are sustaining higher catches;

-- Using a variety of techniques to discourage sea lion presence below Bonneville Dam;

-- Designed sea lion exclusion gates for installation at Bonneville Dam fish ladders.

Research, monitoring and evaluation

-- Monitoring juvenile and adult fish passing through the system of Columbia and Snake River dams has continued and fish counting accuracy has been improved;

-- Conducted studies to determine and confirm the benefits of actions implemented in the hydrosystem, tributaries and estuary, and at hatcheries;

-- Worked to evaluate the survival and adult return rates of transported juvenile salmon compared to fish that migrate in the river;

-- Monitoring and evaluating juvenile salmon use of the estuary and ocean plume has expanded;

-- Implementing studies to determine the spawning effectiveness of hatchery fish is under way;

-- Development of a comprehensive marking strategy to improve monitoring of hatchery-origin fish and assess status of wild fish in natural spawning areas has been funded.

Progress reports are available at: www.salmonrecovery.gov/implementation.shtml