At the Council’s December 2008 request, the ISRP reviewed the Yakama Nation’s Mid-Columbia Coho Restoration Master Plan (11 November 2008 revised version), as Step One of the Council’s Three-Step Review process. The ISRP has participated in numerous reviews of the coho restoration Master Plan and feasibility study including annual reviews of proposals for funding through the Fish and Wildlife Program for fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000; a partial step review in 2000; a provincial review for fiscal years 2003-2005 funding; and a concurrent Step-One Master Plan review and FY 2007-09 proposal review in 2006.
The ISRP recommends that the revised Master Plan does not meet scientific review criteria. This most recent version of the Mid-Columbia Coho Reintroduction Master Plan is a largely unchanged update of the 2006 draft Master Plan. Habitat restoration elements that were in the 2006 draft plan have been removed and the proportion of hatchery-origin adults spawning naturally has been increased from 60 to 65% in the Natural Production Support Phase II.
The ISRP raised several concerns in the 2006 review of the Master Plan that have not been sufficiently addressed in this revision. Nevertheless, the ISRP remains supportive of a well-designed and monitored effort to reintroduce coho to these areas where they have been effectively extirpated for many years. If requested, the ISRP is willing to meet with the project sponsor in-person or by teleconference to discuss our comments and concerns.
