Programs
Conservation Biometrics Recovery,
Assessment, and Planning Non-Salmonid
Program Hatchery
and Harvest Biometrics Team Hatchery
Evaluation/Planning Team
Marking/ tagging and/or bio-sampling occurs during every month with peak activity during Jan. – June for marking and Sept. – Nov. for bio-sampling and coded-wire tag reading and processing. The CRFPO maintains a fleet of seven marking trailers, two of which are owned by BPA. Of the five owned by FWS, three are automated and two are manual. BPA's trailers are both manually operated. Contact Jesse Rivera at 360-604-2500 for more information. Return to top. Water Management and Evaluation The decline of many of the native anadromous and resident fish species in the Columbia River basin is directly related to consumptive water use, and manipulation of water resources for hydropower production, flood control, and navigation. The Water Management and Evaluation Team was assembled in response to this situation to work with the other fishery managers in the basin to identify water-related issues, conduct the relevant evaluations, and recommend solutions based on the best available science that provide options to accommodate many of the conflicting demands on Columbia basin water resources. The four main areas of activity for the program include issues related to the Federal Columbia River Power System, issues regarding instream flows including the mainstem Columbia and Snake rivers, issues related to bull trout recovery, and Geographic Information Systems. In many cases, specific issues overlap more than one of these areas. Federal Columbia River Power System Instream Flow
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The mission of the RAP Program is to promote the Service's position and interests
through interagency forums, local governments and coordination groups
operating in the Columbia River basin and ensure that the decisions made
by these groups result in the adoption of the best scientifically-based
management measures for resident and anadromous fish. The FWS is represented
by the RAP Program at (1) multi-agency technical forums developed to formulate
and resolve uncertainties in the fundamental biological issues surrounding
the restoration of lamprey, (2) development of range-wide coastal cutthroat
trout conservation initiatives, (3) development and implementation of
subbasin plans, (4) identification and implementation restoration actions
dealing with fish passage barriers within basin, (5) recovery planning
for bull trout and chub, (6) coordinated technical assistance with National
Wildlife Refuges, and (7) internal and external education and outreach
to promote the Service's mission.
The non-salmonid program is presently focused on lamprey
species. The lamprey project evaluates
habitat use and population dynamics of lampreys inhabiting Cedar Creek,
a tributary of the Lewis River located in southwest Washington. Currently
in the sixth year of a multi-year study on lamprey populations, the objectives
of this research are to estimate abundance and determine distribution,
habitat requirements and migration timing of larval, juvenile and adult
Pacific and Western brook lampreys. The team has also investigated the
distribution and habitat use of the western
pearl shell mussel in Cedar Creek. 
The Native Trout
Program is charged with conducting research, monitoring and evaluation
projects to assess behavior, physiological processes, morphological characteristics,
habitat parameters, population genetic structure, and abundance and distribution
of sensitive native trout species in the Pacific Northwest. Species currently
being focused on include 
To keep track of hatchery programs, our office maintains
the Columbia River information System (CRiS), and participates in the interagency
StreamNet database. We also develop hatchery and Genetic Management Plans
and Section 7 Biological Assessments for Endangered Species Act compliance.
We develop collaborative projects to investigate diet, release, and rearing
density to improve hatchery performance, as well as develop in-stream studies
using traps, radio telemetry, and snorkeling to investigate behavior, wild
and hatchery interactions and habitat use. Our vision for hatchery assessment
is: 1) use National Fish Hatcheries to conserve populations 2) produce fish
for sport, commercial and tribal fisheries 3) use National Fish Hatcheries
to complement fish and wildlife production in their natural habitat 4) develop
partnerships for watershed-based projects in streams where we operate our
National Fish Hatcheries 5) work with engineers, landscape architects, biologists
and fish culturists to design and operate hatcheries which simulate natural
features 6) advance education, research and management of our National Fish
Hatcheries and 7) build relationships and establish trust. 
The Columbia River Fisheries Program Office was initially tasked with the coordination and implementation of FWS funded marking at Columbia Basins NFHs. Since then, the marking and tagging program has expanded to meet other cooperators needs (BPA, COE, Tribes, etc.). The program also provides assistance outside the Basin as schedules allow. The current program marks/tags more than 33.0 million fish in the Columbia Basin under a number of funding sources.
Office staff have significant experience and expertise in instream flow methodologies, river hydraulics, and physical/biological habitat evaluations for native anadromous and resident fish and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest and Columbia River basin. Instream flow assessments, hydraulic and habitat modeling, and species-specific biological evaluations provide the information necessary to determine the amount and location of habitat that is associated with a range of streamflows for a particular species/lifestage. This relationship between streamflow and habitat provides the raw materials for crafting solutions to water management problems that achieve the best balance among competing demands on a limited resource. Office staff have a long history of instream flow applications using the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM) and Physical Habitat Simulation System (PHABSIM). These methods were state-of-the-art tools in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. More recently, new tools have been developed that have advanced hydraulic simulations into the 2-dimensional realm, and habitat output into a spatially explicit coverage in GIS format. The CRFPO has integrated the strengths of River2D for hydrodynamic modeling, with logistic regression analysis for biological criteria, to conduct modeling, analysis, and output completely within the ArcGIS framework. This process provides results that are intuitive, and much easier to interpret in map form than tables of numbers. The CRFPO’s instream flow work has spanned a wide range of applications and scales including the Hanford Reach in the mid-Columbia (fall Chinook, white sturgeon) and an upcoming evaluation in the Walla Walla basin in southeast Washington/northeast Oregon (bull trout, steelhead, spring Chinook). Staff also recently completed a habitat evaluation for fall Chinook in the mainstem Columbia River below John Day Dam using these tools.
Bull trout are currently listed as threatened under the ESA, and the CRFPO is assisting the Service with many aspects of recovery planning, recovery on the ground, and monitoring and evaluation. The water management program has implemented studies in the Walla Walla, John Day, and Umatilla basins to determine factors limiting bull trout production in those basins, and to work with local, state, federal, and tribal co-managers to improve conditions and make progress towards recovery. Consumptive water use for agriculture is the primary issue in these arid east-side basins. As a result, insufficient instream flows are a fundamental problem that must be addressed to recover bull trout. Our work consists of studies to investigate movement and migration patterns, determine spatial and temporal distribution, and characterize spawning and rearing habitat conditions. Along with identification of life history patterns, an instream flow study is in the early stages in the Walla Walla basin to determine how much water will be required to provide adequate habitat and physical passage conditions to improve the status of bull trout and contribute to their recovery.