Spring chinook salmon populations in the Imnaha and Grande Ronde rivers are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and are at high risk of extirpation. The Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, are co-managers of conservation/restoration programs for Imnaha and Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon that use hatchery supplementation and conventional and captive broodstock techniques. The immediate goal of these programs is to prevent extirpation and provide the potential for restoration once factors limiting production are addressed. These programs redirect production occurring under the Lower Snake River Compensation Plan (LSRCP) from mitigation to conservation and restoration. Both the Imnaha and Grande Ronde conservation/restoration programs are described in ESA Section 10 permit applications and the co-managers refer to the fish production from these programs as the Currently Permitted Program (CPP). Recently, co-managers have determined that it is impossible to produce the CPP at Lookingglass Hatchery, the LSRCP facility intended for production, and that without additional facilities, production must be cut from these conservation programs. Development of new facilities for these programs through the Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program is considered a new production initiative by the Northwest Power Planning Council (NPPC) and requires a master plan. The master plan provides the NPPC, program proponents and others with the information they need to make sound decisions about whether the proposed facilities to restore salmon populations should move forward to design. This master plan describes alternatives considered to meet the facility needs of the CPP so the conservation program can be fully implemented. Co-managers considered three alternatives: modify Lookingglass Hatchery; use existing facilities elsewhere in the Basin; and use new facilities in conjunct ion with a modified Lookingglass Hatchery. Each alternative was evaluated based on criteria developed for rearing fish for a conservation program. After this review, the Nez Perce Tribe determined the only alternative that meets the needs of the program is the alternative to use new facilities in conjunction with a modified Lookingglass Hatchery. This is the Proposed Alternative. The Proposed Alternative would require: Construction of a new incubation and rearing facility in the Imnaha River and modifications of the existing Gumboot facility to accommodate the Imnaha component of the Lookingglass Hatchery production; Construction of a new incubation and rearing facility in the Lostine River to accommodate the Lostine component of the Lookingglass Hatchery production; and Modifications at Lookingglass Hatchery to accommodate the Upper Grande Ronde and Catherine Creek components of the Lookingglass Hatchery production. After an extensive screening process of potential sites, the Nez Perce Tribe proposes the Marks Ranch site on the Imnaha River and the Lundquist site on the Lostine River for new facilities. Conceptual design and cost estimates of the proposed facilities are contained in this master plan. The proposed facilities on the Imnaha and Lostine rivers would be managed in conjunction with the existing adult collection and juvenile acclimation/release facilities. Because this master plan has evolved into an endeavor undertaken primarily by the Nez Perce Tribe, the focus of the document is on actions within the Imnaha and Lostine watersheds where the Nez Perce Tribe have specific co-management responsibilities. Nevertheless, modifications at Lookingglass Hatchery could make it possible to provide a quality rearing environment for the remainder of the CPP. The Nez Perce Tribe will assist co-managers in further evaluating facility needs and providing other components of the NPPC master planning process to develop a solution for the entire CPP. Although the fish production for the conservation programs is already authorized and not at issue in this master plan, a detailed description of the fish culture program, historic and current management practices, and life history and biology of Imnaha and Lostine River spring chinook salmon is also provided in this master plan for background and supporting information.

"In this Revised Master Plan, the Yakama Nation proposes to implement hatchery programs for Yakima Basin Coho and summer- and fall-run Chinook salmon, as well as a Wild Steelhead Kelt Reconditioning program. The primary purpose of the proposed Coho and Chinook programs is to increase harvest of Coho and Chinook salmon in the Zone 6 and Yakima River Basin fisheries. The programs will also help meet the cultural objectives of providing salmon for ceremonial and subsistence use. In addition, increasing the number of fish spawning naturally in the Yakima River basin will contribute to the Yakama Nation's cultural objective of seeing salmon complete their life cycle in the wild. The integrated Coho and summer/fall Chinook programs are also designed to meet the conservation objectives of reestablishing locally-adapted populations upstream of Prosser Dam and increasing the spatial and temporal diversity of the naturally spawning populations. The purpose of the Wild Steelhead Kelt Reconditioning program is to increase the number of repeat spawners in the Yakima River MPG populations and increase the overall number of naturally-spawning steelhead in the system. The program will also contribute to restoring opportunities for terminal harvest and providing fish for ceremonial and subsistence uses. All three programs will be components of the ongoing Yakima-Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) under which the Yakama Nation and its partners are enhancing existing populations of anadromous fish in the Yakima and Klickitat river basins and reintroducing stocks formerly present in the subbasins. The YKFP is attempting to evaluate all stocks historically present in the Yakima Subbasin and apply a combination of habitat restoration and hatchery supplementation or reintroduction to restore the Yakima Subbasin ecosystem with sustainable and harvestable populations of salmon, steelhead and other at-risk species. The decline of the Yakima River Basin Chinook, Coho and steelhead populations has greatly reduced the Tribe's ability to exercise its Treaty-reserved fishing right. The proposed programs are intended to enhance fishing opportunities for Tribal members guaranteed by the Treaty of 1855 and confirmed by U.S. v Oregon."--Executive summary.