Wells Hydroelectric Project FERC License No. 2149
The goal of the White Sturgeon Management Plan (WSMP) is to increase the white sturgeon (Acipensertransmontanus) population in the Wells Reservoir to a level that can be supported by the available habitat and characterized by a diverse age structure consisting of multiple cohorts (juvenile and adult). In addition, the WSMP is intended to support spawning, rearing and migration as identified by the aquatic life designated use under WAC 173-201A in the Washington state water quality standards.
The White Sturgeon Management Plan focuses on the protection and enhancement of the sturgeon population found within the Wells Reservoir. Supplementation will be used in the initial step of the plan in order to increase the number of fish found within the available habitat. In addition to support the initial supplementation activities, implementation of a monitoring and evaluation program shall be conducted to accurately assess natural recruitment, juvenile habitat use, emigration rates, carrying capacity, the success of supplementation and the potential for natural reproduction so as to inform the scope of a future, longer-term supplementation strategy. All objectives were developed in order to meet the goal of the WSMP.
The PMEs presented within the WSMP are designed to meet the following objectives:
- Supplement the white sturgeon population in order to address Project effects, including impediments to migration and associated bottlenecks in spawning and recruitment
- Determine the effectiveness of the supplementation activities through a monitoring and evaluation program
- Determine the potential for natural reproduction in the Wells Reservoir in order to appropriately inform the scope of future supplementation activities
- Adaptively manage the supplementation program as warranted by the monitoring results
- Evaluate whether there is biological merit to providing safe and efficient adult upstream passage
- Identify white sturgeon educational opportunities that coincide with WSMP activities.
White Sturgeon Management Plan