At the Council’s June 9, 2009 request the ISRP reviewed the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission’s Accord proposal titled Pacific Lamprey Passage Design (2008-524-00). This proposal is one of four new lamprey projects submitted to implement the Columbia River Fish Accords. Other lamprey proposals include the Warms Springs Tribes’ lamprey monitoring project in the Fifteenmile Creek and Hood River Basins (2007-007-00); the Yakama Nation Lamprey Program (2008-470-00); and the Warm Springs Tribes’ Willamette Falls Lamprey Escapement Estimate proposal (2008-308-00).
The Warm Springs Tribes' proposal focuses on Willamette Falls, while the CRITFC project intends to improve adult and juvenile Pacific lamprey passage through mainstem and tributary blockages. The CRITFC proposal also will provide information and actions to reduce uncertainties with respect to mainstem lamprey distribution and abundance, habitat quality, habitat use and genetic characteristics. Specifically, it will implement four objectives of the Tribal Pacific Lamprey Restoration Plan for the Columbia River Basin. To accomplish this, ten general sub-objectives are identified in this proposal. One task is to finalize the draft lamprey restoration plan. The ISRP finds this objective meets scientific review criteria and believes strongly it should be given a priority. Development of the overall tribal lamprey recovery program, including a prioritized list of actions and studies, should precede implementation of field work.
Although the proposal could serve as a basis for designing meaningful project components, information in the proposal describing the methodology to undertake the remaining sub-objectives (and associated tasks) is too general to serve as a basis for scientific review. These sub-objectives need a response with additional details.
