History of Artificial Production Programs in the Klickitat River

The U.S. v. Oregon litigation was a landmark lawsuit over Indian treaty fishing rights. The case is still under the jurisdiction of the United States District Court of Oregon. Decisions reached in that case are implemented under the Columbia River Fish Management Plan (CRFMP). The plan governs management of Chinook, coho, and steelhead in the Klickitat basin, including fish production at Klickitat Hatchery, as well as salmonids throughout the Columbia River basin.

Although the latest plan (1998) has now expired, its requirements have been followed until new ones are negotiated. In the Klickitat, current programs focus on harvest augmentation for coho and fall Chinook, and on an integrated hatchery program for spring Chinook and summer steelhead. Although spring Chinook, steelhead, fall Chinook and coho programs in the Klickitat basin nominally were considered part of the YKFP from the project's inception, production and releases of the four species continued under WDFW management using federal Mitchell Act funding. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), which funds the YKFP, has not participated in funding Klickitat Hatchery artificial production to date. However, BPA funded additional research and monitoring in the Klickitat after the effects of those proposed activities were evaluated in a Supplemental Analysis (BPA 1999) to the original Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for the Yakima portion of the project (BPA et al. 1996). To date, the YKFP in the Klickitat basin has focused on monitoring and evaluation, passage improvements, habitat enhancement, and planning for the Klickitat Hatchery.

YKFP plans for various aspects of the future anadromous salmonid program in the Klickitat basin have been analyzed, approved, and in some cases, implemented. These plans, some of which presented alternative production levels for all four species, are documented in the Klickitat River Anadromous Fisheries Master Plan.