The Council’s 2009 amendments to the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program call for the continuation of the fish passage related functions currently conducted by the Fish Passage Center. The primary functions are to provide technical assistance and information to fish and wildlife agencies in particular, and to the public in general, on matters related to water management, spill, and other passage measures. The Program also calls for the Fish Passage Center’s Oversight Board to ensure that the functions are implemented consistent with the Program. To do this, the Program specifies that the Oversight Board will work with the Center and the Independent Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) to organize a regular system of independent and timely science reviews of the Center’s analytical products.
The Oversight Board, ISAB, and FPC director are currently establishing guidelines for this regular review. Although the guidelines are not finalized, the Oversight Board agreed that the ISAB should implement the first review assignment item included in the draft guidelines and examine the FPC's draft 2009 Annual Report. Item 1 specifies that a subgroup of the ISAB will "initiate an examination of the FPC and CSS draft annual reports when these reports are released for public comment. As part of the examination, the subgroup will look at the annual reports to ensure that work products, methodologies, and analyses appropriate for potential science review have been considered."
The draft guidelines include criteria for identifying FPC analyses/products for ISAB review. These include when new or novel analyses are introduced; new conditions or data bring old analyses into question; and/or consensus cannot be reached in the region on the science involved in the product.
The attached ISAB review begins by identifying 2009 FPC products for possible ISAB review and then provides comments on the content of the draft 2009 FPC Annual Report including editorial issues noted. The ISAB's comments and editorial notes on the draft Annual Report are primarily directed toward the FPC to help them improve their final report.
