In response to the Council’s April 27, 2012 request, the ISRP reviewed Step 2/ Step 3 documents for Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s (IDFG) Springfield Hatchery project (#200740200, Snake River Sockeye Captive Propagation). These IDFG documents are intended to address information requested by the ISRP (i.e., six qualifying issues) as part of the Step 1 review of the Springfield Hatchery Master Plan (ISRP 2011-2), and the requirements of Step 2 and Step 3 of the Council’s review process.
The ISRP finds that the Step 2/Step 3 submittal Meets Scientific Review Criteria (Qualified).
The Step 2/Step 3 submittal adequately addresses the facility, permitting, and construction plan requirements of Step 2 and 3, and the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan establishes a framework to acquire the required information for determining if the project is achieving its biological goals.
However, the following issues raised by the ISRP in Step 1 were not answered in sufficient detail:
- the transition from Phase 1 - Captive Broodstock to Phase 2 - Re-introduction Program Scale (1 million smolts)
- Redfish Lake broodstock collection
- experimental management
These Step 1 issues need to be addressed in a further response to the ISRP before fish culture at Springfield begins in December 2013. The plan represents a great deal of work, and with some additional consideration it can be made better. Construction initiation in July 2012 need not be delayed.
See the attached review for details, and the Council's Fish Accord Projects Review page.
