September 8, 2023, Special Hatchery Workshop Meeting agenda - WDFW Fish and Wildlife Commission

Minutes and audio/video recordings

September 9, 2023 Minutes (PDF)

Friday

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8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. – Workshop #3: Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) Management and Population Dynamics

This is the third workshop in a four-part series on hatchery production and Southern Resident killer whale prey availability. The purpose of the workshop series is to provide information to Commissioners about the context and analysis associated with changes in the number of salmon produced from hatcheries to support Southern Resident killer whale (SRKW) recovery, such as the Commission’s 2018 initiative to increase salmon hatchery production to increase prey availability for SRKW. The four workshops in this series include:

Workshop #1 (March 2023):  Overview of the Washington State hatchery system and production

Workshop #2 (June 2023):  Risks and benefits of hatchery production

Workshop #3 (September 2023):  SRKW management and population dynamics

Hatchery Terms of Reference Workshop Schedule

GSRO Hatchery Workshop #3 - Presentation

NMFS - Hatchery Workshop #3 - Presentation

WDFW - Hatchery Workshop #3 - Presentation

Workshop #4 (December 2023):  Ecological interactions

This third workshop will focus on the Southern Resident Orca Task Force and its recommendations, Governor Inslee’s executive order, and the Commission’s prey initiative. Also included will be SRKW population dynamics – causes for changes in status of SRKW abundance and survival. This may include some limited discussion on ecological interactions between SRKW and salmonids, but this will be covered in more detail in Workshop #4. Specific topics covered in Workshop #3 will include:

  1. Southern Resident killer whale natural history and context, including threats to recovery
  2. Best available science regarding SRKW and interactions between threats, including science that informed work addressing prey availability
  3. Governor Inslee’s executive orders, Southern Resident Orca Task Force, and the subsequent Task Force process and recommendations
  4. Implementation of Task Force recommendations and progress across all threats
  5. SRKW hatchery production initiatives, directives, and decisions aimed at increasing prey for SRKW
  6. The Commission’s 2018 Southern Resident Orca Prey Enhancement Initiative 

This workshop will feature staff and external presentations from NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office (GSRO).