Anadromous Fish Habitat and Hatchery Project Review Completes Category Review Cycle

At the Council’s August meeting, Project Review and Implementation Manager Mark Fritsch and Fish and Wildlife Program Analyst Maureen Hess updated members on the Anadromous Fish Habitat and Hatchery Project Review. This represents the fourth and largest category of projects to be reviewed during the current review cycle initiated in 2017. Other categories that have been reviewed were wildlife projects, mainstem and program support projects, and resident fish projects.

Project sponsors recently completed presentations to the independent science review panel, which is currently drafting its preliminary review scheduled for completion in September.

This comprehensive evaluation of proposed fish and wildlife projects will be completed in April 2022. Council staff work with its independent science review panel and the Bonneville Power Administration to conduct this review of projects that will implement the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program.

According to Fritsch and Hess, the 124 projects in this category include hatchery operation and maintenance, fish screen operation and maintenance, habitat restoration, and the monitoring and evaluation activities associated with these projects. The projects are implemented by a variety of organizations, and Fritsch and Hess noted project sponsors in their success in making the most of their funding dollars. “While these projects received $134 million in fiscal year 2020, over the time span of these projects, project sponsors have leveraged $463 million in additional dollars.”