SOR 2025-C1 SOR 2025-02 SOR 2025-C-2
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| 1. SOR Request |
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), on behalf of its member tribes, the
Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the
Yakama Nation, requests the following (Zone 6) reservoir operations (BON to MCN dams) during
the summer-season 2025 treaty fishery. This effort supports the 2025 ceremonial, subsistence,
and commercial treaty fishery times as set by the tribes and the Columbia River Compact (see
additional attachment).
SPECIFICATIONS: Implement the following pool operations, as follows: Monday, June 16, 2025, 6 am, through Thursday, June 19, 2025, 6 pm Monday, June 23, 2025, 6 am, through Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 6 pm Bonneville: Operate the pool within a 1.5-foot band during the treaty fishing period. The Dalles: Operate the pool within a 1.5-foot band during the treaty fishing period. John Day: Operate the pool within a 2-foot band during the treaty fishing period. CRITFC will notify the Corps with specific times for the tribal fishery after a Compact hearing. JUSTIFICATION: The 2025 summer-season treaty fishing season is of critical importance to CRITFC's member tribes. The run size forecast (at the Columbia River mouth) of an estimated 38,000 adult summer Upper Columbia chinook (below average), 350,200 sockeye (near average), Skamania steelhead forecasts (steelhead forecasts are below average) at BON (April 1 through June 30) 6,500, A-Index steelhead (July 1-Oct. 31) 55,600, and B-Index steelhead (July 1-Oct. 31) 11,800 will collectively create harvest opportunities for tribal fishers who will exercise their treaty rights by participating in this harvest using platform and gillnet fishing methods. This harvest will provide for the cultural, religious, and economic needs of the treaty tribes. CRITFC will sponsor net flights each week to count the set-nets in each Zone 6 pool. The survey data will be shared with COE-RCC staff within 2-7 days of the flight day. Achieving good river conditions through managed river operations during the treaty fishery has been the basis of past litigation that have been supported by federal courts and are consistent with the trust and fiduciary responsibilities that the federal operators have with respect to CRITFC's member tribes. In past meetings with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials, tribal fishers have explained that a pool fluctuation of more than 1.5 feet disrupts fishery operations. Specific problems include: (1) increased local currents that sweep debris into fishing nets, (2) rapid water level drops lead to entanglement of nets or change local currents that affect fishing success, (3) boat access problems, and (4) nets and gear are costly to replace and may become lost or torn from their anchors if pools are raised after nets are set. Delays or disruptions to tribal fishing operations caused by the excessive pool fluctuations in Zone 6 can negatively impact tribal incomes, food resources, and cultural practices. For many tribal fishers, much of their annual income and food is generated during the brief treaty fishing season. The fishers have expressed to Corps officials that the loss of fishing opportunity during the extremely limited treaty fishery period cannot be replaced. If this SOR cannot be accommodated, CRITFC requests a verbal response with an explanation from the federal operators by COB, Friday June 13, 2025. Thank you for considering this request. Please contact Kyle Dittmer or Stuart Ellis should you have any questions at (503) 238-0667. |
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| 2. Requester(s) | CRITFC | ||||
| 3. TMT Recommendation |
June 11, 2025, TMT Meeting. No objections. |
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| 4. AA decision |
June 11, 2025, TMT Meeting. Leah Hamilton, Corps, said that the Corps plans on implementing per the request. She said that it generally had worked out very well and gone smoothly. The Corps will continue to coordinate with CRITFC about how long the season is going to go and which days and times they want, to make sure that the Treaty fishing bands are held. |
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| 5. Actual Implemented Operation |
June 25, 2025 The SOR was implemented as requested. |
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| 6. If different from AA decision, why? | |||||
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| 1. SOR Request |
SPECIFICATIONS: We specifically request a ramp up and release of approximately 10kcfs from Dworshak Dam beginning June 29th through July 20th. Current modeling suggests this volume provides a reasonable probability of effectively passing the Snake River sockeye ESU currently moving through the lower Snake River. Emergency adult sockeye trapping may occur at Lower Granite Dam in conjunction with this request as available and approved. Consider relaxing the temperature criteria from 68-degrees F maximum in the Lower Granite tailrace between July 23rd and August 15th 2025, as necessary to achieve the Dworshak Reservoir elevation threshold of 1535 ft on 31 August. On or around August 15th, return to 68-degrees F tailwater at LWG to facilitate adult passage and fall Chinook broodstock collection. JUSTIFICATION: This request is needed to improve adult sockeye conversion and survival to natal spawning areas by reducing temperature related impacts. For the last four years, the conversion rates of Snake River sockeye have been lower than expected, and a portion of PIT tagged SR sockeye have been detected migrating into the upper Columbia River. The drivers for these behaviors are not clear, but there is evidence that higher than average water temperatures are likely impacting their behavior and survival. Crozier et al. (2020) notes that the Snake River sockeye survival rates drop significantly between 20 to 22-degrees C. Within the last four years, water temperature at Ice Harbor Dam tailwater has exceeded these thresholds in July while Snake River sockeye are returning. Recent modeling efforts indicate early releases of Dworshak cooling water likely provide a cooling benefit in the lower Snake River all the way down to the Ice Harbor Dam tailrace that is proportional to the timing and volume released. This result is supported empirically in Karr and Fryer (1998) where large volume Dworshak releases resulted in a substantial reduction in temperature downstream of Ice Harbor Dam. SOR 2023-5 states that fall Chinook salmon broodstock collection typically begins 17 August and requires temperatures at the Lower Granite Dam adult fish trap to be below 70-degrees F and ideally below 68-degrees F. Allowing the temperature of the Lower Granite Dam tailrace to exceed 68 degrees from July 23 to August 15th may extend summer flow augmentation