Columbia Basin White Sturgeon Workshop: Our Shared Legacy and Opportunities

Welcome, Introductions & Workshop Overview

• Lynn Palensky (NPCC) and Alison Squier (Ziji Creative Resources)

Columbia Basin & Beyond: White Sturgeon Programs Ignited

• Lower Columbia – Peter Stevens (ODFW)
• McNary to Bonneville Columbia – Blaine Parker (CRITFC)
• Hanford Reach & Lower Snake – Olaf Langness or Shaffryn Schade (WDFW)
• Mid-Columbia – Donella Miller (YN), Andrew Gingerich (Douglas Co. PUD)
• Upper Columbia – Jason McLellan (CCT)
• Snake River – Ken Lepla (Idaho Power)
• Kootenai/Kootenay – Ryan Hardy (IDFG), Shawn Young (KTOI)
• Fraser River – Sarah Schreier (FRSCS)
• Nechako – Steve McAdam (BCMOE)
• Sacramento & San Joaquin – Andrea Schreier (UC Davis)

Failure is Always (Not?) an Option: Early Life Survival & Recruitment Failure

• Interactive session: What are the causes of recruitment failure? How can we better answer that question? What can we do to address recruitment failure?

Optional Get Together for Dinner and Drinks

• Optional get together for dinner and drinks at Fire Artisan Pizza. They have wood fired pizza, great salads, signature chocolate chip cookie dessert, wine and local microbrews. We’ve reserved some large group tables so that folks can sit together.

Welcome & Day 2 Workshop Overview

• Lynn Palensky & Alison Squier

Taking Stock 1: Stock Assessments, Survival Estimates, and Maturation Rates in Hatchery-
Reared White Sturgeon

• Presentations from Columbia Basin regions highlighting different approaches to stock assessment and survival estimates
  • Lower Columbia – Peter Stevens (ODFW)
  • Mid-Columbia – Dave Robichaud (LGL)
  • Snake River – Brandon Bentz (Idaho Power)
  • Upper Columbia – James Crossman (BC Hydro)
  • Kootenai – Kevin McDonnell (IDFG)
• Importance of assigning sex and stage of maturity in hatchery-origin white sturgeon – James Crossman (BC Hydro)

Taking Stock 2: Panel Discussion (Lower Columbia, Mid-Columbia, Snake, Upper
Columbia, and Kootenai presenters)

• How does the use of specific gear or methodologies influence results? What are the implications of those differences at a regional or basin-wide scale?
• How are stock assessments and survival estimates being used to inform regional white sturgeon programs? What level of confidence is there in regional population/survival estimates?
• What challenges and/or opportunities exist to standardize gear and/or methodologies?
• What are the challenges and opportunities for data sharing?

Conservation Aquaculture 1

• Genetic Diversity in Conservation Aquaculture Programs – Andrea Schreier (UC Davis)
• Spontaneous Autopolyploidy in White Sturgeon – Andrea Schreier (UC Davis)
• Larvae Collection and Rearing as Conservation Aquaculture Tool – Jason McLellan (CCT)

Lunch (provided)

Conservation Aquaculture 2: Fish Bowl Discussion

• What are the biggest challenges and how are those being addressed?
  • How are stocking targets being set by different programs? What are the implications of different approaches 6 or 8 generations down the road?
  • How are risks being identified and addressed (e.g., spontaneous autopolyploidy, genetic risks, overrepresented families)? Are risks being addressed?
  • Are programs being adaptively managed? How? What challenges and opportunities exist?
• What information sharing is occurring? How? What are the challenges and opportunities?
• Where are we going with our conservation aquaculture and supplementation programs in the Columbia Basin?

Research Highlights

• Effects of Mercury in White Sturgeon – Collin Eagles-Smith (USGS)
• A Quick Way to Determine White Sturgeon Sex – Andrew Matala (CRITFC)
• Modeling White Sturgeon Spawning Habitat in the Columbia and Snake Rivers - Jim Hatten (USGS)

Emerging Issues and Next Steps

• Group session
  • What Are the Most Pressing Emerging Issues? Why?
  • Future Basin-wide Sturgeon Workshops?
• White Sturgeon & the Council’s Fish & Wildlife Program – Lynn Palensky (NPCC)

Closing and Adjourn