JBER Beluga Prey Salmon Project

Description

1.0 INTRODUCTION1.1 PurposeThe purpose of this Statement of Work (SOW) is to provide details of the described work to be performed to support the U.S. Air Force involving the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) Conservation Fisheries Program, for a base year and up to two (2) option years, through a cooperative agreement (CA) between the Cooperator, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and JBER. The goal of this work is to continue monitoring efforts of salmon in various waterways on JBER.Projects for execution under this Cooperative Agreement by USACE do not include any functions to be performed that are inherently governmental. This determination is made with the assessment that places emphasis on the degree to which conditions and facts restrict the discretionary authority, decision-making responsibility, or accountability of Government officials using recipient services or work products.This Cooperative Agreement shall not be used for performance of personal services. These tasks provided by the customer for execution under this Cooperative Agreement by USACE do not include functions to be performed that are personal services.Any modifications to Cooperative Agreement activities as outlined by this SOW must be coordinated through the Grants Officer’s Technical Representative (GOTR) and approved by the Grants Officer (GO) prior to Cooperator implementation.1.2 BackgroundCritical Habitat (CH) for Cook Inlet beluga whale (CIBW), designated in 2011, does not include waters on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) but does include those waters (Knik Arm) adjacent to 20 miles of JBER shoreline. Included in the CH designation are five elements, called primary constituent elements (PCE) that are deemed essential for the recovery of the CIBW. These PCE’s include four of the five Pacific salmon (Chinook, chum, coho, and sockeye). Section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) requires that each federal agency ensure any action authorized, funded, or carried out by such agency is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat.In addition to critical habitat designation to CIBW, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-267), is a nationalprogram for the conservation and management of the fishery resources of the United States. Its purpose is to ensure conservation, facilitate long-term protection of Essential Fish Habitats (EFHs), prevent overfishing, rebuild overfished stocks, and to realize the full potential of U.S. fishery resources. According to the ADF&G anadromous waters catalog (AWC), all five Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) species found in North America return to JBER streams to spawn, therefore designated as Essential EFH under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Thus monitoring anadromous fish species in EFH is an inherent responsibility of JBER.JBER’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan (INRMP) focuses efforts on developing long-term data sets on salmon escapement and lake productivity, as well as, improving spawning habitat and passageways for migratory salmon. The importance of salmon as a PCE for the CIBW necessitates a thorough monitoring process and habitat enhancement actions.Eagle RiverEagle River and its tributaries provide habitat for all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as, a variety of other fish species. The importance of this system for CIBW recovery and the use of Eagle River Flats for military training demands research to document and monitor fish species presence and utilization of this system. During summer 2011, Natural Resources staff installed a Dual Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) upstream of Bravo Bridge to monitor salmon escapement. The data collected will provide insight into run timing, population trends and a better understanding of this complex system, which will support management decisions.Sixmile LakeThe Sixmile system includes Upper and Lower Sixmile lakes and Sixmile Creek; managed as one system. This anadromous system flows into Knik Arm, supporting sockeye, pink, chum, and coho salmon. Adult sockeye and coho salmon, as well as other salmon species, have been enumerated annually at the Sixmile Creek fish weir since 1988. In 1998, the weir location was moved to the outlet of Lower Sixmile Lake. Salmon smolt from the Sixmile Lake system have been monitored periodically since 2003 and annually since 2012, using a fyke net weir and live box at the outlet of Lower Sixmile Lake.

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