The Yakama Nation's Upper Columbia River Steelhead Kelt Recondition Project

Steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss display a variety of life history strategies that may allow the preservation of population genetics in the face of potential environmental changes, including iteroparity.  Upper Columbia River (UCR) steelhead are listed as “Threatened” under the ESA.  The artificial reconditioning of kelts holds promise for UCR populations subject to selective forces hydroelectric power systems.  The Yakama Nation (YN) is currently implementing a kelt reconditioning project within the UCR to test whether the abundance of naturally-produced UCR steelhead on natural spawning grounds can be increased through the use of long-term kelt reconditioning methods.  Early work for the project has focused primarily in the Methow River Basin.  Kelts were collected for the project through live-spawning of NOR steelhead broodstock from Methow Basin conservation hatchery programs, the application of temporary tributary traps, and collection at Rock Island Dam.  Long-term recondition methods consisting of feeding and treatment regiments were applied for approximately 6 months.  Kelts were returned to their rivers of origin following reconditioning.  Ongoing monitoring and evaluation efforts have focused on comparing movement and survival between reconditioned kelts and maiden spawners, evaluating reproductive success of reconditioned kelts, and determining if kelt collection efforts have an impact on steelhead migration timing.