from Dworshak Dam without using water managed under the Nez Perce Agreement. Salmon and steelhead migrations generally slow or pause during this period. We acknowledge that temporarily increasing the temperature creates a more stressful environment for fish migrating during the specified period. However, the proportion of each species migrating from late July to mid-August is relatively low. Snake River sockeye arriving at Lower Granite Dam after July 23rd do not typically survive to their natal spawning areas (Johnson et al. 2019, 2020) due to thermal stress accumulated between Bonneville Dam and Lower Granite Dam as well as high water temperatures in the Snake River and lower Salmon River in August. As such, increasing the temperature target for the Lower Granite Dam tailrace at the end of July and in the beginning of August is unlikely to impact salmon populations as a whole. This request is consistent with the NMFS 2020 CRS BiOp and ITS Term and Condition 1.F. CRS Operations and Maintenance Actions, which seeks to improve passage conditions for adult Snake River sockeye salmon to the extent practicable using Dworshak reservoir management and improved temperature modeling (NMFS 2020). |
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| 2. Requester(s) | NOAA Fisheries | ||||
| 3. TMT Recommendation |
June 25 and July 2, 2025, TMT Meetings. See minutes from the June 25 and July 2 TMT meetings for details. Support = NOAA, MT, BOR, Corps, BPA Object = OR, WA, Umatilla, Yakama Object and Elevate to RIOG = Nez Perce, ID |
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| 4. AA decision |
June 25, 2025, TMT Meeting. The Corps will implement the SOR as requested, beginning June 26 and continuing through July 20. |
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| 5. Actual Implemented Operation |
June 25 and July 2, 2025, TMT Meetings. The Corps implemented the SOR from June 26 through July 3. See minutes from the June 25 and July 2 TMT meetings for details. |
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| 6. If different from AA decision, why? |
July 2, 2025, TMT Meeting. NOAA recommended ending the SOR operation at the July 2 TMT meeting in response to feedback and concerns from co-managers. The Corps ended the operation on July 3. The Corps NWW provided a review of the SOR operation at the July 9 TMT meeting (see minutes for details). |
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| 1. SOR Request |
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), on behalf of its member tribes, the
Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated
Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the
Yakama Nation, requests the following (Zone 6) reservoir operations (BON to MCN dams) during
the fall-season 2025 treaty fishery. This effort supports the 2025 ceremonial, subsistence,
and commercial treaty fishery times as set by the tribes and the Columbia River Compact (see
additional attachment).
SPECIFICATIONS: Implement the following pool operations, as follows: Monday, August 18, 2025, 6 am, through Thursday, August 21, 2025, 6 pm Monday, August 25, 2025, 6 am, through Saturday, August 30, 2025, 6 pm Monday, September 1, 2025, 6 am, through Saturday, September 6, 2025, 6 pm Bonneville: Operate the pool within a 1.5-foot band during the treaty fishing period. The Dalles: Operate the pool within a 1.5-foot band during the treaty fishing period. John Day: Operate the pool within a 2-foot band during the treaty fishing period. CRITFC will notify the Corps with specific times for the tribal fishery after a Compact hearing. JUSTIFICATION: The 2025 fall-season treaty fishing season is of critical importance to CRITFC's member tribes. The run size forecast (at the Columbia River mouth) of 594,400 adult upriver fall chinook (near 10-year average). Additionally, 114,500 coho (near 10-year average), and 149,500 A and B-Index steelhead (above 10-year average) are forecast at Bonneville Dam. These will collectively create harvest opportunities for tribal fishers who will exercise their treaty rights by participating in this harvest using platform and gillnet fishing methods. This harvest will provide for the cultural, religious, and economic needs of the treaty tribes. CRITFC will conduct aerial counts of set-nets each week in each Zone 6 pool. The survey data will be shared with COE-RCC staff within 2-7 days of the flight day. Achieving good river conditions through managed river operations during the treaty fishery has been the basis of past litigation that have been supported by federal courts and are consistent with the trust and fiduciary responsibilities that the federal operators have with respect to CRITFC's member tribes. In past meetings with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials, tribal fishers have explained that a pool fluctuation of more than 1.5 feet disrupts fishery operations. Specific problems include: (1) increased local currents that sweep debris into fishing nets, (2) rapid water level drops lead to entanglement of nets or change local currents that affect fishing success, (3) boat access problems, and (4) nets and gear are costly to replace and may become lost or torn from their anchors if pools are raised after nets are set. Delays or disruptions to tribal fishing operations caused by the excessive pool fluctuations in Zone 6 can negatively impact tribal incomes, food resources, and cultural practices. For many tribal fishers, much of their annual income and food is generated during the brief treaty fishing season. The fishers have expressed to Corps officials that the loss of fishing opportunity during the extremely limited treaty fishery period cannot be replaced. If this SOR cannot be accommodated, CRITFC requests a verbal response with an explanation from the federal operators by COB, Friday August 15, 2025. Thank you for considering this request. Please contact Kyle Dittmer or Stuart Ellis should you have any questions at (503) 238-0667. |
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| 2. Requester(s) | CRITFC | ||||
| 3. TMT Recommendation |
August 20, 2025, TMT Meeting. No objections. |
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| 4. AA decision |
August 20, 2025, TMT Meeting. Catherine Dudgeon, Corps, reported that the Corps plans on implementing the operation as requested following their coordination with BPA. Kyle noted that CRITFC is working on streamlining their internal processes to help Action Agencies (AAs) coordinate these operational requests efficiently. |
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| 5. Actual Implemented Operation |
August 20, 2025, TMT Meeting. The SOR will be implemented as requested. |
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| 6. If different from AA decision, why? |
August 20, 2025, TMT Meeting. |
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