Adult sockeye salmon migrating to Canada’s Okanagan River Basin will have a better chance to survive and spawn during drought years following a successful, “trap-and-haul” pilot project carried out July 16 by Grant PUD, Chelan PUD and Canada’s Okanagan Nation Alliance with ample support from agencies on both sides of the border, Grant PUD and Chelan PUD said.
The pilot project mitigates for the “thermal barrier” that occurs during periods of drought or otherwise elevated water temperatures in the Okanogan River, where it meets the larger, colder Columbia River. Elevated water temperatures cause sockeye to pause or even halt their migration up the Okanogan to spawn, potentially resulting in death.
“Obtaining the necessary approvals for this pilot was a complex process, but it shows what’s possible when agencies on both sides of the border work together with a shared commitment to restoring Okanagan Sockeye,” said Catherine Willard, senior fisheries biologist with Chelan PUD.
“This pilot study illustrates the strong partnership and commitment that has been forged among Chelan PUD, Grant PUD and the Okanagan Nation Alliance to restore sockeye populations to the Okanagan River Basin,” said Tom Dresser, Grant PUD’s manager of Fish, Wildlife and Water Quality. “We’re seeing the results of that collaboration.”
Through a collaborative effort, 105, migrating adult sockeye were trapped at Douglas County PUD’s Wells Dam and successfully transported by tank truck across the border to the ONA’s “kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ Sockeye Hatchery” near Penticton British Columbia, for spawning.
The project proves that a trap-and-haul strategy can circumnavigate thermal barrier and ensure enough sockeye broodstock are available to support hatchery production.
From the Upper Columbia River, the Okanogan River, spelled “Okanagan” in Canada, is a salmon’s only unaided route into Canada to spawn. No fish passage exists at the federal dams of Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee, both upriver of Wells Dam.
Return of the sockeye to its historic spawning range in the Okanagan River Basin is a well-documented success story. The effort began in the early 2000s with experimental fry (young salmon) releases into Canada’s Skaha Lake, followed by work to strategically improve river flow through the Okanagan Basin, restore habitat, remove barriers to spawning.
To fulfill the sockeye-survival obligations of their licenses to operate their Columbia River dams, Grant and Chelan PUDs funded the construction and operation of the kł cp̓əlk̓ stim̓ Sockeye Hatchery, which has the capacity to rear up to 5 million, or as many as 8 million with future upgrades.
The two public utilities signed agreements with the Okanagan Nation Alliance to continue funding and monitoring the operation through 2060.
Other collaborating agencies on the “trap and haul” pilot included, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
